Rose Murdock's Notes on The Epistles

1: Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4: always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5: in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7: For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8: For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9: And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10: so that you may approve the things that are excellent, ...

12: Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13: so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14: and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15: Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16: the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17: the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18: What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19: for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20: ac...

21: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22: But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23: But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24: yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25: Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26:so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. ***  Paul had just said in verses 19-20 that he knew he would be delivered from prison through their prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus, and yet Christ would be exalted in his body whether by life or death. He further explained by saying that for him to live is Christ, and to die is gain. The life we live in the flesh, as Paul said in Galatians 2:20, is Christ living in us. We live by faith in Him. We c...

27: Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28: in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29: For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30: experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. ***  Paul asked the Philippians to walk worthy of the gospel of Christ so whether he was released from prison and comes to see them or not, he would hear that they were “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Once again, we see Paul not trying to turn their eyes to him in dependency, but to the Lord, to stand strong in faith themselves. A true father recognizes tha...

1: Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2: make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4: do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7: but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8: Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9: For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is abo...

12: So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13: for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14: Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15: so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16: holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17: But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18: You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. ***  Paul encouraged the Philippians to continue in obedience to God and the gospel of Christ. They had done so when he was with t...

19: But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20: For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21: For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22: But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. 23: Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24: and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. ***  Paul told the Philippians of his plan to send Timothy to them shortly. He wanted to know how they were doing and trusted Timothy to bring back word that would accurately reflect what Paul wanted to know. He said he had no one else of kindred spirit like Timothy. No one who was genuinely concerned for the Philippian’s welfare. Paul was looking for their spiritual condition because he cared for them as ...