Philippians as a Guide for Personal Bible Study

This article was first published in French at TPSG. 

Do you love the Scripture and long to learn to better understand what it teaches? Do you want to better know and love its divine author? Perhaps you’ve been reading the Bible for years but have yet to learn a proven technique to aid you in this endeavor. With the book of Philippians as a guide, I’d love to share a few strategies to help us get the most out of God’s Holy Word.

Prayer

Our very first step when coming as finite creatures before an infinite God is to pray. As you embark on your own study of this beautiful epistle, ask the Lord to give you wisdom, clarity, and insights by his Holy Spirit. He promises in James 1:5 to give wisdom to those who lack it. And I don’t know about you, but that definitely applies to me!

Observation

The next thing we need to do when we read any book of the Bible is to answer the six investigatory questions: “Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How?” These are all questions that fall under the category of observation. It answers the question: “What does the text say?” We’re using a metaphorical magnifying glass to focus more sharply on the details so that we can then interpret and apply them better. Most of the answers should be available to us in the text, especially when read carefully in a number of translations. A good Bible dictionary can be a useful tool as well.

Here’s some examples of the kind of questions we could ask concerning Philippians.

Q: Who wrote it?

A: Verse 1 tells us that Paul wrote Philippians. He mentions Timothy as well in v. 1, but the rest of the letter is in the first person singular, “I.” It’s possible that Timothy was Paul’s secretary, writing down the content of the letter as the apostle dictated it to him. 

Q: To whom was he writing?

A: The answer is in v. 1, “all the saints who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” All the believers as a body had participated in the gift Paul received, so he writes to them all from the opening verses. Beyond this, he addresses specifically the bishops and deacons (and deaconesses), i.e., the leaders of the church.

If we want to consider who else Paul might be writing to, we can go even further back. In Acts 16:11-40, we learn that Paul founded the church during his second missionary journey. The core group consisted of a wealthy merchant named Lydia and a blue-collar jailer, along with their respective households, and a formerly demon-possessed slave girl. 

Q: Who delivered the letter?

A: The Philippian church sends Epaphroditus to Paul with the gift they had collected on his behalf (2:25-30). He remains with Paul to minister the Gospel. Then he gets sick, and almost dies, but the Lord spares him. Now, Paul is sending him back with this letter. 

Q: What led Paul to go to Philippi?

A: Acts 16:11-40 tell us what takes place once Paul arrived in Philippi but Acts 16:1-10 tells us why he chooses to go there. The Holy Spirit hinders Paul from continuing his work in Asia and gives him a vision in which a Macedonian is urging him to come help them. 

Q: When and where did Paul write from?

A: Paul writes from prison (1:7). Yet he’s not in a dungeon, but rather under house arrest. As a Roman citizen, he is entitled to a daily food allowance, and he’s able to receive visitors freely. His greatest discomfort is his concern for the churches facing false teachers, and the opposition from those who preach Christ so as to hurt him. The book of Acts concludes with Paul in prison in Rome. This would make the date of writing 60-62 AD.

Q: Why did Paul write this letter?

Paul writes to to thank the saints in Philippi for the gift that they have collected and sent to him (4:14-16). But he also writes to express his affection for them in their partnership in the gospel, to strengthen them in their faith in the midst of suffering, and to warn them of false teachers. 

Divide and Summarize

The next step is to separate the book into its natural divisions. Sometimes this will correspond to the chapter divisions, but not always. You may find it helpful to summarize each one in one sentence. Here’s what I see as the four major sections of the epistle:

·       1:1-30 – Paul expresses his affection and gratitude for their partnership in the gospel – a work which has not been hindered by his imprisonment. Yet Paul hopes to be released and see his recipients again. But either way, he doesn’t fear death, but rather sees it as gain (v. 21).

·       2:1-18 – Paul points to the source and inspiration of the believers hope by citing the example of Christ, who humbled himself to the point of death. With Christ as our model, Paul spurs on his readers to live lives that reflect their Saviour in a perverse generation.

·       2:19-3:21 – Paul provides the positive examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus before warning the saints of the false teachers who threaten the Church - both legalists and libertines. His only defense and glory are Christ, not his religious achievements.

·       4:1-23 – In his concluding pastoral remarks, Paul stirs his readers to live in peace and joy, with gentleness and contentment. And finally, he reiterates his joy for their generosity and the recompense that awaits them. 

Major Themes

The next step is to consider the major themes of the book. I propose the following five, but there might be others. I provide some citations, but these are by no means exhaustive. They serve, rather, as a launching point for further study.

1.     Partnership in the Gospel

This theme is not as evident because Paul uses a number of different terms to refer to the same idea (1:5, 7, 27, 30, 2:1, 22, 25, 4:3, 14). Their partnership is financial, as they give sacrificially to meet Paul’s physical needs. But it extends to their partnership in the work of the ministry. Paul isn’t a lone ranger pastor/evangelist. He sees himself as part of an army of co-combatants. 

2.     The day of Jesus Christ

Paul runs the race with the end in mind, i.e. the day of Christ. We see in this in 1:6, 10, 2:16, 3:14, 20-21, 4:5. In tandem, Paul mentions his own death (1:20-21), his being poured out as a drink offering (2:17), the resurrection (3:11), the goal of the race (3:14), the end/destruction for his enemies (3:18), and our heavenly citizenship (3:20). In so doing, he teaches us that while we minister in this world, our hope is in the world to come. 

3.     Suffering

It’s easy to see why this is a theme for Paul. After all, he’s writing from prison! But beyond his physical confinement, but we can get an idea of all the suffering Paul has endured in the book of Acts or in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Paul gives special attention to this theme in 1:12-17, 29-30, 2:27, 3:10, 4:14.

4.     Joy

This is probably the most well-known of the themes of Philippians. It’s easy to see why: The word “joy” appears 16x, on three occasions he mentions it twice in a single verse (2:17, 2:18, 4:4). Paul seems obsessed with joy! Consider this sampling on the subject: 2:2, 17-18, 3:1, 4:4.

5. Jesus Christ

Sometimes we can gloss over this theme, but once it’s pointed out, you’ll notice how saturated Philippians is with the person and work of Jesus Christ. I counted 27 mentions of Jesus, Christ, Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ, or Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly Jesus Christ is at the center of Paul’s theology in general, and this epistle in particular. In fact, I would argue that all the themes listed above are subject to this one great theme. 

Summary Statement

A final step in studying a book of the Bible is to compose one phrase that encapsulates its central message. Here’s my attempt: 

In Christ, we partner with joy in the gospel in the midst of suffering until the day of Jesus Christ. 

Yours may be different than mine. It may be better than mine! My hope is that as you dig into God’s Word, these tools will help you discover its truths and be better equipped to live them as a result. May the Lord bless us all as we undertake this exciting journey!