Philippians
Summary[i]
Writer: The Apostle Paul (Phi_1:1).
Date: The date of Philippians cannot
be positively fixed. It is one of the prison letters. Whether Paul was twice
imprisoned, and if so, whether Philippians was written during the first or
second imprisonment, affects in no way the message of the Epistle. A.D. 64 is
the commonly received date. The immediate occasion of the Epistle is disclosed
in Phi_4:10-18.
Theme: The theme of Philippians is
Christian experience. Soundness of doctrine is assumed. There is nothing in
church order to set right. Philippi is a normal New Testament
assembly--"saints in Christ Jesus, with the bishops (elders) and
deacons." The circumstances of the apostle are in striking contrast with
his Christian experience. As to the former, he was Nero's prisoner. As to the
latter, there was the shout of victory, the paean of joy. Christian experience,
he would teach us, is not something which is going on around the believer, but
something which is going on within him.
The key-verse is, "For me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phi_1:21).
Right Christian experience, then, is the outworking, whatever one's
circumstances may be, of the life, nature, and mind of Christ living in us (Phi_1:6; Phi_1:11;
Phi_2:5; Phi_2:13).
The divisions are indicated by the
chapters:
1. Christ, the believer's life, rejoicing in
suffering (Philippians 1:1-30).
2. Christ, the believer's pattern, rejoicing in
lowly service (Philippians 2:1-30).
3. Christ, the believer's object, rejoicing
despite imperfections (Philippians 3:1-21).
4. Christ, the believer's strength, rejoicing over anxiety (Philippians 4:1-23).