A Examine of Philippians 1:1-2
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Synopsis: Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi begins with three unbelievable phrases hinged on three extremely small phrases: (1) We’re Saints in Christ; (2) We’re Servants of Christ; and (3) We now have grace and peace equipped from Christ.
Introduction: The origin of the e-book of Philippians
Scripture: Philippians 1:1-2
1. Saints in Christ
A. We’re God’s Holy Folks
B. We’re in Christ
2. Servants of Christ
A. We Have a Humble Place
B. We Have a Excessive Place
3. Equipped from Christ
A. With Grace
B. With Peace
Conclusion: Annie Flint’s hymn about God’s grace in troubling instances.
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Introduction
The person had left with braveness and pleasure. The church despatched him to help a missionary in a distant metropolis. However he quickly turned very sick.
Ultimately, he recovered and returned to his church. He introduced them a letter, which was instantly learn aloud by the pastor of his church to the excited Christians of town.
We’ve been studying it ever since. It has 1633 phrases in its unique Greek kind, about half the size of a typical sermon right now. It’s quick—however it’s wealthy!
That is Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. Whereas chained to a soldier in Rome, Paul acquired monetary help from the church by way of Epaphroditus. However Epaphroditus turned gravely unwell, and satirically Paul needed to maintain him. Later, Epaphroditus recovered and returned to Philippi with Paul’s beloved letter.
Paul adopted the literary customs and norms of his day, however with a Gospel twist. Even his introductions are extremely wealthy.
Scripture
Let’s take a look at this introduction—Philippians 1:1-2:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ. Jesus, to all God’s holy folks in Christ Jesus at Philippi, along with the overseers and deacons. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What unbelievable theological reality! Let’s give attention to the three main grammatical prepositions and observe the logic of what Paul has to say.
Prepositions matter. In a parade, it makes a giant distinction in case you are earlier than the elephant or after the elephant.
With that in thoughts, let’s re-read our Scripture:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ. Jesus, to all God’s holy folks in Christ Jesus at Philippi, along with the overseers and deacons. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s deal with these within the order they unfold in our lives.
1. Saints in Christ
To all God’s holy folks in Christ Jesus at Philippi.
A. We Are God’s Holy Folks
First, let’s cope with that time period “holy folks,” usually translated “saints”. The New Worldwide Model has changed the phrase “saint” with “holy folks,” as a result of the translators have been afraid “saint” now conveys an inaccurate that means.
They’re proper about that. At present we would consider examples like St. Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa, or maybe a pricey church member: extraordinarily godly, presumably even pronounced a saint by the Catholic or Orthodox church.
However within the New Testomony, the phrase saint is principally a synonym for Christian. The Greek time period is hagios, translated holy, set aside, or pure. It was used among the many secular Greeks to explain one thing that engenders awe, a temple, or a sanctuary that contained essentially the most lovely and sacred issues that weren’t accessible to the general public.
The equal Hebrew time period was used within the Previous Testomony to explain the God of Israel and His title and the issues related to Him. We examine holy floor, the holy temple, the holy place, and the holy of Holies. God’s Previous Testomony folks have been to be a holy folks, conserving His legal guidelines and reflecting His purity to the nations of earth.
Within the New Testomony, God the Father is described as holy, and so is God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit really has the phrase Holy in His title.
However, we additionally uncover that every one who’re redeemed by Christ are known as saints or, because the NIV says, “God’s holy folks.”
Our self-image and habits is influenced by how we speak about ourselves. Whether or not you say you’re nugatory or unlovable or insufficient, or say you’re considered one of God’s holy folks, you’ll act that means.
We’re God’s holy folks—His saints—in a two-fold means.
First, because the followers of Christ we have now instantaneous holiness conferred on us; however then, second, we have now progressive holiness developed inside us.
- Hebrews 10:10 says, We now have been made holy by way of the sacrifice of the physique of Jesus Christ as soon as for all. The second we obtain Christ as Savior, we’re made righteous in God’s sight. Our sins are transferred to Jesus Christ, and His holiness is transferred to us. When God seems at you He sees the holiness of Jesus Christ.
The righteousness of Jesus Christ is wrapped round us. It jogs my memory of British soldier Edward Creasy, who was captured and confronted dying from a Polish firing squad. He instructed them, “The Union Jack [the flag of the British Empire], although invisible, is round me. You’ll hit the British flag in case you do. You dare not do it.” The firing squad hesitated after which lowered their weapons. We’re contained inside and shielded by His enveloping holiness. We might not but be all we must be, however we’re wrapped in and vested with the holiness of Christ.
- However now skip all the way down to Hebrews 10:14: For by one sacrifice He has made good endlessly those that are being made holy. Let’s examine the primary a part of verse 10 with the final a part of verse 14: You will have been made holy… (You) are being made holy.
David Allen in his commentary on Hebrews wrote, “The creator is making good use of the Greek tense system right here to distinction the right completed work of Christ on the cross and its sanctifying impact on believers (verse 10) with the continued work of progressive sanctification right here in verse 14.”
Each progressively and instantaneously, we’re God’s holy folks in Christ. Theologians use the phrase “Already, However Not But.”
B. We Are In Christ
Right here’s our key preposition: We’re God’s holy folks in Christ. That was Paul’s trademark phrase—We’re in Christ.
The phrase “in” means to be positioned or positioned inside a sure atmosphere. We’re surrounded by air, and the air is inside us.
After we obtain Jesus Christ as Savior, we’re enveloped in Jesus. We’re united in a relationship with Christ. We’re abiding in Him, and He abides in us.
2. Servants of Christ
After we are saints in Christ, it’s very pure for us to more and more be servants of Christ. Learn verse 1 once more:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy folks in Christ Jesus.
As a result of we’re saints in Christ, we’re servants of Christ. The Greek phrase for servant is doulos, which suggests, actually, slave. Paul used this fundamental time period precisely 59 instances. It has a double connotation.
A. We Have a Humble Place
First, it connotes humility. Now, slavery within the Roman Empire was fairly totally different than it was within the American antebellum south. Definitely some slaves have been bodily abused in Roman instances. However an unlimited portion of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire was made up {of professional} women and men, who have been attorneys, monetary consultants, clothiers, cooks, administrations, educators, and so forth, who occurred to be employed by somebody who owned them. They lived pretty regular lives, besides they have been owned by somebody.
The apostle Paul attacked the establishment of slavery in a really refined and highly effective means within the e-book of Philemon, and he inspired slaves, if potential, to hunt their freedom. He demanded the masters stop from abusing their slaves. His letters, together with the remainder of Scripture, supplied the ethical basis of the abolition of slavery within the British Empire after which in America.
Paul mentioned that we’re slaves of Jesus Christ, however then take a look at what he mentioned throughout the web page in Philippians 2:5: In your relationships with each other, have the identical mindset as Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God didn’t contemplate equality with God one thing for use to His personal benefit; fairly, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant [doulos- slave]…
Jesus was by no means owned by anybody, and but took on the character of a doulos—a servant or slave. This refers back to the humility with which we must always serve the Lord.
Andrew Murray was a preacher who additionally wrote greater than 200 books throughout his 60 years of ministry in South Africa. A lot of his books have been primarily based on his sermons, however for 2 years he actually misplaced his voice. He suffered from a mysterious throat situation that rendered him nearly speechless. He was in his early fifties on the time, and he needed to take a sabbatical from the pulpit.
Throughout this time he studied the topic of humility and he discovered the teachings by experiencing them. He later printed a e-book broadly thought-about the most effective e-book ever written as regards to humility. I need to offer you a quote from it:
- There may be nothing so divine and heavenly as being the servant and helper of all. The devoted servant, who acknowledges his place, finds an actual pleasure in supplying the needs of the grasp or his friends. After we see that humility is one thing infinitely deeper than contrition, and settle for it as our participation within the lifetime of Jesus, we will start to study that it’s our true the Aristocracy, and that to show it in being servants of all is the very best success of our future as [people] created within the picture of God.
B. We Have a Excessive Place
That quote actually factors out the paradox of being a slave or a servant. Biblical commentators have mentioned this an important deal. On the one hand, the phrase servant is a phrase that connotes our humble place, however on the identical time the Bible makes use of it to confer honor. Let me present you from the Previous Testomony:
- Psalm 105:26: He despatched Moses His Servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen.
- Joshua 24:29: After this stuff, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died on the age of 100 and ten.
- Ezekiel 34:23: I’ll set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David.
- Daniel 9:6: Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your title to our kings and our costs, to our fathers and all of the folks of the land.
To be known as “the servant of the Lord” was a really excessive and exalted honor.
It’s one of many best paradoxes and deepest mysteries of the Christian expertise. To be the Lord’s slave or servant is concurrently the humblest factor we are able to do and the very best factor we are able to do.
We’re saints in Christ Jesus and servants of Christ Jesus. All of that’s in verse 1. Now, within the second verse we study we’re equipped by Christ Jesus with every thing we’d like for our sainthood and servanthood.
3. Equipped from Christ
Verse 2 says: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The precise literal order within the Greek is: Grace to you and peace from God the Father of us and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. With Grace
First, we’re equipped with an abundance of grace. Grace is each single blessing God has ever invented.
As a result of God is infinite, we have now all-sufficient grace.
- Reward be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with each non secular blessing in Christ – Ephesians 2:3
- God is ready to bless you abundantly, in order that in all issues and always, having all that you just want, you’ll abound in each good work – 2 Corinthians 9:8
- Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness seems down from heaven. The Lord will certainly give what is nice – Psalm 85:11
- Each good and ideal reward is from above, coming down from the Father of lights—James 1:17
B. With Peace
As a result of we have now each single blessing God has ever invented, we’re flooded with peace.
Within the e-book Pilgrim’s Progress, we have now a outstanding scene. The Pilgrim, Christian, had simply begun his journey by way of life towards the Celestial Metropolis. He stopped by the Interpreter’s Home, which was a spot the place he discovered many issues that might assist him on his journey. That is what the church ought to do—equip us for the every day Christian stroll. In a single room Christian noticed a roaring hearth the satan was attempting to quench. Christian requested, “How does the hearth maintain burning?”
The Interpreter confirmed him a person behind the wall pouring a relentless stream of oil onto the flame, making it unquenchable.
That’s the fixed provide of grace and peace that floods into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, despatched from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Psalmist mentioned, “He restores my soul.”
Conclusion
None of us have simple lives. However I’ve by no means had an expertise wherein I didn’t discover what I wanted for the second within the phrases of Scripture, biblical hymns, and prayer.
A hymnist named Annie J. Flint additionally knew this from expertise. She wrote:
He giveth extra grace when the burden develop higher,
He sendeth extra power when the labors enhance.
To added affliction, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have now exhausted our retailer of endurance,
When our power has failed ere the day is half-done,
After we attain the top of our hoarded sources,
Our Father’s full giving is just begun.
His love has no restrict, His grace has no measure,
His energy no boundary identified unto males,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth once more.
