The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians

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- Chapter 1 -

(Colossians 1:1–2; Philemon 1:1–3)

I, Paul, am writing this to the dear fellow believers who live in the city of Philippi. We, Paul and Timothy, are sending this letter to all of you in Philippi whom God has set apart for himself, you who are joined to Messiah Jesus. We are also sending this letter to the overseers and deacons who are serving there.

We pray that God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord will be kind to you and give you peace.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Colossians 1:3–14)

I thank God as I pray to him, whenever I think about you.

I am constantly praying for you with joy

and thanking God because you are working with Timothy, me, and others in proclaiming the good news from the first day you believed until now.

I know that God is doing very good things among you. I am completely confident that he will finish those things at the time when Jesus Christ returns.

It is right for me to feel this way about you because I love you from my heart. You have been partners with me in carrying out the work that God kindly gave me to do, whether now as I am in prison, or when I speak in public about the good news and show people that it is true.

God sees how deeply I desire to be with you, just as I deeply love you all, just as Messiah Jesus tenderly loves us all.

I am praying for you, that you might love each other more and more, and that you might know and understand why God wants you to do so.

I also pray that God will enable you to know what you should believe and the best ways in which you should act. I pray for this so that you might be honest and blameless at the time when Messiah returns.

I also pray that you will always do the things that you can do because God has declared you good in his sight because of Jesus Christ. Then other people will see how you honor God.

Paul’s Trials Advance the Gospel

(James 1:2–12)

My fellow believers, I want you to know that the hard things I have suffered have not prevented me from proclaiming the good news to people. Instead, my hardships have enabled even more people to hear the good news about Messiah.

In particular, all the military guards here in Rome and many other people in this city now know that I am a prisoner because I proclaim the good news about Messiah.

Also, most of the believers here now proclaim the good news about Jesus more courageously and fearlessly because they trust the Lord more firmly to help them. They speak about Jesus more confidently because they have seen the Lord help me in prison to speak the good news.

Some people are proclaiming the good news because they are jealous and they want believers to honor them rather than me. But others are proclaiming the good news because they love Messiah and they want people who have not heard the good news to hear it.

Those who proclaim the good news because they love Messiah know that God appointed me to speak in public and explain why the good news is true.

But those who are proclaiming the good news about Messiah for selfish reasons do not have good reasons for doing so. They believe they are causing me more suffering while I am here in prison.

But it does not matter! People are proclaiming the good news about Messiah, either for good reasons or for bad reasons. So I am rejoicing that people are spreading the message about Jesus Christ! And I will continue to rejoice in that!

I will rejoice because I know that God will free me from prison. He will do this because you are praying for me and because the Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me.

I eagerly and confidently expect that in no way will I fail to do what I should do. Instead, I will have courage now, just as in the past. I will honor Messiah with my body, whether I live or die.

To Live Is Christ

As for me, I live to honor Messiah. But if I die, it will be even better for me.

On the other hand, if I continue to live here in my body in this world, I will be able to serve Messiah here. So I do not know whether I prefer to live or to die.

I cannot choose which I prefer, living or dying. I long to die and leave this world and go to be with Messiah, because to be with Messiah would be very much better for anyone.

But it is more necessary that I remain alive here on earth because you still need me to help you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain alive with you all to help you rejoice and trust Messiah more.

So you should be happy about me because of Messiah Jesus when I am once again with you.

Worthy of the Gospel

Most importantly, behave in front of the people who live around you in a way that shows that you honor the good news about Messiah. Do this so that whether or not I come and see you, how you live will make me happy. They should tell me that you together are doing your best to believe and live as the good news teaches us.

Do not let any of those people who are against you frighten you! When you are courageous and resist them, this will show them that God will destroy them but will save you.

God is kind to you: He is allowing you to suffer for Messiah as well as to trust in him.

You are having to resist those who oppose the good news, just like you saw that I had to resist such people there in Philippi, and just like you hear that I still have to resist such people here now.

(Colossians 1:1–2; Philemon 1:1–3)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ,(a) to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers

(b)

and servants:(c)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Colossians 1:3–14)

I thank my God whenever I remember you,

always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy,

for your partnership(d) in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.

For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Trials Advance the Gospel

(James 1:2–12)

Now I desire to have you know, brothers,(e) that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News,

so that it became evident to the whole palace

(f)

guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,

and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;

but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.

For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

To Live Is Christ

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.

But I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.

Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

that your boasting

(g)

may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

Worthy of the Gospel

Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,

having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One”.

(b)1:1 or, superintendents, or bishops

(d)1:5 The word translated “partnership” (κοινωνίᾳ) also means “fellowship” and “sharing”.

(e)1:12 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(f)1:13 or, praetorian

(g)1:26 or, rejoicing