Weekly message: The letter to Philippians by Apostle Paul (Phil.1-4)
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries:
Biblical Precepts & Gospel Music
In
A.D.61 Apostle Paul’s letter to Philippians explicitly stated the problem of
the church in Philippi and expressed a thanksgiving heart for their gifts. It
was most personal letter to the church, when Paul was imprisoned. Some scholars
think he was in Caesarea, some think in Ephesus, but they assured that he has
been in Rome. Paul sent Ephphroditus back with this letter, while Epaphroditus
had become almost fatally ill. “The most important doctrinal passage in the New
Testament is Philippians 2:5-8, which presented the doctrine of the kenosis-the
self-humiliating, or self-emptying of Christ. Important verses on prayer are
4:6-7, a significant autobiographical sketch appears in 3:4-14.”[1]
Apostle Paul’s heart is to magnify
Christ by living Him, and for the sake of Christ, he counts all things loss and
consider them rubbish in order to gain Christ. He says,
“According
to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but
with all boldness, as always even now Christ will be
magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
“But
whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is
more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things… I consider
them rubbish that I may gain Christ…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goat to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil.
1:20-21; 3:7-8;13-14).
In the letter implicitly stated the conflicts,
and disagreement occurred in the church.
First problem of the Philippians
described in 2:1-2 is the issue of dissension, church without unity in one mind
and one spirit. He says, “if then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from
love any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete:
be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
(Greek-English INT Phil.2:1-2).
In Greek συμψυχος (soom'-psoo-khos); interprets as “same mind”, “one joined in soul”, “of
total agreement in attitude united in spirit, in full agreement, harmonious.”[2]
φρονέω fron-eh'-o means “thinking, as relating to the quality of
one’s thinking resulting from insight wise, intelligent, sensible.” [3]
Chinese says, “思念相同的事”. So it’s correct to interpret as “if there is therefore any encouragement in
Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any
tenderheartedness and compassion, make my joy full, that you think the same thing,
having the same love, joined in soul, thinking the one thing.”(R.V.)
“The dissension among the Philippians
was resulted by them not being joined in soul, and not thinking the one thing
in their mind. The Philippians problem was not with their spirit but with their
soul (mind). They had Christ in their spirit through regeneration but they
didn’t have Christ in their soul through transformation, only by having Christ
saturate in Chinese literally says, 浸透Jin`Tou` and
occupy their entire soul could they be made one in soul.” [4]
Second problem described in Phil.2:14-15 the
issue of murmuring, complaining, arguing, and reasoning among of the church. He says,
“Do all things
without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
in which you shine live stars in the world.” (Greek-English
INT Phil.2:14-15)
“Murmurings or
complaining are of our emotions and come mainly from the sisters. Reasoning or
arguing are of mind and come mainly from the brothers. Both frustrate us from
carrying out our salvation to the fullest extent and from experiencing and
enjoying Christ to the uttermost. The context here indicates that murmuring and
reasoning are due to disobedience to God. Obedience to God slays all murmurings
and reasoning.”[5]
Third problem described in Philippians2:3-11is
the issue of selfish, untransformed mind, self- interesting, and lack meekness.
The dissensions among the Philippians were
doing things out of selfish ambition or vainglory, both of which cause
dissensions among believers. The dissensions of Philippians were a matter of
their untransformed mind. They needed to have the mind that was in Christ
and be humbled. Lowliness is in contrast
to both selfish ambition and vainglory. This must be not our natural lowliness but
the lowliness of Christ, as illustrated in vv.7-10, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who being in every nature God, did not consider equality with God something to
be grasped, but made himself
nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man he
humbled himself and
became obedient to death, even
death on a cross. Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above ever name that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Chris is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Apostle Paul, therefore,
urged Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord and help these women
who have contended at his side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and
the rest of his fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (4:2-3).
Apostle Paul’s letter lights up the pattern of
the Christian life: the humility of Christ, and encourages the saints to exercise
of humility, be
of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. And live a life
of peace with others, self and circumstance.
Bibliography,
Bauer, Walter. A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.
3rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.
Brown, Robert, Philip
W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New
Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.
Friberg,
Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon
of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford
Publishing, 2005.
Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim,
CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
Strong, James. Strong’s:
the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas
Nelson Publishers, 2010.
[1] Charles C. Ryrie, the Ryrie study Bible (NIV). (Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986),1622.
[2] Timothy
Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon
of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. (Victoria BC: Trafford
Publishing, 2005.),363.
[3] Timothy
Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon
of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. (Victoria BC: Trafford
Publishing, 2005.),402.
[4] Witness Lee, the New Testament. (Anaheim, CA: Living
Stream Ministry, 1985),903.
[5] Witness Lee, the New Testament. (Anaheim, CA: Living
Stream Ministry, 1985),905.
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