Phil. 1:27-28 - However comma

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

Don’t Be Alarmed

Paul expressed confidence in the Philippians in the previous verses. He was willing give up heaven for the time being - not permanently, mind you - in order to care for them, pray for them, disciple them so they would know and experience Christ as did Paul. Yet he worried for them since he was not there with them.

Vs. 27 - “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”

“Only” - Nevertheless, whether I am there or not, be worthy of the price paid! Always.

“I will hear of you that...” - If Paul comes to them, (he may not if the Roman emperor doesn’t free him) they can rejoice with him in person. If Paul is detained by Rome, then he will rejoice when he hears they are not drifting from the Gospel. He will hear from messengers an witnesses they are holding to the truth.

“Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind” - When we are ALL focused on Christ as Lord and Savior, we can hold each other accountable. We are in a spiritual battle. Christian soldiers in a war against the forces of Satan. (See: Eph. 6:12-17)
The people of Philippi would clearly understand the military implications of standing firm. Warfare in the first century was very up-close and personal, i.e., mostly hand-to-hand. The foot soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, shield in one hand, sword in the other. They had to stand firm agains the charge of the enemy, to keep them from breaking through. No army wants the enemy at their defenseless backs.
The one spirit we have is the Holy Spirit. The one mind comes from correctly understanding our salvation and spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit also will teach and lead us to the truth . When we grow in knowledge and understanding we all come closer and closer to the true path.

As an example, when a pilot is learning to fly a plane he doesn't have the knowledge or acquired skill to keep the plane on the correct glide path. The plane will drift above and below the path until the pilot gets familiar with the controls and their effects are various airspeeds. A student pilot may operate the plane when flying well above the ground. As they begin to touch down, the teacher, or senior pilot takes the yoke to steady the plane and bring it down smoothly. Similarly, when a teenager is learning to drive a car, the first goal is to learn to keep the car in the lane. All these skills, braking, steering, parking, etc., must be learne and practiced until they become habits.

Vs. 28 - “in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”

“in no way alarmed by your opponents” - You, the church, will never be without opponents (at least while the church is on this earth). Don’t worry when enemies of Christ try to bring down the church. This will happen until the end of time. Remain strong and true in the faith. Your stability, your strength, your peace in Christ will only serve to show the enemies how they are losing the battle.

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Phil. 1:21-26 - Here or There

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

To Live Is Christ

Vs. 21 - “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”

One of Paul’s most famous sentences. See also: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Gal. 2:20
Our whole Christian life is to be centered in Jesus - not in church, not in worship in church, not in baptism or communion, Sunday school or growth groups. We live to serve Christ the Lord.
Even so, Paul knows that when he dies, he will be with the Lord in heaven! That is the “gain’ of which he writes! This is the dilemma for Paul - while living he serves Christ as he has been called to do; and if dead, he lives with Christ, face-to-face in joy and continuous light. He is joyful serving Christ. He looks forward with joy to being with Christ!

Vs. 22 - “But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.”

“this will mean fruitful labor for me” - Paul sees his life mapped out. As long as he is alive, he has work to do. He is a missionary, an evangelist, a preacher and teacher for Christ. And he is in “a target rich environment”! He knows that as long as he shares the Good News people will come to a saving knowledge of Christ - his labor will be fruitful! See: “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14) As long as Paul is alive, they will hear the message. He will be working. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58). Serving the Lord is not ‘busy-work’ or spinning wheels - people will be saved.

“I do not know which to choose.” - I think this could be read, “I’m not sure which I would choose.” Paul really does not get to make that kind of choice. It’s not similar to saying, “What shall I have for lunch - hamburger or tacos?” He knows his life is in God’s hands. He doesn’t know for which he should pray - a continued ministry in Rome, or going home to heaven with Jesus. One is obediently fulfilling his calling. The other is glorious!

Every once in a while someone asks how you are doing, and the response may be, “Alive and kicking - better than the alternative!” I know it’s a cute light-hearted answer. It’s better to be alive than dead. (Well, duh!) This will sound pedantic, but the above answer might not be a good Christian response - since it only compares living or being dead. How about a slightly different answer: “Alive and kicking, and waiting for Christ’s return!”

Vs. 23-24 - “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”

“hard-pressed from both directions” - He is pulled mentally and emotionally - remaining to do his calling, or going home to heaven to be with his Savior! What to pray for? Torn between the two things he is passionate to do! Personally, it will be much better for each believer to be face-to-face with Christ in heaven than ANYTHING we may be doing on earth. However, Paul felt a tremendous responsibility to those people in the churches he started. I don’t think Paul was possessive about them, but has extreme concern for their spiritual welfare.

This letter is not a typical letter from Paul - typical being “for teaching, for reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16) Almost every letter is sent to correct some problem: legalism (Colossians), Christ plus Judaism (Galatians), a young church leader (1 Timothy), sinful behavior (1 Corinthians), etc.

In this letter Paul encourages them to live their faith in joy. This joy comes from their secure knowledge that Christ lives in them.

Vs. 25 - “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,”

“Convinced of this” - It is more important to stay and mentor these believers. He believes it is necessary for him. (See verse 24 above.) You may think Paul is being arrogant, thinking he is the only person that can steer them in the right direction. On the other hand, he has watched false teachers spread a ‘contrary gospel’ in other churches. (See: Gal. 1:8,9) He knows, is convinced, that with proper guidance, they will grow in their faith.

“continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith” - Progress - we are not to sit and do nothing after being saved from sin by the Lord’s sacrifice for us. Stasis is not the goal for Christians. Yes, we are saved from the penalty for our sin and heaven is in our future. Christ’s command is to make disciples, not make believers. (Matt. 28:18-20) We are to share the gospel so the Holy Spirit and Jesus can call them to belief and salvation. As people received the gospel and believed they began immediately to be taught by the apostles. (Acts. 2:41-43)

We are to be changed, from the normal self to a new self (Rom. 12:1,2; 1 Pet. 1:4-16). There is work for us to do. (Eph. 2:9) We are to live in a manner worthy of the Lord. (Col. 1:9-11)

“Manner worthy” - does that not imply the way you lived before is not acceptable? How do we determine what is an acceptable way of living? Trial and error? Learn by doing? There will always be a certain amount of ‘on-the-job-training’ as we go through life, but Jesus has given us the Bible, teachers and exhorters to disciple us. Our faith is not as is Orthodox Judaism, which uses the Torah (Law and Prophets) plus the Talmud (Encyclopedia Britannica sized document explaining and interpreting the Law). The Christian faith has fewer laws, and more principles and guidelines. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” is the one main Law of the new covenant. (See: John 20:31; Rom. 3;22; Gal. 2:!6, 3:22; 1 Tim. 1:!6; 1 John 3:23). We must learn how to love one another as He loved us. We must learn how to disciple, how to forgive, how to be hospitable, to operate a church.

“joy in the faith” - Considering what you have received in return for your faith in Christ - be joyful!

Vs. 26 - “so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

“your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus” - In this case, the NASB, fractures the English. It is much clearer to say, “you will really be able to rejoice when I return to you, through the Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes I can get so caught up in parsing a sentence or a couple of words the basic meaning is clouded.
Verses 23-26, simplified say: “I would rather stay on earth to teach you so you will grow in Christ. Your growing will allow you to really rejoice when I see you again.”

Ponder that...
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Phil. 1:18-20 - Christ is Proclaimed

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Christ Will Be Exalted

Vs. 18 - “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,”

“What then?” - So what? That there are people spreading the gospel in order to harm doesn’t matter; it makes no difference, the Gospel will be preached.

“in this I rejoice.” - Paul is happy the good news of salvation through Christ is being told. He doesn’t care about the motives, as long people are being saved. There is one caveat: the message must be the true gospel. Read the letter to the Galatians for Paul’s reaction to teachers of a “contrary gospel”. (See Gal. 1:8,9, also elsewhere in this blog, Bible Study Notes, http://bsn-by-gas.blogspot.com

Vs. 19 - “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”

“deliverance” - This word is also translated as ‘salvation’, and in one Bible version as ‘vindication’. Paul’s salvation was not based on the preaching by friends or enemies. He rejoiced because the Gospel was preached! One of the goals of his ministry was to train others to share the gospel. (See 1 Tim. 2:2) His efforts are bearing fruit, a vindication to others that Paul was doing what God called him to do.

“through your prayers and the provision of the Holy Spirit” - Lifted up by prayer, controlled and empowered by God. Paul knows he is not alone in his effort.

Vs. 20 - “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death”

“I will not be put to shame in anything” - The power of Jesus Christ and His calling of Paul will continue to lead him in his work for the Lord. The success is God’s for He is at work through Paul. The same is true for you and I. Follow Jesus and pray for each other! Now and forever Christ can live in you and through you. (See John 17:23, 14:20)

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Phil. 1:15-17 - Appointed for the Defense of the Gospel

15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

Preaching Christ!

Vs. 15 - “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will”

“preaching Christ even from envy and strife” - Paul’s enemies are spreading the gospel in order to cause problems for Paul as he evangelizes. Think how someone could preach the Gospel without believing it. Wouldn’t they almost surely stray from the true message? How could Satan encourage those to tell the truth about Christ? Leading people to salvation through Jesus Christ would drive the enemies of the church to distraction. The angrier they get, the wilder their accusations become. It would be worth telling a few lies, from their perspective, to get believers harassed, arrested, punished and killed. It would be worth a few lies to grind the church to a halt. This would seem to work as long as the church has a relatively small presence in a culture. I can’t see this plan working in the United States, or any non-Muslim culture. Someone acting this way in a hostile environment for the church would be an undercover agent, a spy to lead believers to entrapment.

“from good will” - These are people emboldened to preach Christ by Paul’s courage. In spite of the dangers, Christ is being proclaimed as Lord and Savior. They follow Paul’s model. They preach so others may have life abundantly.

Vs. 16-17 - “the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment”

“The former... out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives” - These people are filled with envy and cause strife because they wish to cause harm. The letter by Jude explains this: “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.’ ” (Jude 1:17-21)

What a clear image this gives us:

• mockers - deriding your belief and faith in Christ
• own ungodly lusts - following emotions rather than the truth;
• causing divisions - divide and conquer, like wild beasts and predators separating a weaker prey so it is defenseless;
• devoid of the Spirit - A person would never spread lies about our Savior if led by the Lord.

“Thinking to cause me distress” - Paul was not intimidated by any actions of men. He lived for Christ, not for men. Whether people were pleased on not, it mattered little. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) He knows full well that our struggle is not with men, but spiritual. (Eph. 6:12) I am not saying Paul was unrealistic about the circumstances or the struggle ahead fer the church in an evil and corrupt world. The description in Eph. 6:13-18 is preparing the church for war - “Onward Christian Soldiers”.
Satan will fight with all his resources until he is finally cast into Hell for eternity. He is the enemy of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The world is his battle field. He may have lost, but he will take as many down with him as possible!

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