Letter To Philippians

Introduction The book of Philippians is an encouraging letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi. Paul’s purpose in writing this letter was to thank the church for their devotion to him and to the gospel, warn them of the opposition they faced both inside and outside the church, and to encourage the believers to continue in sharing the gospel. In Philippians 1:12-26, Paul focuses in on exhorting the believers to be bold in sharing the gospel and to make Christ the center of every circumstance, both pleasant and terrible. Through this section, Paul calls for a unity behind the gospel so that it may continue to advance.

Context To best understand our passage, we must first investigate the historical background of the book. The book of Philippians is a letter addressed to the church in Philippi, “an important city in eastern Macedonia” (MacArthur 3). As seen in the first verse of Philippians, this letter to the Philippian believers came from the
Since the Philippians felt so close to Paul, they worried about their fellow brother in Christ. In fact, Muller suggests that “the church was worried about the issue and lived in anxious suspense and uncertainty” (Muller 48). Yet, Paul tells them that they should have no reason to worry about him since his circumstances were serving to advance the gospel around him. Martin tells us that “the Greek term rendered to advance is…specifically ‘advancement in spite of obstructions and dangers which would block the traveller’s path’” (Martin 71). With this specific word choice, Paul was trying to show the Philippian church that despite what could be deemed as a horrific circumstance in life, the gospel was continuing to spread and was not being hindered in any way. Paul was so gospel-focused that these obstacles would not dampen his desire or ability to share the gospel. This led to the knowledge of the gospel for many in