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Paul's thankfulness

Philippians.

PREFATORY REMARKS

to God, and

TO THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

PHILIPPI was a city of Macedonia, and the first place in Europe, where the apostles abode and preached the Gospel. Here Paul and his companions continued some time, and made many converts, among which were Lydia, a native of Thyatira in Asia, now residing at Philippi for the purpose of commerce; and the jailer who kept the prison into which Paul and Silas were cast.

The converts at Philippi were remarkable for their love and attachment to Paul, and their concern for the progress of the Gospel, as appears by their contributions for the support of the apostles in their ministry and labours.

The Philippians having heard of Paul's imprisonment at Rome, sent Epaphroditus to comfort him, and to supply him with whatever might be necessary to render his confinement as easy as possible. Paul, deeply impressed with a sense of their zeal for his welfare, wrote this Epistle, and sent it by Epaphroditus on his return to Philippi about A. D. 61 or 62, in which he commends them for their faith, and earnest desire for the success of the Gospel-informs them with what success he had preached at Rome-that his imprisonment, instead of hinder ing, had proved beneficial to the Gospel by making it known even in the palace itself-he cautions them against false teachers, and exhorts them to constancy and perseverance in whatever things were true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.

¶ THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

CHAP. I.

1 Paul's thankfulness & prayer to God for them: 21 his readiness to suffer.

PAUL and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons :

2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus

Christ.

3 I thank my God upon ev ery remembrance of you,

4 Always, in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy,

5 For your fellowship in the Gospel, from the first day until now;

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

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7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; in as much as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the Gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment;

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere, and with out offence, till the day of Christ;

11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel;a

13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will.

16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely,

a Furtherance, advancement of the Gospel.

to suffer.

supposing to add affliction to my bonds;

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel,

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 According to my earnest expectation, and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always,,so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death; 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour; yet what I shall choose I wot not.b

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better:

24 Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

25 And, having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith;

26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus

b I wot not, I know not,

Exhortation to unity, Philippians.

Christ for me, by my coming to you again.

27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel;

28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries; which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

CHAP. II. 1 He exhorteth to unity and humility, 12 and to a careful proceeding in the way of salvation.

IF there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4 Look not every man on

humility, and

his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus;

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God;

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men;

8 And, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name;

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:

13 For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings;

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the

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midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.

18 For the same cause also do ye joy & rejoice with me. 19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state.

20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the Gospel.

23 Him, therefore, I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with

me.

24 But I trust in the Lord, that I also myself shall come shortly.

the way of salvation. because that ye had heard, that he had been sick.

27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death; but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sor

row.

28 I sent him, therefore, the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him, therefore, in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such in reputation:

30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

CHAP. III. 1 He warneth them of false teachers, 18 and to decline the ways of carnal Chris

tians.

FINALLY, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.a

3 For we are the circumcision,b which worship God in

25 Yet I suppose it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labour, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he that ministered to my wants. 26 For he longed after all, and was full of heaviness, true disciples of Jesus Christ.

a Concision, a name given to the unbelieving Jews, who went about inculcating the law, and introducing

you

dissension into the Christian church

es.

b Circumcision here denotes the

Paul warneth them

Philippians.

the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh :

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law,c blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might

c The righteousness which is by the law was the observance of its ceremonies:

of false teachers.

attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that, for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, for getting those things which are behind,d and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark,e for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so, as ye have us for an ensample,

18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ;

19 Whose end is destruc

d The things which are bebind, the progress I have already made.

e I press toward the mark; St. Paul here alludes to the Grecian races, in which those who run exerted every nerve, and persevered to the end of the race in order to obtain the prize.

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