Paul proceeded from his introductory comments to explain his personal circumstances because these were of interest to his readers and profitable for them to understand. In relating them the apostle revealed a spiritual viewpoint that is a model for all believers for all time. This "biographical prologue"28illustrates how the principles for effective partnership in the gospel that Paul introduced in verses 3-11 were working out for the furtherance of the gospel in his own circumstances.
He began by relating what had happened because of his imprisonment in the past (vv. 12-18) and then explained what was happening in the present (vv. 19-26).
1:12 This verse is a topic sentence for all that follows through verse 26. Whenever Paul wrote, "I want you to know,"he introduced something important (cf. 2 Cor. 13:6; 2 Tim. 3:1).
His readers could very understandably have concluded that Paul's imprisonment had brought the building of the church of Jesus Christ to a standstill, or at least slowed its progress significantly. However the apostle announced that this had not happened. Rather his imprisonment was resulting in the advancement of God's program. In relation to the progress of the gospel, Paul's imprisonment was really a good thing, a positive situation.
"The same God who used Moses' rod, Gideon's pitchers, and David's sling, used Paul's chains."29
1:13 The point of this verse is that because of Paul's imprisonment in Rome many people had heard the gospel who would not otherwise have heard it. The phrase, "my imprisonment in the cause ofChrist,"30(NASB) or, "I am in chains for Christ,"(NIV) in the Greek text stresses an important fact. Paul's relationship to Christ, not just his service for Christ, was what had become known. People had become aware of Paul's personal relationship with the Savior because he had shared his testimony with them.
Two groups had received the apostle's witness, the praetorian guard and many other people. The praetorian guard probably refers to the soldiers who were members of the regiment assigned to guard many of the high-ranking officials in the Roman government.31These soldiers were also responsible to guard prisoners who had appealed to Caesar such as Paul. It was an honor to be one of these guards. They would have been with Paul in his hired house where he was under house arrest 24 hours a day (cf. Acts 28:30-31). Paul had the opportunity to witness to many of these high-ranking soldiers, and he viewed this as a great blessing.
The "everyone else"group included unsaved members of the Jewish community (Acts 28:17-29), some Gentiles (e.g., Phile. 10), and Paul's fellow Christians. Paul evidently was communicating with many people even though he was a prisoner.
1:14 A second reason Paul felt encouraged even though he was in prison was this. His example of aggressive witness had inspired the Roman Christians to be more outspoken in sharing the gospel. Rather than taking a lower profile because their leader was in chains, most of the local believers felt inspired by Paul's courage. They were standing up boldly for Christ and trusting Him as they had not done before.
1:15 Of these local Roman Christians who were now witnessing and preaching more boldly there were two types distinguished by their motivation.32Some were hoping to advance their own reputations by their activities. They were envious of Paul's prominence and were striving with their fellow believers for selfish reasons.33Others had a sincere desire to reach the lost and to meet the needs that Paul's confinement had created.
1:16 Love for God and Paul motivated the members of this second group. Moreover they believed the apostle's present confinement was a situation that God had ordained for the defense of the gospel. They evidently accepted this by faith even though they may not have understood how Paul's imprisonment fit into God's plan for the building of His church.
1:17 Paul's arrival in Rome may have caused some of the self-seeking opportunists in the Roman church some distress. Attention would have shifted from them to him. Nevertheless with him in confinement they had an opportunity to regain the spotlight by becoming more active and outspoken. Evidently some of them thought that their prominence would distress Paul as his prominence distressed them. However, Paul was much less selfish than they were.
1:18 The idiom ti gar, translated, "What then?"in the NASB, means, "What does it matter?"(NIV). While motivation is important, it is even more important that the gospel gets proclaimed. Paul believed that it was better for people with impure motives to preach Christ than that they not preach Him at all.
"The power of the gospel, therefore, does not depend on the character of the preacher."34
Paul's judgment here, by the way, is an example of seeking the best rather than just the good (cf. vv. 9-10). He rejoiced and would continue to rejoice that his imprisonment had resulted in the more extensive proclamation of the good news of salvation.
". . . when you have the single mind, you look upon your circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the Gospel, and you rejoice at what God is going to doinstead of complaining about what God did not do."35
Verses 12-18 present Paul as a positive model for all believers. Rather than valuing his own comfort, reputation, and freedom above all else, he put the advancement of God's plan first. He discerned what was best (v. 10). He could maintain a truly joyful attitude even in unpleasant circumstances because he derived his joy from seeing God glorified rather than from seeing himself exalted. His behavior in prison had been pure and blameless (cf. v. 10).
At this point Paul's thinking turned from what had already occurred because of his imprisonment to what he anticipated happening in the future. He referred to this so his readers would uphold him in their prayers and feel encouraged to adopt his viewpoint in their own situation in life.
1:19 The antecedent of "this"is probably the things that had happened to Paul to which he had just been referring in verses 12-18.
What deliverance did he have in mind, physical deliverance from imprisonment or some spiritual deliverance? Later in this epistle Paul said he anticipated release from prison (1:25; 2:24). However the verses that follow this one (v. 19) point to his thinking of the completion of salvation that he had referred to previously (v. 6). Earlier he had spoken of the completion of the Philippians' salvation. Here he spoke of the end of his own. The Greek word translated "deliverance"is soteria, the standard rendering of which is "salvation."Probably Paul meant that his prison experiences and the consequent furtherance of the gospel were all part of God's completing the good work that He had begun in him.
Two means were necessary for this salvation to reach fulfillment. Paul was counting on the prayers of the Philippians and the Lord's provision of enablement through His Spirit. Does this mean that if the Philippians failed to pray for Paul God's work in him would suffer? Yes, but the salvation in view is progressive sanctification, not glorification. God and people work together in the process of sanctification, but glorification is God's work alone.
By the provision of the Spirit Paul evidently meant the provision of grace that comes through the Spirit. God does not give His Spirit in measure (i.e., some now and more later, John 3:34). Obviously there is a vital connection between prayer and the Spirit's enablement. Paul referred to the Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus Christ here. Perhaps he did so because he had been thinking of Jesus Christ as the One before whom we will all appear when our salvation is complete (vv. 6, 10).
1:20 Paul did not want to feel ashamed when he stood before the Lord at His judgment seat.36Moreover he was confident that with the prayer support of the Philippians and the Holy Spirit's enablement he would not. Nevertheless he felt the need for courage. After all, he still had to stand before Caesar and undergo a Roman trial. His greatest desire, however, was that he would continue to exalt Jesus Christ whether that meant that he live or die.
"The believer's body is a lens' that makes a little Christ' look very big, and a distant Christ' come very close."37
The use of the passive "be exalted"rather than the active "I exalt Christ"is unusual. It reflects Paul's conviction that essentially the Christian life involves following the leading of God's indwelling Spirit rather than seizing the initiative and doing things for God (cf. Gal. 5:18).
1:21 This great testimonial affirmation succinctly summarizes Paul's philosophy of life. For him, regardless of the decision about whether he would continue to live or die or the opinions of other people, saved or lost, his whole life revolved around Jesus Christ. Jesus' work on the cross had become the reason for all that Paul did. Appreciation for Christ motivated all that he did. His present enablement through the Spirit was the source of his strength. The prospect of seeing Jesus Christ and standing before Him one day drew him and constituted the goal for all he did. Many people today, if they were honest, would have to say that for them to live is money, fame, happiness, family, or any of a multitude of idols.38However, Jesus Christ was the sun around which Paul's life orbited.
If the Emperor's verdict was death, Paul would be better off than if he continued to live. He would go into the presence of his Lord and be free forever from the shackles of sin, suffering, and sorrow. Furthermore he would have glorified God by persevering faithfully to the end of his life. The Christian can take a radically different view of death than the unbeliever who has no hope, as Paul did (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
"Paul's hope for the future, centered as it was in Jesus, kept him from making too much of his current circumstances. This hope enabled him to reassess his circumstances, not by suppressing his emotions, evident throughout this letter, but by relating them to God's sovereignty and to Jesus' centrality in life."39
1:22 The prospect of a few more years of life and service was not unattractive to the great apostle either. He saw living as an opportunity to continue serving the person of Christ and building up the body of Christ. He could continue to labor, and his work would produce fruit for eternity. Satanic opposition had always marked Paul's labors, but he was willing to continue to face that. He was glad the choice of living or dying was not his to make since both options had positive features for him.
1:23 Paul felt himself in a bind. If forced to choose life or death, he faced a hard decision. On the one hand he desired to depart this life and go to be with the Lord forever (2 Cor. 5:8). That would be better for him personally. If Paul had believed in purgatory or soul sleep, he would hardly have said he regarded death as a preferable alternative to life.
"It seems most likely, therefore, that Paul expected to be with the Lord' in full consciousness."40
The same Greek word translated "depart"(analuo) appears elsewhere describing the release of a prisoner from his bonds (Acts 16:26) and the departure of a guest from a wedding feast (Luke 12:36).
1:24 Viewed from a different perspective it might be better if he lived. The Philippians would profit from Paul's lengthened life and future ministry to them.
Note that Paul did not mention that life was preferable because he could avoid the pain and suffering of death. He did not refer to separation from his loved ones or from what he had worked so hard to accumulate either. These are reasons many people give for not wanting to die. His love for Jesus Christ and other people were the driving motives in Paul's life, not selfishness (cf. Matt. 22:37-39).
1:25 After weighing all the evidence it seemed to Paul that he would probably live a little longer. He evidently believed this because the case his accusers had brought against him was not strong (cf. Acts 23:29; 25:25; 26:31-32). The fact that he said, "I know that I shall remain,"raises the question of whether he had received some special revelation. That is a possibility, but the Greek word translated "know"(oida) does not mean infallible knowledge necessarily (cf. Acts 20:25).
Statements in the Pastoral Epistles as well as in the writings of some of the early church fathers indicate that Nero released Paul from his first Roman imprisonment in 62 A.D. The apostle resumed his missionary labors and returned to Macedonia and probably to Philippi. However, the Romans arrested him again, imprisoned him in Rome a second time, and then executed him as a martyr there in 68 A.D.41If this information is true, he probably did contribute to the spiritual progress and joy of the Philippians as he said he hoped he could here.
1:26 The idea contained in this verse is that Paul's renewed ministry among the Philippians would give them reasons to be even more joyful. His ministry among them would enable them to appreciate the riches of their salvation more fully. "Proud confidence"(NASB, Gr. kauchema) means ground for joy. "Coming"(Gr. parousia) is the same word Paul used to describe the Lord's return (1 Thess. 3:13).
"In Classical Greek it referred to the pomp and pageantry that accompanied the arrival of a king or governor in a city. By using this special word Paul may indicate that he expects to receive a king's welcome' from the Philippians when he comes to their town (Beare)."42
The major value of this pericope (vv. 19-26) is its revelation of Paul's attitude toward life and death. When a person faces the possibility of dying soon, his or her real values often become obvious. Paul's Christ-centered life is certainly a fine example for all Christians to emulate.43Here he discerned what was best regarding his own desires and the Philippians' spiritual progress (cf. v. 9). Paul's desire to glorify Jesus Christ kept him pure (v. 10; cf. vv. 17-18). This section provides a smooth transition from Paul's thanksgiving and prayer into the body of the epistle.
