Author
The author of Philippians is Paul—formerly Saul—of Tarsus, Cilicia. Paul was an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, and a Roman citizen. He was also a pious Pharisee, zealous of the law and a hater of Christianity (Philippians 3:5-6).
One day, while traveling to Damascus to persecute Christians, Paul encountered the risen Christ. That encounter altered the trajectory of Paul’s life; he became a follower of Christ and an apostle to the Gentiles. He traveled far and wide to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, planted local churches, and wrote half the New Testament. Paul is probably the most influential man in Church history after Jesus.
The opening of the epistle mentions another writer: Timothy.
Timothy was a believer who had a Jewish Christian mother and a Gentile father. Paul met him when he traveled through Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1-3). Timothy had an excellent reputation, so Paul wanted him to accompany him during his second missionary journey. Together they traveled through many cities, including Philippi, to proclaim the good news of Christ.
Timothy was with Paul when during the writing of Philippians, but he was not a co-author. Paul is the sole author, and he dictated his words to Timothy.
In biblical times, people often used scribes to pen their words. For instance, Jeremiah dictated his words to Baruch (Jeremiah 36:4), and Isaiah’s disciples recorded his words (Isaiah 8:16). Likewise, Paul used scribes in his writings (Romans 16:22). He sometimes wrote the closing greetings with his hand, such as in 1 Corinthians 16:21, Colossians 4:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:17. The lack of this mention suggests Timothy penned the entire epistle.
Audience
Paul wrote this epistle to the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony in the district of Macedonia (Acts 16:12).
The city was named after Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexandre the Great. As a Roman colony, Philippians enjoyed the privileges of Roman citizenship and were exceedingly proud of it. They dressed like Romans, used Latin as their official language, and adopted Roman customs. Philippi was even known as Rome in miniature.
During his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to Macedonia after a mysterious vision from the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:8-40). On the Sabbath day, he went to the riverside to pray because there was no synagogue in Philippi. Jewish customs required ten men to form a synagogue, and since Philippi served as an outpost for Roman soldiers, the Jewish population was tiny.
At the river, Paul met a group of women and preached the Gospel to them. One woman named Lydia, a wealthy seller of purple goods and a worshipper of God, believed in the good news. She was baptized along with her household and urged Paul to stay a little longer with them. Paul agreed and began the church at Philippi.
Date
Paul wrote Philippians during one of his many imprisonments (Philippians 1:7; 13). There have been debates on which one. Some have posited his two-year imprisonment in Caesarea (Acts 24:27), and others his time at Ephesus. But the traditional view is that Paul wrote Philippians during his first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28). There are a few reasons why.
First, Paul mentioned the imperial guard and Caesar’s household (Philippians 1:13; 4:22). Second, Paul was in his own home, was free to receive visitors, and could share the Gospel. These conditions match the description of his time at Rome in Acts 28:30-31. Lastly, Paul’s words suggest he was the last stage of his proceedings and his only options were freedom or death (Philippians 1:21-23; 2:17). That could only occur after he appealed to the Emperor in Rome.
Purpose
Paul wrote Philippians for three primary reasons.
To thank the Philippians for their generosity.
The Philippians supported Paul during his ministry and often sent him gifts (Philippians 4:15-16). Paul even commended their generosity as an example to other churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-4). When the Philippians received news of Paul’s imprisonment, they sent him a financial gift with a man named Epaphroditus. So Paul wrote to express his gratitude not only for their generosity but for its evidence of the Spirit’s work in them (Philippians 4:17).
To update them
Somewhere along the journey, Epaphroditus fell gravely and nearly died. The Philippians heard of it and were anxious. So Paul sent back Epaphroditus to ease their concerns and rejoice. So he wrote to explain why he sent back Epaphroditus—whom the Philippians sent to minister to him—and to update them about his circumstances.
To encourage, exhort and warn the Philippians
The Philippians didn’t have problems like the Galatians or Corinthians. So, Paul wrote to encourage them in their pursuit of holiness and Christlikeness, exhort them to rejoice despite their circumstances (persecution), and warn them of false teachers.
Tentative Outline
I. Salutation (1:1-2)
II. Thanksgiving and prayer for the Philippians (1:3-11)
III. Paul’s reflection on his circumstances (1:12-20)
- His suffering advances the Gospel (1:12-14)
- He rejoices in Christ being proclaimed (1:15-20)
IV. Exhortations: Christian living (1:21-2:18)
- To live is Christ (1:21-26)
- Striving for the faith and suffering for Christ (1:27-30)
- Be humble and of one mind (2:1-4)
- Christ example of humiliation and exaltation (2:5-11)
- Humbled himself by becoming a servant (6-8)
- Exalted by God (9-11)
- Be lights in the world (2:12-18)
- Work out your salvation (12-13)
- Be blameless and innocent (14-16)
- Rejoice (17-18)
V. Living examples of Jesus (Paul’s companions) (2:19-30)
- Timothy (2:19-24)
- Epaphroditus (2:25-30)
VI. Warnings against the Judaizers (3:1-3:16)
- Paul calls for rejoicing again (3:1)
- Warnings against false teachers (3:2-3)
- Put no confidence in the flesh (3:3-7)
- Everything is a loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (3:8-11)
- Strain forward and press toward the goal (3:12-16)
VII. Warnings against wordliness (3:17-4:1)
- Follow Paul’s example (3:17)
- The enemies of Christ (3:18-19)
- We are citizens of heaven, not the world (3:20-4:1)
VIII. Exhortations: Christian thinking (4:2-9)
- Be of the same mind in Christ (4:2-3)
- Rejoice, don’t be anxious, and pray (4:4-7)
- Meditate on noble things (4:8-9)
IX. Paul’s Gratitude (4:10-20)
- The noble art of contentment (4:10-13)
- Gratitude for the Philippians’ gift (4:14-20)
X. Greeting and blessing (4:21-23)
For next week
Readings
Read and study Philippians 1:1-2. I promise we won’t be going two verses at a time.
Memorization
Philippians 1:1-2
Questions for reflection
- What does it mean to be a slave of Christ? How does it affect the way you live?
- How is Jesus a different master? (See John 15:9-17) Is being His slave oppressive or liberating?
- What does it mean to be a saint in Christ? How can we be both saints and sinners?
