Some thoughts for Today, Philippians 1 The Christians Confidence

Philippians 1

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Thanksgiving

1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^[a]saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ^[b]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 ^[c]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 [d]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 ^[e]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 ^[f]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 ^[g]approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless ^[h]until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Gospel Is Preached

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 ^[i]imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole ^[j]praetorian guard and to everyone else,¹⁴ and that most of the ^[k]brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my ^[l]imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. ¹⁵ Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even ^[m]from envy and strife, but some also ^[n]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 ^[o]rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my ^[p]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 ^[q]deliverance through your ^[r]prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

 ²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

To Live Is Christ

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ^22 [s]But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labour for me; and I do not know ^[t]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 ^[u]in the faith, ²⁶ so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

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 ^[v]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.

NIV Application Commentary

Paul’s second reason for joyful thankfulness to God is his confidence that God will complete the good work he has begun in the Philippians (v. 6). This work, which must be identified with the Philippians’ salvation, will reach its consummation only at “the day of Christ Jesus.” It is a work that God alone accomplishes, but the notion that it is not yet complete shows that it involves a progressive transformation of the lives of believers.

 The “good work” of salvation, then, includes God’s gift to believers both of the will and of the ability to do good works. The presence of these good works in turn provides evidence of real belief—evidence that God has begun and will complete the work of salvation in the person who displays them. Thus Paul says in 1:28 that the Philippians’ steadfastness in the midst of persecution serves as a sign of their future salvation, and in 2:12–13 that whereas the Philippians should “work out” their “salvation with fear and trembling,”

 God is the effective power behind this work. This thought also lies behind Paul’s confession in 3:12, that he presses on “to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” It is only because God in his grace has taken hold of believers and works within them to produce a life consistent with the gospel that they can in any sense “take hold” of salvation on “the day of Christ Jesus.” In other words, those who will be saved in the future live holy lives in the present, but the holiness that characterizes their lives is God’s work from beginning to end.

If this represents a correct understanding of verse 6, then Paul’s first two reasons for joyful thanks to God are probably bound to one another by a profound theological truth. Paul thanks God for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel not only because of the practical assistance it provided for the advancement of the gospel but also because it stands as a confirmation that God is at work in the lives of the Philippians (cf. 4:17). Paul knows, moreover, that if God has begun a work of grace in the Philippians, he will complete it, for he has the power “to bring everything under his control” (3:21); he is thus confident that God will conduct the Philippians safely into the realm of salvation on the day of Christ Jesus. This, he feels, is reason enough to rejoice.

From NIVAC: Philippians by Frank Thielman. Published by Zondervan Academic.

The Bible Panorama

Philippians 1

V 1–2: PEOPLE Paul gives a brief but all-embracing description of the church to which he and Timothy write. ‘All the saints’ (which means every Christian) and ‘the bishops and deacons’ are the recipients of the letter. Paul prays that they will all receive God’s grace and peace.

V 3–11: PRAYER Paul thankfully prays for the Christians. He is grateful for gospel fellowship with them and is confident of their salvation. He specifically prays that their love will abound in a knowledge and discernment that will help them to live holy lives.

V 12–18: PREACHING Paul’s witness for Christ is as a prisoner in chains. Paradoxically, this helps some to preach more boldly. Although some preach from wrong motivation, Paul rejoices that Jesus Christ is proclaimed.

 V 19–26: PRIORITY With his Christian confidence that Paul will gain greatly when he dies, his priority is to live for Christ now. If the choice were his, he would find it hard to decide whether to be ‘with Christ, which is far better’ or whether to serve Him and His people on earth.

V 27–30: PURPOSE He urges them to live lives worthy of the gospel and to strive together, taking persecution without fear by God’s grace.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

I was wondering… who you’re talking to Written by Vicky Walker

I was wondering… who you’re talking to

Written by Vicky Walker

OK, let’s get to down to business. It’s safe to assume you’re here because you don’t want to fly solo any more. You’re proactive, not just waiting for God to drop the perfect partner into the seat next to you on Sunday.

You’ve prayed (yes of course it’s praying if you say amen after whinging for an hour about still being single… right?), you might have fasted, you may even have enlisted a network of supportive cheerleaders (ideally not sporting Lycra and pom-poms) to encourage you along the way.

You’ve read the dating / getting ready for dating / enjoying dating / seriously, still going on about dating? / relationship / engagement / marriage books. All of them. Twice.

You’ve done everything you’ve been told its ok to do and stopped just short of tattooing Wife or Husband Material across your forehead (note: while it does demonstrate commitment, this level of clarity can backfire).

You’re ready. Except, well, there’s just one thing… Have you remembered to actually speak to people?

I recently undertook the earth-shattering responsibility of being ‘beverage pourer’ at an event (and you thought I was just a regular person). ‘What would you like?’ I asked a man queuing for drinks.

He raised a suggestive eyebrow and launched into a speech which included desires other than his preferred brew. Resistible content but full marks for effort.

Alongside him was a man who had let it be known publicly he was ‘actively seeking’ marriage and yet, surrounded by ladies of all kinds, his focus was solely and intently on acquiring and customising his tea.

I admire anyone who takes hydration that seriously, of course – it’s high on many people’s list of ideal partner requirements – but I wondered if he’d actually noticed who he was surrounded by.

Had he realised that the wife and family he openly sought could only come through a first conversation with someone, somewhere? Someone who might be one of the many single women standing nearby at an event, for example. Someone who at first glance might seem like just a regular person missing the heavenly glow that would mark them out as The One, no conversation needed. It appeared not.

Being aware helps, as does being realistic, but it can be intimidating to jump in and start a conversation with a stranger. However – spoiler alert – at some point you’re going to have to speak to the person you want to spend your life with.

It’s kind of the point. And yet my suggestion a friend should talk to a woman I thought he’d hit it off with was met with horror. This was apparently terribly direct.

Perhaps I could instead organise a weekend at a spa for a reasonably large, but not too large, group, say around 10 people, at which they could both be guests and mingle in a no-pressure environment? Guess my answer.

Give it a go. Don’t wait to be chased.
Don’t wait for another day when a mystical dose of courage will manifest.
Talk to people. Talk to someone you might not usually talk to.
Not a cheesy line there’s no good response to.
Not – especially not – about what you’re looking for from a spouse sent from the Lord.
Talk about them, and you, and life, and music, art, sport, the world, beautiful things, interesting things, funny things, anything.

Maybe they won’t be someone you end up in blissful-lurve-together-forever with, but you will connect with another human, maybe make a friend, maybe expand your social life, get better at connecting, have more to talk about, think about, develop, grow, like more, love more and lots of other fun things it would be a shame to miss out on just because you didn’t look around and think “They look interesting” and then go to say hello.

Read more articles on: Dating & Relationships

About Vicky Walker

Vicky Walker is a writer and speaker, among other things. Her book ‘Do I have to be good all the time?’ about life, love and awkward moments is available now from www.vickywalker.info

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Some thoughts for Today, Romans 8

 

Romans 8

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Deliverance from Bondage

8 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life ^[a]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For what the Law could not do, ^[b]weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of ^[c]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh   toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is ^[d]alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[e]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

¹² So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you are living according to the flesh, you ^[f]must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery ^[g]leading to fear again, but you have received ^[h]a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected tofutility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, ^[i]in hope ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. ²³ And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Our Victory in Christ

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the ^[j]saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that ^[k]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; ³⁰ and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was ^[l]raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of ^[m]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

³⁶ Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

NIV Application Commentary

Paul concludes his celebration of God’s love for us in Christ with his own personal testimony: “I am persuaded.…” The list following is arranged in four pairs, with “powers” thrown in between the third and fourth pair. We can easily “over interpret” such a list, insisting on a precision of definitions that misses the point of Paul’s rhetoric. In general, however, “death” and “life” refer to the two basic states of human existence. “Angels” and “demons” (archai, i.e., “rulers,” which Paul uses to denote evil spiritual beings [see Eph. 6:12; Col. 2:15]) summarize the entirety of the spiritual world.

A few interpreters take “present things” and “coming things” (lit. trans.) as spiritual beings too, but evidence is lacking for these as such titles. Probably Paul chooses to summarize all of history, along with the people and events it contains, in a temporal perspective. It is not clear why Paul disrupts his neat parallelism with the word “powers” at this point, but the word refers again to spiritual beings (1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21).

“Height” and “depth” are the most difficult of the pairs of terms to identify. Since these words were applied to the space above and below the horizon, and since ancient people often invested celestial phenomena with spiritual significance, Paul may be referring to spiritual beings again. Yet Paul uses similar language in Ephesians 3:18 in a simple spatial sense. Thus, perhaps, he chooses yet another way of trying to help us understand that there is nothing in all the world—whether we are dead or alive, whether they are things we now face or things we will face in the future, whether they are above us or below us—that can separate us from the “love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As the chapter began with “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1), so it ends with the bookends of “no separation” (8:35, 39).

From NIVAC: Romans by Douglas J. Moo. Published by Zondervan Academic.