Love & Literature

For the next several weeks or months, we are going to go through the book of Philippians.

Setting:

Paul was imprisoned, likely under house arrest in Rome (cf. Acts 28:16, 30).

Time:

Around 60–62 AD, though some suggest an earlier imprisonment in Ephesus or Caesarea.

Paul’s Circumstances:

Confined but able to write letters and receive visitors.

Facing possible execution yet remains confident in Christ.

Encouraged by the Philippians' financial support and gospel partnership.

Writes with a tone of joy, emphasizing humility, unity, and rejoicing in all circumstances.

As usual, we are going to cover large portions of the text so we can get a feel for the letter.

Then I will select a few portions that I think are interesting.

Let’s get into reading the first eleven verses.

Philippians 1:1–11 NRSVue

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Who were the Philippians:

Location: The Philippians were residents of Philippi, a Roman colony in the region of Macedonia (northern Greece).

Background: Philippi was a leading city with strong Roman influence, settled by Roman veterans and governed under Roman law (Acts 16:12).

Church Origin: Paul founded the Philippian church during his second missionary journey, around 49–51 AD (Acts 16).

Notable Converts: Included Lydia, a wealthy merchant; a formerly demon-possessed slave girl; and a Roman jailer—all showing the church's diverse makeup.

Reputation: The Philippian church was known for its generosity, deep affection for Paul, and faithful partnership in his ministry (Phil 1:3–5; 4:15–18).

The likelihood that the Philippian church was mostly Gentile is very high. Evidence for this includes:

Lack of Synagogue: In Acts 16, Paul meets worshipers outside the city by a river, suggesting there were too few Jews in Philippi to support a synagogue (typically needing ten Jewish men).

First Converts: Lydia (a God-fearing Gentile) and the Roman jailer are both likely non-Jews, as is the slave girl.

Roman Colony: Philippi was a Roman colony with a largely Gentile population, settled by Roman citizens and veterans.

Letter Content: Paul's letter to the Philippians lacks extensive Old Testament references and instead emphasizes unity and humility—core themes often addressed to Gentile believers unfamiliar with Jewish law.

Philippians 1:3–7 NRSVue

I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

**** I THANK GOD ****

What would lead to Paul’s confidence?

At first, he was completely against this…

But now, he sees the whole plan of God

And how Israel plays into that idea

He does not see God giving up on Israel

He sees, now, that Gentiles are part of this plan

Highly unusual for a Jew, especially one of Paul’s stature

His confidence is rooted in his knowledge of the Hebrew Bible

He can see that God has taken the necessary step to redeem

Gentiles

Israel

So he can say with confidence that God is going to complete this work of redemption that has now been started.

**** IT IS RIGHT FOR ME ****

I cannot image a time in Paul’s life where he thought he would be partners with gentiles, Romans, who are:

Lydia (A God fearing gentile woman)

A Roman jailer

A formerly demon possessed slave girl

INTERESTING…the term ‘Partners’

‘for all of you are my partners in God’s grace’

There is a bit of a wordplay in this statement

The term means ‘partners’

But the root of the term means ‘unclean’ or ‘defile’

Which is just awesome!

Because that is the sense of the Jews of the day towards those who were not Jews.

There is no indication of a Synagogue In Philippi

While there may be some Jews there, it does not seem to be a big population.

And Paul, as we will see, does not make as many references to Hebrew tradition or the Hebrew Bible.

Though written to a mostly Gentile audience, Philippians contains several elements rooted in Jewish thought and the Hebrew Bible:

Christ Hymn (Phil 2:6–11): Echoes Isaiah 45:23 where every knee bows to Yahweh; Paul applies this to Jesus, reflecting Jewish monotheistic language now centered on Christ.

Covenant Language (Phil 3:3): Paul refers to believers as the “true circumcision,” reclaiming a core Jewish identity marker and applying it spiritually to the church.

Boasting in the Flesh (Phil 3:4–6): Paul recounts his Jewish credentials (tribe of Benjamin, Pharisee, etc.), drawing from Jewish heritage to contrast flesh-based righteousness with faith in Christ.

Sacrificial Imagery (Phil 2:17; 4:18): Uses temple language—drink offering and fragrant offering—common in Leviticus and Numbers.

Scriptural Echoes: Ethical instructions and themes like humility, joy, and suffering reflect wisdom literature and prophetic calls to faithfulness (e.g., Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs).

Philippians 1:9–11 NRSVue

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Here, we get the other side of the coin

Partners (Root is unclean or defiled)

Here, they will be pure and blameless

Paul’s prayer is revealed here.

That their love may overflow more and more

With knowledge and full insight

There is this concept that love is love, and who cares about all this scripture, and what it says to do and not do…etc.

Yet here…Paul links overflowing love

With knowledge and full insight

So they can decide to bear the burden of being a Christ Follower

I think what Paul wants them to understand is the depth of Love God has for them.

And as time progresses, they will learn and understand the whole plan

The plan that was laid out in the Hebrew Bible

That they were to be included in the redemption of God

They are the ‘nations’ that are to be blessed through Abraham.

I titled this Love and Literature

Their understanding is going to come by learning about the God of Israel

His Messiah

And their inclusion

We don’t often see this…

Love & Literature