We have come to the end of Paul’s beautiful epistle to the Philippians. In this last section, Paul reveals the secret behind his constant joy in the Lord and one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines: contentment.
Joy in God’s provision
“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now, at length, you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.”
Once again, Paul expresses his immense joy in the Lord. This time, however, he rejoices because of the Philippians’ benevolence towards him. The Philippians have always been generous towards Paul; they partnered with him in ministry (Phil 1:5), and they supported him with financial gifts (Phil 4:16). But for unknown reasons, the Philippians stopped supporting Paul, and ten years passed since their last contribution. So Paul is rejoicing that at last, in God’s providence, they finally have an opportunity to revive their concern for him.
The Greek word for revive means to shoot up, sprout, or flourish again. It was used to describe a plant flourishing after being dormant during winter.
Paul is not reprimanding the Philippians for their lack of gifts. By “now at last,” Paul does not mean, “Took you long enough!” He knew the Philippians loved him in truth even when they could not express it with deeds (1 John 3:18). That is why he is so happy that God has allowed the Philippians to be generous and flourish once more.
I find it remarkable that Paul, who was in prison, constantly chained to a Roman soldier, tormented by other believers and facing execution, could be so full of joy! And the things that brought him joy are not even relief from his circumstances, but seeing how God is working in others’ lives. We truly can have joy when we care about the interests of others more than our own.
The secret of contentment
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Paul’s great joy has nothing to do with the gift per se because he is content and needs nothing. To be content in Greek means to be self-sufficient, satisfied, and independent. It is when we are satisfied from within and need nothing external. For Paul and all believers, this sufficiency is not in ourselves but Christ. It comes from knowing that we have everything we need in Him, regardless of our external circumstances.
Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs says in his classic, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”
Contentment is not a natural disposition for us. We are far more prone to complain and resent our circumstances than to rejoice and be grateful. Paul even calls it a secret or mystery because he had to be fully instructed in it. And the secret to attaining it is Jesus Christ; He is the teacher, substance, strength, and model of biblical contentment.
Teacher
Jesus is the one who taught Paul contentment. He brought Paul through extreme seasons of plenty and hunger, abundance and need, and taught him that His grace is sufficient in any circumstances.
“I know how to be brought low.” Paul is probably the apostle who suffered the most for Christ (Acts 9:16). When he says he has faced hunger and need, it is not a hyperbole. He was flogged, shipwrecked, homeless, in danger from others, lacked food, clothing, and shelter (2 Corinthians 11:25-27). It is in such dire circumstances that Jesus taught him to be content with his lot.
“I know how to abound.” We might think it is easier to be content when we have everything we desire, but it is false. Even when Paul had more than he needed, he still needed to learn to be content because our treacherous hearts always yearn for more. Take David, for example, God immensely blessed him, and he had everything he needed. Yet David was not content; he coveted another man’s wife and stole her. Contentment is for when we abound and when we lack.
Substance
Jesus is the substance of biblical contentment; He is the one who satisfies us and meets all our needs. Many of us have been deceived into thinking we need things that we do not. We are so accustomed to some conveniences that we feel we cannot live without them. But Scripture teaches us that what we truly need is Jesus Christ; He is the bread of life that satisfies us forevermore (John 6:35).
If we have Christ, we will always have enough to be content, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This applies to whether or not we have plenty. Jesus is not a spare tire we rely on for those times when we lack, only to store Him when we are in abundance. He is the substance of our contentment in all circumstances.
This, of course, does not mean we do not need necessities like actual food. But we must not confuse our wants with needs and spend our lives in an endless pursuit of more. Scriptures say, if we have food and clothing, we have all we need to be content (1 Timothy 6:8-9), and Jesus has promised to give us that (Matthew 6:31-33).
Strength
Christ is the engine that powers us to be content. Paul says, “I can do all things through Him [Jesus] who strengthens me.”
People often take this Scripture out of context to say we can achieve our wildest dreams through Christ’s power. For instance, we can graduate from college, pay off our debts, or even do supernatural feats. But that is not what Paul means. All things refer to what God requires of us to be holy, that is, His commands, precepts, and will—which includes contentment (1 Timothy 6:6).
Christ strengthens believers with power through His Spirit in our inner being (Ephesians 3:16), and apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). The Greek word for strength is endynamoo, from where we get the word dynamite. It means to be strong, increased with force, or empowered. It is only through Christ who strengthens us that we can be content, and it is enough for all forms of godliness.
Steven Lawson writes, “The power of God is far greater than whatever it is that I am facing. There is no trial too difficult. There is no obstacle too high. There is no temptation too strong. There is no opposition too powerful. There is no persecution too threatening. If we put our faith and trust in God and follow Him in obedience, this joy will be our joy, and this contentment will be our contentment, and this confidence will be our confidence.”
Model
Finally, Jesus is our supreme example of contentment. Jesus knows how to be brought low without being discontent. Jesus went from a heavenly throne to a lowly cross and from glory to no reputation. He was treated unjustly and suffered more than any man ever had, but He never complained (Isaiah 53:7). He was poor and functionally homeless, yet He never pursued more (Luke 9:58), and on the eve of His most painful ordeal, He prayed for God’s will, not His, to be done (Mark 14:36). Jesus knew how to be content in all circumstances, and like Paul, we must follow His footsteps.
The blessing of generosity
“Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”
Despite not being in need, Paul deeply appreciates the Philippian’s gesture and their ongoing support in ministry. From the first day Paul shared the gospel in Macedonia, the Philippians were the only ones who partnered with him. Even when they were severely afflicted, they supported Paul’s ministry and personal needs beyond their means.
But once again, Paul states that his joy is not because of the provision per se. It is first because the Philippians flourished again, and second, because of the blessings they will gain through their generosity.
In God’s kingdom, we reap what we sow (Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6). Proverbs 11:25 says, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Prosperity preachers often misuse this principle to teach that God will always financially bless us when we “sow a seed.” At His discretion, God may choose to bless us in that manner, it is not, however, a guarantee, and we must not chase that. Instead, like Paul, we should seek to increase our eternal rewards to our spiritual account. For Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”(Matthew 6:19-21)
So Paul rejoices because the Philippians were gaining spiritual rewards in Heaven for their material giving on Earth. John MacArthur writes, “Their gift brought Paul joy not because of its personal material benefit to him, but because of its spiritual benefit to them.”
God also delighted in Philippian’s generosity. Paul says their gift was a “fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”
In Old Testament times, God required the Israelites to bring animal sacrifices and food offerings to the temple. The Priests would burn them on the altar with incense, and it will release a sweet aroma that represented God’s delight and approval of the sacrifice. Thanks to Jesus’s atoning work on the cross, New Testament believers do not have to give such offerings anymore. Now, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and it is our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). And doing good to one another and sharing what we have is a pleasing sacrifice to God (Hebrews 13:16).
As believers, redeemed by God’s grace, we must do everything to His glory. Even when we are generous towards one another, our ultimate goal is to please and honor God. Our generosity is first and foremost towards God, who so generously gave His only Son so that we may receive forgiveness for our sins (John 3:16).
God will always provide
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.”
It is not always easy to give as we may struggle financially. The Philippians were not rich, and it probably cost them a lot to support Paul. So, Paul reassures them that God will supply their every need. He will not abandon them after they depleted their coffers for Him.
There are two exciting elements in this promise. First, God will supply us according to His riches, not out of His riches. This little distinction means that God will provide our needs in proportion to His infinite riches. He does not have to give in a small amount but can be as extravagant as He wants.
Second, God will supply us according to His riches, not our need. If God only gave us according to our needs, we would only have the necessities for life. We would not have His manifold gifts we enjoy now. He can and gives us more exceedingly and abundantly more than we require. Our salvation is evidence of God’s overflowing generosity.
God could have only justified us. It was already a grand act of grace. But He blessed us according to His riches in glory and adopted us as His sons and daughters, made us co-heirs with Christ, transforms us into the image of His Son, and will give us glorified bodies and eternal life in the fullness of His glory. Truly, truly, who is a God like Yahweh? (Micah 7:18-20))
Paul closes with a doxology (a statement of praise) in response to the faithfulness and generosity of God the Father towards us. Why does Paul specifically mention the Father? Steven Lawson says, “Why should we give glory to the Father? Because he is the giver of grace (Phil 1:2), the Worker of salvation (Phil1:6), the Exalter of Christ (Phil 2-9-11), the conformer of Christlikeness (Phil 1:23), the Father of believers (Phil 2:15), the Revealer of truth (Phil 3:15), the Giver of peace (Phil 4:7; 9) and the Supplier of needs (Phil 4:19)
So when Paul says, “To our God and Father, glory forever and ever,” the only proper response is a hearty amen!
Heart check
This was a significant study for me because I struggle with envy and discontentment. It is the reason I studied Philippians. And I am learning that, like Paul, I can be content in my current circumstance (you can expect more posts on contentment).
God will always provide for our needs, no matter how bleak things appear. And whatever comes from His gracious hand will be more than enough for us to be content and rejoice. As Elizabeth Elliott said, “God has promised to supply our needs. What we don’t have now we don’t need now.” So rather than asking God to raise our circumstances to match our desires, let us ask him to humble our hearts’ desires with what He has given us. When we trust in God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness, we can accept wherever He puts us.
We should also be generous in any situation. Generosity is a mark of a genuine believer, one who has been born again after the image of the most benevolent God. We need not worry about not having enough, for God has promised He will always supply our needs.
I am not saying we should be reckless, nor expect tons of riches every time we give. Instead, we should trust God and be generous toward Him; amass heavenly treasures that will be ours forever rather than clinging to earthly treasures that will perish. As Jim Elliott said, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain which he cannot lose.”
Recommended resources
- The Secret of Contentment 1 | 2 | 3 – John MacArthur
- The Saints of God – John MacArthur
- The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – Jeremiah Burroughs
- The Art of Contentment – Thomas Watson
Next study
And we are done! Here are a few things to do to solidify what you have learned and apply it.
Readings
- Read and review Philippians: write a summary, identify its main and secondary themes, and revise your outline.
- Make a list of all the application points, pray over them, and keep them somewhere you can see them frequently.
Memorization
Review all the verses you memorized and establish a system to review them frequently so you will not forget them.
