Alex Belmont
BIBL 110-003
Dr. Small
11/14/17
Philippians Essay
The book of Philippians was a written letter to the Church of Philippi by Paul while he
was in a Roman prison. Paul opens Chapter One with a prayer of gratefulness. He thanks God for
the Philippians’ generosity, for their faithfulness, and he expresses his confidence that the life
transforming work that God has begun in them will continue to be greater and more beautiful
expressions of faithfulness and love. Paul continues to pray fervently for the Philippians. It is his
prayer that they would be more loving, they would increase in their knowledge of God, they
would be more discerning, they would be purer in terms of how they live, and that they would
increase their depth of insight in their understanding of God.
While in prison, Paul has continued to further advance the good news of Jesus Christ. He
ministered to everyone he came in contact with and shared the gospel to many who would not
have heard otherwise. As a result, other Christians gained more confidence in sharing their faith
because they saw how Paul endured his trial in prison. Paul then references the preachers who
are preaching out of envy and rivalry. While their motives and perspectives may be wrong, Paul
is still thankful because the gospel is still being preached and God can still use their ministry for
His benefit. It is Paul’s opinion that at this point in his life, prison is a win-win situation for him.
If he survives prison, he will able to share his faith and preach the gospel. Yet, if he dies, he will
be in Heaven.
Chapter Two begins with an admonishment and a plea for unity. In addition, he continues
in his pleas for unselfish motives and stresses the need to serve others with humility and
sacrifice. Paul also encourages the believer to have the same mindset as Jesus had, specifically
within our relationships with one another. He then continues with what a Christ like mindset
looks like. Jesus had a sacrificial mindset. Paul explains that Jesus did not consider his heavenly
position as God’s son or his equality with God something he had to tightly hold on to and grasp
but rather he emptied himself of everything and sacrificed himself. The second mindset Paul
explains is to not only to be sacrificial, but also have the willingness to be a servant. Jesus lived
this way in all aspects of His life. The third mindset we have to adapt if we want to be more like
Christ is that of submission. Paul reminds us that Jesus was willing to be obedient, even to the
point of death. He was willing to surrender and submit his life in exchange for the will of the
Father. The fourth mindset is the idea of suffering. Living as Christ lived and following His
example will allow Christians to be the “light of the world” and shine brightly so that others may
see their good works for the gospel.
Paul begins Chapter three with a stern warning telling us to beware of those dogs, those
evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh who said that Christians had to be circumcised, obey all of
the Jewish laws, and believe in Christ to be saved. Paul tells us that these preachers should be
ignored as their message is false. Salvation cannot be achieved through external means or
physical works. He continues by sharing his own personal background and earlier beliefs. Paul
explains that he had all of those aspects of Jewish law and thought were assets that were getting
him closer to God. He then goes on to say that he now knows they irrelevant and that his main
focus is to know Jesus.
Paul continues in the chapter saying he wants to know the person of Jesus Christ, not just
about Him. He doesn’t just want to know of the power of his resurrection, but He wants to know
and understand his pain. This desire includes enduring through the pain Jesus went through so
that he can experience, appreciate, and know Jesus in a more intimate way. We all should be
setting our sights on the “prize” and living our lives in constant pursuit of Heaven which is our
true citizenship. Paul felt this reminder was necessary as there are so many enemies of Christ
who will get in our way and it is so easy for Christians to forget to keep their eyes focused on the
cross and our promised future.
Chapter Four begins with a series of encouragements for unity, joy, and peace. He pleads
with the Philippians and tells them to stand fast in the Lord. He then follows with a call for them
to rejoice always in the Lord, and tells us why we should pray, how we should pray, and then
what happens as a result of our prayers. He tells us not be anxious for anything, and that when
we pray we should let all of our petitions be made to God. Our prayers should be filled with
thanksgiving.
Paul continues to encourage us to put everything we have learned from him into practice
and as a result God will reward with his peace. This is the peace of God which lets us know that
it can only come from God, the world can’t give it to us. Paul then tells us that this peace will
guard our hearts and our minds. He exhorts the believer to only think on things that are pure and
true. He further explains that there is peace in contentment and Paul has learned the secret of
being content in all things. The key to Paul's contentment was twofold. First, God was filling him
with power because he knows that God has given him the strength to do anything. Second, Paul
learned that God will always supply his needs. He closes with a final prayer that the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ be with them all.
The book of Philippians can be applied to my life in numerous ways. Chapter One
reminded me to keep my eyes open at all times. There are opportunities all around me to share
the gospel and encourage others. It can be so easy for any of me to become self-consumed and
caught up in my own personal prisons that I miss the opportunities that God has placed around
me to share my faith with nonbelievers and to encourage those who may need encouragement. I
realized through these verses that people are watching how I handle the difficulties and trials in
my life. Am I going to make the best of a bad situation like Paul did.
Chapter Four brought to light the difference between my needs and greed. Often, “I
want” becomes a replacement for “I need”. I want a new car. I want a better job. I want a better
life. I need to learn to make sure I don’t confuse my needs with my greed. Sometimes I may
think “God, why aren’t you providing this for me? I need this.”, when in reality it may just be
something I want. It’s so easy to look around and see what others may have and want that for
myself. God never promised to give us everything we wanted. I am certainly guilty of grumbling
and complaining and wondering why I can’t always have what I want. But I am definitely
thankful that he always gives me everything that I need.
In Chapter Four Paul tells us to think on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely
and admirable. This is easier said than done. The world bombards us with words and images that
are the exact opposite of this and once those thoughts get in my mind, they tend to stay. It is
truly my desire to guard my heart and mind from the evil outpouring in the world on a daily
basis, yet it can be very difficult. With television, movies, music and social media, I really have
to wade through a ton of garbage to try to stay focused on truth. These verses are a great
reminder for me to do just that.
