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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Phil. 1:12-14 - Progress of the Gospel

12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,
14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

My Imprisonment is Well Known

Vs. 12 - “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,”

“my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” - The church in Philippi knew Paul was in prison in Rome. This letter was written from jail in Rome over two years after Paul invoked his Roman citizenship, which was because of the way he was treated in jail for two years in Jerusalem. The news of Paul’s incarceration would be spread by word-of-mouth throughout the churches. His fame, or infamy, would have been a source of water cooler discussion through the realm.

I am sure there was concern, “If this can happen to Paul, it could happen to me.” It was a reason for celebration for Christ’s enemies. “At last we got him. Now he will shut up, and this cult will dissolve.” Paul was letting the Philippians know their worries were unfounded.

Vs. 13 - so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

“cause of Christ has become well known” - The enemies of the church thought Paul would be silenced. Ha! In your face! Paul was not silenced.
He spread the gospel into the heart of the Roman Empire. Paul preached Jesus Christ in the Near East, in Galatia (aka: Turkey), in Greece and in Rome.
Jesus commanded, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15). He instructed before Pentecost, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Bringing the Gospel to Greece and Rome accelerated the spread throughout the world.

“Praetorian guard” - The ‘praetoria” are the elected civil magistrates responsible for running the Roman Empire - the Senators and Consuls of the Roman government. The guard was an elite unit of the Roman Army, formed about 60 BC by Augustus to be a personal security force, and served the Roman Empire until around 312 AD. This elite group guarded the emperor and the Roman Senate members. This would be similar to the US Secret Service, or the Pontifical Swiss Guards of the Vatican, or the Royal Guards (‘Beefeaters’) serving the Queen of England.

“And to everyone else,” - The gospel was shared with the elite guard and it is highly likely these men shared what they heard and learned with others.
Paul may have been a ‘celebrity prisoner’, in that he was there because he petitioned the emperor of Rome, not because he was criminal. Paul appears to have been under house arrest, rather than in a dungeon, and so would have been allowed visitors. Everyone and anyone who wished to meet this amazing man could do so.

Vs. 14 - “and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

“have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” - Paul was free to share the gospel. His boldness gave those around him courage to speak out.
Look back to the apostles before Pentecost. What were they doing? Hiding in fear. (John 20:19). They were bolder after Pentecost, but were harassed and persecuted by the Jewish authorities (Paul being one of the persecutors until his conversion). Seeing Paul preach and share while in prison was a huge blessing for other Christians to be encouraged to live and share their faith.

The persecution has not stopped from 40 AD to the present. There are countries where true courage is needed to share the Gospel. We have a pastor in our church who goes to these countries. He cannot email information back to the US about his ministry while in these foreign countries. The authorities could read the emails and imprison the believers identified. Being a Christian in those countries takes courage!

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Phil. 1:9-11 - Love Abounds

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Prayer for Them

Verses 9-11 are a prayer for the church in Philippi -
Paul’s Prayer is that:

• Their love would grow because they hear and know the truth,
• They would learn by intellect and by experience how to discern between good and evil,
• They would apply that knowledge to their daily lives,
• They would not fall away from the faith,
• They would manifest the fruit of the Spirit,
• They would know all this is from Christ Himself.

Vs. 9 - And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

“that your love may abound” - In verse 6, Paul is confident that Jesus will complete His good work in them. Jesus said he came that we might have life, abundantly. (John 10:10) Included in that abundant life is love. (See John 14:21, 23). Paul’s goal is “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” for his friends and fellow Christians. (1 Tim. 1:5)
Love, not just for itself by itself, is to fill us with His power - we have His love and His power. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”. (2 Tim. 1:7) When we surrender to Jesus we can fellowship with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
This is fantastic! But, like the TV commercials, “But Wait! There’s more!”

“real knowledge and all discernment,” - Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would teach us. See: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) And "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.“ (John 14:26).
The knowledge is not for knowledge itself, although that is important. The Lord intends for us to grow in faith and holiness. We learn and obey and are blessed by the Father. "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21) The ability to recognize sinful behavior before you do it, and so avoid it, is part of discernment. Discernment is not just a NT concept. See Psa.119:11, Job 34:31-33; Pro. 6:20-23.

Vs. 10 - so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

“approve the things that are excellent” - Moral clarity is one of the goals of growth in discipleship. In Hebrews we read, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Heb. 5:12-14).

Living in the power of the Holy Spirit not only helps you avoid sin, it frees you from shame and guilt. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’" (John 8:31-32) Free from living legally, “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not”. This is not saying we will live sinless; we are all far too human to do that. There’s an old joke, “Learning is the ability to recognize a mistake the second time you make it.” That is not the way Jesus wants us to live.
Guiding by the Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to resist the devil. We are to learn and apply, getting discernment, in order to avoid sin. Paul urges us, in the Colossians letter, to “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,” and “set your mind on things above, not on the things on earth.” (Col. 3:1, 2) These are the excellent things.

“sincere and blameless” - See: Jude 1:24-25. In Christ, and nowhere else, we will be found without sin. When we are in the light of Christ’s glory, because of His glory, we will be blameless and without blemish.
One of the concepts of sincere is to be “found pure when unfolded and examined by the sun's light”. Jesus is the light of the world, and people do not want to be exposed to His light. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:19-21)

To be blameless is to be “without offense, not troubled by a consciousness of sin”. David similarly said, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!“ (Psa. 32:1-2).

Vs. 11 - having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“having been filled with the fruit of righteousness” - See: Gal. 5:22-23. Have you wondered why God gave the rules in Leviticus and Deuteronomy? I have heard people say it was for ‘health’ reasons in the form of dietary laws, human relationships, etc. Although there is some truth to those claims, God wanted the Israelites to be DIFFERENT from the tribes and peoples around them. Having One God, and one only to worship was a HUGE change from the pagan nations around them.

The fruit of righteousness shall be in our hearts and in our lives. It shall be obvious to all those who live around us. Christians are to be different. We are to be lights in a dark and sinful world - lighthouses to provide both a warning and to show a path to safety and life.

“which comes through Jesus Christ” - The life we live as Christians shall be different than those who do not believe in Jesus Christ (This statement assumes you are living in the power of the Holy Spirit, and not under your own power). It is Christ who lives in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every thing we have and do is because of and through Christ Jesus, the Lord Almighty.

Here’s a quote from an early church leader (See note 1): “When we consider that Christ is the true light, having nothing in common with deceit, we learn that our own life also must shine with the rays of that true light. Now these rays of the Sun of Justice are the virtues which pour out to enlighten us so that we may put away the works of darkness and walk honorably as in broad daylight. When we reject the deeds of darkness and do everything in the light of day, we become light and, as light should, we give light to others by our actions.
“If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything wicked or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of his name. For the quality of holiness is shown not by what we say but by what we do in life.” [Emphasis is mine.]

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Note 1: author unknown to me.
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Philippians 1:6-8 - A Good Work

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

He Began A Good Work in You

Vs. 6 - “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

“confident of this very thing” - Paul’s prayers of joy (See vs. 4) were based on his confidence in the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in their lives.

“He who began a good work in you” - Jesus is in you from the moment you accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That is the start of your new life. “Therefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Now, until the day you die, or if Christ returns before, you get to live out your new life - an abundant life. (See: John 10:10)

“will perfect it” - When you next see Christ face-to-face you will be in your eternal life. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2. Also, see Rev. 22:3-5.)

“until the day of Christ Jesus” - It is not a big stretch to see three phases of sanctification in this verse.

• Initial or instant sanctification - when you accepted Jesus as Savior - “began a good work”.
• Progressive sanctification - as you live your Christian life in faith - “will perfect it”.
• Ultimate sanctification - eternal life with God and Jesus - “the day of Christ.”

Vs. 7 - “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.”

“it is only right for me to feel this way” - Which way does Paul feel? We will see as we go through the letter he feels love and gratitude for them. There is joy and confidence because they are saved. And in the sentence Paul is grateful for their support during his time in prison.

“About you all” - One of the hints that is a personal letter to close friends is the use of ‘You all’. It is used at least seven times in this letter (note: Paul refers to ‘you all’ about 20 times in his letters). They are all in his prayers and his thoughts. They all contribute to his joy.

“imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” - Go to Acts 22-28, where the story of Paul’s imprisonment and trip to Rome is told. Basically, Paul goes to Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders (not Christian believers) get so angry they plot to kill Paul. He calls upon a Roman commander to provide protection since Paul is a natural Roman citizen. In the process, Paul appears before several Roman authorities where he appeals to Caesar. This is akin to a direct appeal by you or me to the U.S. Supreme of the United States. There was no higher legal authority.
Why were the Jews so angry? Because Paul preached Christ as the only means of salvation. He preached that Christ is God. He did not back down when they told him to stop.

“You all are partakers...” Another reason for him to be confident - they were saved by God’s grace, as was he.

Vs. 8 - “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

“how I long for you all” - Paul has been in prison for some time - at least two years. He was held by the governors of the region, Felix and Festus. Then he was transferred to Rome. At this point he has no idea if he will be set free. He has the unlimited love of Jesus in his heart, and extends that love to his good friends in Philippi.

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