Philippians 1:1-11 O n e does n o t read far into the let ter of Philippians before becom ing aware of the atmosphere of love in which it was written. The first eleven verses with which this chapter deals are characterized by a spirit of loving confidence. They are joyous and glad some, radiant with the light of heaven. Their tone is assured, inspiring confi dence; their appeal is warm and ten der with a love that overflows in pray er. The Christian fellowship which they reveal is at the highest level, strengthened rather than strained by the miles and months that separated the writer from his readers. Lee, “Spiritual growth and fruit fulness are more a matter of atmos phere than many of us realize. Each one has a responsibility in creating the necessary conditions of love and confi dence in which all may come into Christian maturity. It is hoped that 'a study of this letter will do much to ward fostering such an atmosphere in all our churches and denominational gatherings: This would seem a worthy purpose to which we might well dedi cate ourselves as we pray and walk to gether through these pages.” I. Christian Greetings (w . 1-2) In the opening salutation our atten tion is directed to the sender, the re cipients, and the nature of the greet ing itself. The form for letters varies among different people and in different ages. There is much to commend the style that was in effect when Paul wrote the Philippians. The sender’s name ap peared first instead of last as is the custom with us. This saved the reader the trouble of looking to the end of a
letter to see by whpm it was written. Paul begins with his own name and includes Timothy with himself. This does not mean, of course, that Timothy was joint author. It is characteristic of Paul’s way of identifying himself with his colleagues in the work. The success of his labors lay to no small degree in his ability to enlist others. The church in Philippi would bear the young as sistant, Timothy, in grateful remem brance and would be better prepared by this inclusion to receive him when he should come on his next mission (Phil. 2:19). Paul calls himself and Timothy “slaves of Christ Jesus.” It is one of his favorite designations. There was no oc casion for him to use his official title of “apostle” as there was in his letters to the churches of Galatia and Corinth, where some opponents challenged his authority. Among those who knew him best and loved him most he was simply a slave of Christ Jesus. The Philippian Christians are ad dressed as ‘saints.’ The blood of Jesus which was the price of their redemp tion was upon them and marked them as holy. Paul was especially fond of the word and often addressed the believers as “saints” to remind them of the sa cred nature of this purchase and to challenge them with its noble purpose. But these saints wore no halos as they walked the streets of Philippi. Two groups are particularized for special mention along with the saints in Philippi, “bishops and deacons.” The Greek word translated “bishop” means “overseer.” Our “superintendent,” de rived from Latin, is almost an exact equivalent. Bishops were not a govern ing body but were men to whom the
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