I Thank God for the Church

Everything Is There from the Beginning

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon Everything Is There from the Beginning (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:12–13)

When a child is born, it is at once endowed with all the faculties of humanity. If those powers are lacking at first, they will not come afterward. It has eyes, it has hands, it has feet, and all its physical organs. These of course are, as it were, in embryo. The senses, though perfect at first, must be gradually developed, and the understanding gradually matured. It can see only a little; it cannot discern distances. It can hear, but it cannot hear distinctly enough at first to know from what direction the sound comes. But you never find a new leg, a new arm, a new eye, or a new ear growing on that child. Each of these powers will expand and enlarge, but still there is the whole man there at first, and the child is sufficient for a man. If only God in his infinite providence causes it to feed, and gives it strength and increase, it has enough for manhood. It does not need either arm or leg, nose or ear. You cannot make it grow a new limb; nor does it require a new limb either. All are there.

In like manner, the moment a man is regenerated, there is every faculty in his new creation that there shall be, even when he gets to heaven. It only needs to be developed and brought out. He will not have a new power; he will not have a new grace. He will have those that he had before, developed and brought out.

Just as we are told by the careful observer that in the acorn there is in embryo every root and every bough and every leaf of the future tree, which only requires to be developed and brought out in their fullness, so, in the true believer, there is a sufficiency or adequacy for the inheritance of the saints in light. All that he requires is not that a new thing should be implanted, but that that which God has put there in the moment of regeneration shall be cherished and nurtured, and made to grow and increase, until it comes unto perfection and he enters into “the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col 1:12).

The Book of Philippians

Philippian is part of Paul’s prison epistles during his first imprisonment in Rome. The traditional view fits most of the details required by the text. Many factors enter into discussions regarding the origin of the epistle. Some of the more important are: Paul was in prison at the time of writing. Paul had the freedom to entertain friends, write letters, and lead a movement which was suspect in the eyes of the government. Paul faced a trial, the outcome of which was uncertain; the church engaged in extensive evangelistic work apart from Paul. Paul planned to visit Philippi, assuming he received a favorable verdict; most importantly, the interpreter must account for the number of times Paul’s companions traveled to and from Philippi. Paul faced imprisonment for his faith. His joy as he remembered the Philippians, therefore, was not because of his good circumstances when they believed. Rather, it was because of the firm faith of the believers in spite of their difficulties. As they grew in their Christian maturity, they also grew in their appreciation of Paul. He, in turn, prayed for them with joy.

Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 34.

They Continued in Prayer and Fellowship

Paul expressed his pleasure for the church. He let the believers in on his thoughts. Two significant aspects of Paul’s thanksgiving emerge in v. 3. These aspects reveal information about Paul’s prayer life and his fondness for the Philippians. First, Paul was thankful for them, even though a problem of disunity threatened the fellowship of the congregation. He lived his life in response to the love of Christ (2 Cor 5:14–15), hoping to reach people everywhere. The validation of his ministry, which was his life, was that people actually did respond to the gospel he preached and that they remained true to their faith. He stated as much in 1 Thess 2:19; 3:8. Any positive response to the gospel brought Paul joy; when a church embraced the Lord and the gospel message as enthusiastically as the Philippians did, it was cause for great thanksgiving. Second, Paul’s thankfulness never wavered. It was “every time I remember you.” The reasons for that are detailed in 1:4–5. Here he stressed the consistency of his memories. Paul turned each thought of them into praise for them. What kind of church produced those memories? They had shared hard times which served to deepen their friendship.

“The church must continue to prioritize prayer and practice fellowship (partnership).”

“What unites the church is the advancement of the gospel.”

The relationship between Paul and the church went deeper than human friendships. They had a tie that came from joining in the work of God in the world. Such cooperation in the spread of the gospel was something Paul appreciated very much. That fellowship was with Paul only in an intermediate sense; the ultimate contribution they made was to the spread of the gospel itself.

“Fellowship” is a major theme of the letter. The word occurs primarily in the Pauline Epistles (thirteen of nineteen times in the New Testament) and three times in Philippians. In 2:1 Paul urged, “If any fellowship with the Spirit,” and in 3:10 he expressed his desire to share in the “fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” Additionally, the verbal form of the word occurs in 4:15, which the NIV translates “shared with me.” This last occurrence presents a context for understanding Paul’s use of the word in Philippians. It referred to the believers’ involvement with Paul by sending a gift to support his work. The grammar of 1:5 confirms this primary meaning. The noun “partnership” may be followed by various cases or parts of speech. For example, in the other two occurrences of “fellowship” in Philippians, the word “of” occurs. Here the word “unto” follows.

In other places where the preposition “unto” follows, the people experience “fellowship” by contributing to a gift (Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 9:13). The word partnership here is koinonia, close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship

Thus when Paul thanked God for their fellowship “in [eis] the Gospel,” he meant that they were contributing to the spread of the gospel in tangible ways, i.e., primarily through their support. The gospel was not only the environment of their fellowship but also its goal. Had it not been for the gospel, they would not have met. Paul generally stated that the tie that bound Christians together was the gospel message. Here, however, the construction suggests that the advancement of the gospel united them. In their support of Paul, they contributed to the work of God in the world through the gospel. When the Philippians were converted, they were given a privilege of promoting the gospel. Through their relationship with Paul, they were true to that aspect of their faith.Paul mentioned the gospel nine times in Philippians.

They Are Consistent in Work

The second characteristic of Paul’s thanksgiving for the Philippian believers was that he prayed with confidence. That confidence was based on the working of God in their midst, not in his own ability or persuasiveness. Two matters emerge as significant emphases: the nature of the work in the Philippians and the time orientation involved. God began the work in the church. Obviously if he starts something, it will reach completion. Paul easily moved between the tensions of human agency and divine initiative, accepting both in a natural way. The Philippians had a partnership with Paul, but God actually worked it in them. Both the contrasts between these two realities and Paul’s comfort with each deserve attention. What work had God begun? Referring to the immediate context only, some interpreters prefer to explain it as the support the church gave to Paul. They say Paul meant the “sharing in the gospel.” The rule of context always guides the interpreter, but it is conceivable that Paul may have drawn on the wider context of Christian experience as well. The experience of God’s grace always lay under the surface of Paul’s words. Most likely that is true here since a reference to the support seems awkward.

Further, how does the reference to the “day of Christ” relate to their completion of the gift? Did Paul expect them to continue supporting him until the second coming?Paul had a general Christian characteristic in mind when he made this statement. Even those who interpret the passage as referring to the specific financial gift normally generalize it somewhat. They refer to the spirit which produced the gift or the opportunity and responsibility of supporting the gospel. It is more likely, however, that Paul saw the Philippians’ generosity as evidence of the grace of God in their lives, and in this text he spoke to that grace. In 2 Cor 8:7, a passage that urged the Corinthians to be like the Philippians in giving, Paul urged the development of the grace of giving. Giving evidenced the maturity of their thought and action. The good work in 1:6 refers to what lay behind their generosity, the calling and Christian maturity of the church. Since Paul spoke of the work beginning and ending, that he had only their initial salvation experience in mind is unlikely. He also had in mind an ongoing process of growth in the Christian’s life (Phil 2:12).

People often start with great enthusiasm. However, when their zeal fades, the work fizzles out. But God is not like us. He never undertakes anything that he doesn’t finish. When he begins a good work in a believer’s heart, its as good as done.

The word completed in the Greek is epiteleo, meaning to bring an activity to a successful end.

“When God says he will complete the work, it is not to your satisfaction but to his perfection.”

The whole salvation process, particularly the progressive element, is what Paul meant here. Since God began a work of Christian growth, evidenced by their giving, he would complete that growth. Paul expressed the confidence that the growth would take place “until the day of Christ Jesus.” He glanced backward to their salvation and forward to the completion of their character when the Lord returns. No doubt the reference to the “day of Christ Jesus” is the “day of the Lord” so common in the Old Testament (Joel 2:1; Amos 5:20). The question is why the end times were included at this point. Although Paul could have thought in terms of the imminent coming of the Lord, he also was more aware of a delay than earlier in his ministry. Paul’s use of the phrase “until the day” actually called to mind the consummation of the present age. It was Paul’s way of making two emphases: sanctification was an ongoing process and the process would continue to the end of the age. At that time the believers would be complete in character. They needed not to fear the judgment which characterized that day.

Some scholars take the confidence to be directed to the church at large, rather than to individuals within the church. The plural “you” makes the text uncertain, and it could have been addressed to the church collectively. On the other hand, the distributive plural commonly occurs in the epistles. It seems better here. Paul’s thankfulness came with the confidence that God would work in the individual Christians until the day of Christ. This confidence occurred for two reasons. First, Paul was confident that what God began God would complete, and his words came from a deep conviction that God worked in them. Second, Paul saw the manifestations of their right relationship with God. Their gift evidenced their Christian maturity. Since God worked in them and they responded, Paul’s confidence was justified.

They continued to partner and defend the gospel

“What Paul was commending the church for was there consistency in faith, fellowship and finances.”

The third characteristic of Paul’s thankful attitude was its properness. The Greek text has the word “right, just” (dikaion), a descriptive term expressing the sense of propriety. A structural question should be asked here: What does this clause modify? It could explain why Paul felt such confidence in God’s working in the Philippians. Alternatively, it could add a reason Paul was thankful for them, expressing a thought parallel to his great joy for them. The latter is better. The “even as” clause parallels the two verbal ideas found here (“I always pray” and “being confident”). Further, Paul’s confidence that God would complete his work hardly rested on emotional ties with them. His thankfulness for them could. Paul provided three reasons for his attitude of thankfulness.

First, he had them in his heart. Commentators differ over the precise meaning of this structure. On one hand, the Greek could read, “You have me in your heart,” and the context could be interpreted to support it. Paul was explaining his appreciation of their gift on his behalf. Perhaps he continued his appreciation for their financial support. On the other hand, the construction more naturally reads, “I have you in my heart.” Taken this way, Paul’s thanksgiving was more than a response to the gift they sent and to the knowledge of God’s working in their behalf. It came from a true blending of hearts.

The second reason for this attitude was their fellow-service in the apostolic ministry. Paul’s circumstances did not hinder their relationship. Being a prisoner could have presented an obstacle to their wholehearted support, but they took the attitude that it was their imprisonment too. No doubt this meant more to Paul because the church at Rome divided into two groups concerning him—to some, his imprisonment was part of the problem. No church was in a more patriotic setting than the Philippian church, but the chains proved to be no obstacle. Paul also mentioned his “defensing” and “confirming” the gospel. The words are legal terms. They are official language for a formal defense, and some interpret them as evidence that Paul had presented his case in court. In fact, he had presented himself and the gospel to various political officials in Palestine. His presence in Rome was also a defense of the gospel. Paul stated later that the topic of conversation was “Christ” (1:13).

The word defense in the Greek is apologia, means to speak on behalf of oneself or of others against accusations presumed to be false

The word confirmation in the Greek is bebaiosis, process of establishing or confirming something, confirmation, validation

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 173.

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 437.

Paul could count on the Philippian church to “ride or die” with him in good and bad times.

The ordeal of his incarceration may be correctly called a “defense and confirmation.” It was the ultimate opportunity for Christians to present their claims to the emperor. Thus, by life or death, Paul was committed to the gospel message. The word for gospel in the Greek is euangelion, meaning the content of the good news. As Christians, we have to “contend for the faith,” as we preach the gospel to unbelievers.

Paul could count on the Philippian church to “ride or die” with him in good and bad times.

The church stood by him in it. Whether good or bad times came, Paul counted on the Philippian church. Their support evidenced the fact that they were true “fellow-workers.” They joined with him in his apostolic calling to reach Gentiles for Christ. The partnership between them formed the strong tie which Paul addressed in the next verse. Paul referred to his apostleship with the word “grace.” The term may identify general Christian attitudes, a state of grace in which a Christian stands, or Paul’s specific calling of grace. The last correctly describes this reference. To understand it as depicting a general state of grace does not take the immediate context seriously. The defense and confirmation of the gospel directly relate to the grace. They are the arena in which the grace operates. Here is another reference to his apostolic function. The Philippians recognized Paul’s unique place in God’s economy as apostle of God’s grace, and they demonstrated their support for it by participating with him as they could.