Lord Jesus Christ in Philippians

Click on the following links to jump to a section within the study of this Bible Book: Lord only, Jesus only, Christ only, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ, Son.

Christ is used by itself more than twice as often as any other title for God the Son in Philippians. This includes Lord and Christ Jesus. In fact, Christ is used by itself or with another role in 36 out of 47 verses that use Lord and/or Jesus and/or Christ. Thats 79% of the references. More than most other places, we find the gospel of Christ explained in this epistle. Jesus is used by itself only once in this book. That is where Paul is assuring believers that God will reward them just like He rewarded the man named Jesus. Both Lord and Christ Jesus are used 9times in Philippians. Jesus Christ is used 8 times. Notice that Christ Jesus is used a little more than Jesus Christ in Philippians. Usually, Jesus Christ is used more than Christ Jesus (189 times versus 58 tines in the entire New Testament). Philippians is written to the most spiritually mature church that received a New Testament letter.

Lord only

Philippians 1:14; 2:24, 29; 3:1; 4:1, 2, 4, 5, 10.

Paul uses Lord by itself in Philippians for our ultimate authority. One verse deals with worship and saved are to worship the Lord and not Jesus or Christ. Other verses have to do with positions that the Lord gives to men and with the Lord having final say in things of this world. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord.

Philippians 1:14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Please see the chapter note in the Book Study on Philippians for an outline of this chapter which will help in understanding the context of this verse. Please also use the link above (the verse number in the verse quote) to see the note for the sentence that this verse is part of. That note is in the Book Study on Philippians and divides the entire sentence by punctuation and explains the entire sentence according to the grammatical structure. These things are the minimum requirement for understanding that includes the context that God placed our verse within. The most common source of doctrinal error is ignoring the context of a verse within God's Bible.

It is interesting that Paul uses Lord here and not Jesus or Christ or some combination. This is also in contrast to Pauls use of Christ in the same sentence (Please see the note on 1:13). At the time of this writing, there were saved Jews still trying to keep the Mosaic Law. God had not yet destroyed the Temple and ended the sacrifices. Paul calls them brethren in the Lord, so we know that they're saved. However, Paul does not call them Christian or 'brethren in Christ'. Many people insist that all saved are Christians. This verse, along with many others covered in this study indicate otherwise. In order to be a Biblical Christian we need to have Christ in us and us in Christ so that people see Christ living through us and not us living in the flesh. (Please see the Book Studies on Galatians, the Ephesians, and the Colossians for more on this doctrinal error). Unfortunately, not all brethren in the Lord are following Christ and when they are not following Christ, they can be worse than lost people.

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Philippians 2:24 But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

In this section from 2:24 through 3:1 Paul mainly refers to the Lord and to God because he is talking about things that he hopes to see, but which lost men, governments, devils, lost and saved Jews and others are trying to prevent. Pauls only hope is the God, as the ultimate authority (Lord) will override all other opposition. Paul says that he trusts here. This is the type of trust that goes with the Biblical term of hope Paul has no scriptural promise upon which to hang faith, but he hopes and trusts based upon the character and power of his Lord. The Lord had other plans, but until told otherwise, Paul hoped and trusted for his own desires that were within the possible will of God.

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Philippians 2:29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

Paul is telling them to put away any negative personal feelings that they might have and to honor Epaphroditus based upon the authority of our Lord and the fact that Epaphroditus was working as a minister of Christ (Please see the note on 2:30). People receive the position as a minister from our Lord. Once they are in position, they then receive personal instructions as to how they are to minister from Christ.

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Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

As seen so many times in Revelations, we are to worship God in His role as Lord, not His roles as Jesus or as Christ. Even when the Bible says that every shall bow to Jesus, it says that such bowing will be to recognize Him as Lord (2:10-11). Our Lord is ultimately in charge of everything that happens. No matter what circumstances we are in or are going into, the Lord works it out for our good and His glory. In the next verse Paul warns them to beware of dogs, evil workers, the concision. All of these refuse to recognize the authority of our Lord and when facing such people, the safest thing for us to do is to rejoice in the power and authority of our Lord.

In Philippians 3, we find Paul starting a new subject (Finally) and he starts it by referring to the Lord Paul ends the subject with Lord Jesus Christ and in the middle refers to Christ Jesus my Lord. Within this chapter Paul mentions Christ and nine times. Basically, as Lord God set the order of things in this world and part of that order was creating the role of Christ. As Lord God is no respecter of persons (We find the phrase no respecter of persons in: Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25 and 2:1. Also explained in the notes for Romans 14:10-LJC; Romans C7S3 and Romans C10S13. Please also see Romans C10S13 about the phrase no difference in people). He could not be the righteous judge (2Timothy 2:8) if he was a respecter of persons (considered who he was judging when He decided if they were right or wrong). However, outside of the court room God can act in His role as Christ and have all of the power as He exercises in His role as Lord with the difference being that as Christ He is a respecter of persons because Christ does not judge the lose or do anything with the lost.

Paul is telling us to rejoice in the Lord because as Lord He created the role of Christ and a way for us to deal with Him on a personal basis, which the dogs, evil workers, the concision can't do. In addition, Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord because when things appear bad, we need to recognize that the Lord is in charge and the circumstances don't matter. When we start rejoicing in the midst of bad circumstances, we drive away devils and get God to come closer to us, which is why Paul says for you it is safe. When we're not rejoicing, the devils can make things not safe for us and the way to safety is though the presence of the Lord and the way to get the presence of the Lord is to start rejoicing.

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Philippians 4:1 I Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

This verse is a single sentence that starts a 'rabbit trail'. Paul is switching from God's dealing through His role as Christ to God's dealing through His role as Lord, for a side note (4:1-7) before returning to God's dealing through His role as Christ In the first 5verses of this chapter, Paul uses Lord 4 times. Thats 1/3of all of the usage in this book. In the prior chapter, Paul talked about the traits of a true Christian and then warned about those who were enemies of the cross of Christ and described their traits. He ended Philippians 3 with an indirect reference to the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) with the use of Lord Jesus Christ in 3:20 (please see that associated note). Now in this chapter, Paul starts out with therefore and continues to remind the Philippians of their eventual judgment with the use of Lord.

He starts this chapter by effectively saying, 'Based on our coming judgment by the Lord for how we used everything that he provided as our personal Saviour, here's how you're to act if you want to please Him'. And in that vein, Paul uses Lord because that is the role that God uses to do all judgment. Paul is indicating that these enemies of the cross of Christ will face judgment because they refuse to accept God's position of Christ during the church age. In the next verses he also warns the Philippians, that they also might face judgment if they don't act the way that Christ teaches all of us to act. Back in 1:27 and 2:2 Paul told us to all be one in Christ and these two women (that Paul names) are fussing at each other and not being one in Christ. They would not have an ongoing fuss that Paul heard of in another country if they actually were still following Christ in their personal lives. In addition, Paul again (twice) reminds them to Rejoice, as he already told them to 8 times in 7 verses (1:18; 2:16-18, 28; 3:1, 3). Paul also reminds them that they will be judged for their testimony before lost men in 4:5. He then returns to the ministry and gospel of Christ by reminding them that their ultimate judgment by the Lord will be based upon how they responded to the ministry of Christ Jesus. Please see the note on 4:7 under Christ Jesus .

In this verse, Paul addresses them as my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown before he continues with the reminders that they will face judgment by their Lord Paul doesn't want them to be punished when they face judgment so he is warning them strongly while also reminding them that he does it in love.

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Philippians 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

Please see the note on Philippians 4:1 above. Paul is begging these women to follow the personal leading of Christ before they receive judgment from the Lord. In addition, things which come from the Lord are the same for all saved people and not personal commands such as we get from Christ. However, Christ will not give one saved person instructions which puts them at odds with another saved person. In addition, the Lord provided enough rules related to judgment so that any dispute can be solved if God's people truly look for what the Bible says and submit to what the Bible says. Thus, Paul is telling them to think the way that the Bible tells them to think and do it because they will be judged by our Lord for how well they obey.

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Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Please see the note on Philippians 4:1 above. After warning the Philippians of judgment by the Lord, he then reminds them of the main way that Christians (after profession) are to relate to God's role as Lord That is to worship. As mentioned above, here Paul again (twice) reminds them to Rejoice, as he already told them to 8 times in 7 verses (1:18; 2:16-18, 28; 3:1, 3). The main lesson of the book of Revelation, that I found while studying that book, is that the lost fear the judgment of the Lord and the saved are to worship the Lord for His power, righteous judgment and more. We are to worship God in His role as Lord, not in His role as Jesus or as Christ.

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Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Please see the note on Philippians 4:1 above. Any time that the phrase The Lord is at hand (or something similar) is used we are being reminded of imminent judgment. After having warned about judgment by the Lord and reminding the believers to worship the Lord, Paul is going back to dealing with Christ. But first, he reminds them of the motivation they are to keep in mind. Because The Lord is at hand, we are each to Let your moderation be known unto all men. That is, let all men see that you remain under the control of Christ and do not react to the promptings of the flesh. Notice, Paul doesn't say stop sinning Moderation means controlled use. As in the discussion of Romans 14, nothing in this world is evil in itself. What matters is how we use the things of this world and the spiritual influence we have on others. Controlled use (moderation) based upon spiritual influence is what is important because that spiritual influence is what we will answer for when we meet our Lord The ability to control use based upon spiritual considerations, and the way that other men see our moderation, is the result of submitting the ministry of Christ, which is the subject Paul is transitioning back into with this verse.

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Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

In the prior sentences Paul was using Christ Jesus to tell us how we are to obey things from our Lord in a personal way since it is Christ Jesus Who leads each of us personally. Now Paul returns to using Lord because the Lord is Who we worship and Paul is worshipping the Lord for His control of all things and His getting His children to act in a way which will get them rewards in eternity.

This church had the unique honor of supporting Paul as their missionary (4:16). However, their support, that is mentioned in this verse, was not the regular missions support which is called 'Faith Promise'. They were supporting him this way in the past (4:15) but, as our current verse and 4:16 say, the financial gifts mentioned here were not regular (weekly) giving but special offerings. These were to help Paul because they considered him to be part of their church family and he had a need.

Paul goes on to explain his attitude about the supply of his need within the next verse, Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Paul adds to this with 4:17 where he said Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. Paul rejoiced in the Lord greatly (in our current verse) because he knew that the Lord would be pleased at their judgment and reward them. Paul rejoiced not because his own needs and desires were met but because his spiritual children would be pleasing to God. Paul goes on in 4:18 and calls their gift an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. He is referring to Old Testament sacrifices and worship. Since the Lord is the role of God that we worship, Paul's linking this worship to God's role as Lord is also in keeping with the rest of the Bible. Notice that Paul's sentence about God's judgment in this matter, which is in 4:19 and is one that lots of Christians like to 'claim'. See the note on 4:19 for more on this subject.

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Jesus only

Philippians 2:10.

The only verse that uses Jesus by itself in this book is where Paul is assuring believers that God will reward them just like He rewarded the man Jesus. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus.

Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

This verse is part of a sentence that goes from 2:9through 2:11 and includes a reference to Lord Jesus Christ (Please see the note on 2:11). It follows a section where Paul continuously used just Christ, then switched to Christ Jesus once, followed by this use of Jesus, and Jesus Christ is Lord before returning to use Christ in further sentences. Each use is deliberate and shows the differences in the use of each role or combination role. This sentence can be separated by punctuation as:

Because of what He did, God the Father exalted Jesus above all other names.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name:

Because God the Father exalted Jesus above all others, all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Everyone will bow to recognize the position of Jesus Christ.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in Heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;

Everyone will verbally recognize the position of Jesus Christ.

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Here, Paul is definitely using Jesus as 'God in human flesh' and emphasizing His humanity. As a man, Jesus died on the cross, went to Hell, conquered Satan and took the keys to death and Hell. As a man, Jesus did what NO other man has done and ALL creatures will recognize the man Jesus and His accomplishments. This is in the middle of a section where Paul is assuring the believers at Philippi that God will recognize their service and suffering for the gospel, just like He did for the man Jesus.

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Christ only

Philippians 1:10, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 27, 29; 2:1, 16, 30; 3:7, 8, 9, 18; 4:13.

Christ is used by itself more than twice any other title for God the Son in Philippians. This includes Lord and Christ Jesus. In fact, Christ is used by itself or with another role in 36 out of 47 verses that use Lord and/or Jesus and/or Christ. Thats 79% of the references. In Philippians, Paul mentions the day of Christ and the cross of Christ. More than anything else, Paul uses Christ to tell us about our individual spiritual maturity based upon our responding to the ministry of God the Son through His role as Christ after profession. See the notes related to 3:8 under Christ and under Lord Jesus Christ for the best example of this claim. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ.

Philippians 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

This verse is part of a single sentence that goes from 1:9through 1:11. It starts with And, which means it is added unto what Paul said in 1:8. Please also see the note for C1-S3 in the Book Study on Philippians about how all of 1:3 through 1:14 are all connected together by the connecting words that God had Paul use when writing these sentences. Thus, proper consideration of context requires all of these sentences / verses to be considered as a single unit.

This sentence is separated by punctuation in the note for this verse within the Book Study on Philippians. In 1:8 we were told why they should continue in the gospel, which is because of all off the feelings in the bowels of Jesus Christ. Now we find this sentence added onto those consideration and this sentence tells us steps to take to spiritually mature to the point that we are Bearing Goodly fruit. Since this is added onto the prior sentences, which warned us of the day of Christ (1,000 years reign of Christ) and our personal judgment at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11), we should really want to know how to get the fruit that will be approved at that judgment. In this sentence, Paul is encouraging them to continue as they have been and to continue to increase in all of these things he mentions in 1:9-11 until they personally face Christ for their personal reward.

The steps of this sentence tell us to first make sure that our love abounds in knowledge and in all judgment. We have to not just read but to study the Bible to increase our knowledge. When we receive knowledge, we have to use it in order to exercise judgment. That knowledge and judgment will result in godly love if the knowledge and judgment is truly Godly.

The second step tells us to approve things that are excellent on a personal (ye) basis. We can not approve anything until we know the difference between things that are excellent, good, OK, bad, evil, etc. Unfortunately, most saved people today can't prove (much less approve) what is the difference between these units of measurement. That ability comes only through experience from gaining knowledge and putting the knowledge to work in order to learn how to do judgment.

The next step is to be consistently truthful and faithful until the day of our personal judgment (that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ). As has already been shown in prior notes, the day of Christ is another name for the 1,000 years reign of Christ. Our position within His government, during that time, is directly dependent upon how well we allow Him to work through our personal life now.

The final step is that we are to be bearing Goodly fruit. We do this by first Being filled with the fruits of righteousness. Fruit is something that takes a long time to produce and is the result of God's intervention. Not all seeds that are planted result in a plant and not all plants bear fruit and not all fruit is desirable (fruits of righteousness). The desirable fruits of righteousness are those which are the result of God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:8-10). We see this claim in the very next phrase of which are by Jesus Christ. Of course, the fruits of righteousness that are produced by Jesus Christ, are fruits that God wants all saved to have (Jesus) but which also require the spiritual maturity which is the ministry of Christ. And, we see this spiritual maturity in the next phrase of unto the glory and praise of God. A carnal saved person who refuses to spiritually mature will not produce anything unto the glory and praise of God. Another aspect of these fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ is that they show the ministry of Jesus as well as the ministry of Christ. That is, these people who will be approved at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) will have fruits of righteousness in their personal life that show salvation of lost souls (the ministry of Jesus) and that show encouragement of other saints to grow in the ministry of Christ.

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Philippians 1:13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

Please also see the chapter note in the Book Study on Philippians for an outline of this chapter which will help in understanding the context of this verse. Please also use the link above (the verse number in the verse quote) to see the note for the sentence that this verse is part of. That note is in the Book Study on Philippians and divides the entire sentence by punctuation and explains the entire sentence according to the grammatical structure. These things are the minimum requirement for understanding that includes the context that God placed our verse within. The most common source of doctrinal error is ignoring the context of a verse within God's Bible.

In this sentence Paul is saying that the things that happened to him were the result of his preaching the gospel of Christ. This is different from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and different from the gospel of your salvation in that the emphasis is different. (Please see the Word Study on Gospel and the Gospel Flowchart in order to understand these differences.) As explained elsewhere, there were saved Jews who were preaching belief in Jesus Christ for salvation but keeping the religious part of the Mosaic Law for sanctification. They wanted to shut Paul's mouth because he preached the gospel of Christ, which is sanctification through our ongoing personal relationship with Christ.

These Jews weren't from God and werem't sent to help to spread gospel of Christ. Paul's troubles were the result of Satan led men trying to suppress the gospel of Christ Saved people (brethren in the Lord: see the note on 1:14) who were enemies of the gospel of Christ were trying to get Paul hurt more and killed (1:16). Others were trying to defend the gospel of Christ (1:17). The contention was getting everyone talking about the gospel of Christ (1:18). Paul didn't care who won the argument because either way, Christ would be magnified in his body (1:20). Here we see an example of the fiery trial that Peter talked about in 1Peter. Not only was Paul suffering for doing good and for not doing anything wrong, but some of his main persecutors were saved people. God didn't lead these people to act that way. Satan led them and God allowed it. Even if we are saved we can still be used by Satan and led into error and evil actions. In our example, Paul is teaching us that it doesn't matter what other people do, or who the people are or why they are doing what they do, what matters is that Christ be magnified in our bodies. Further, Paul is warning the Philippians that since they share in Pauls grace, they should be ready to experience the same thing.

Paul was a prisoner because he preached the gospel of Christ. Thus he had bonds in Christ. These bonds come only to saved spiritually mature Christians that God believes can properly handle such things. They do not come to all saved because most people can't handle being attacked by other saved people for preaching the truth. Thus, Paul uses Christ by itself as the only role of God the Son involved in these bonds.

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Philippians 1:15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

The sentence outline, which is in the Book Study on Philippians, clearly shows our verse is only one Step in one of three Equivalent Segments. Therefore, our verse can not be considered outside of the entire sentence and arrive at the correct conclusion. Our sentence is telling us motivations for saved people to preach the gospel of Christ. There was a split in the motivations and goals of the saved people who were doing the same thing. Therefore, the way to tell the difference between the two groups is to ignore the actions and look at the motivations and goals. Since one group had wrong motivations and goals, following them would not get you blessings from God and would result in punishment.

That is just one reason that the Bible tells us to inspect fruit and not to just look at religious actions. While both of these groups had the same religious actions, they would have different fruit.

Many people might find this hard to believe that saved people would deliberately serve Satan and try to hurt the cause of Christ. Peter did in Matthew 16 and Mark 8. However, when we at what Paul says happens, we find that brethren can do a lot of damage to us, especially when they are standing for their faith, which happens to not be Biblical. Look at the verse below which is part of the same sentence. Now realize that the person that Paul is talking about was someone who he identified as being brethren in the Lord.

Paul had called the Galatians foolish for following brethren who believed in keeping the Mosaic Law after profession. He told the Galatians that if they kept the law, Christ is become of no effect unto you (Galatians 5:4). So, we should agree that this sentence is saying that these brethren in the Lord preached Christ to contention because they were standing for their faith, which happened to be tradition and the belief that Biblical sanctification came from keeping the Mosaic Law. They rejected the truth that Biblical sanctification came an ongoing personal relationship with Christ. As a result, they actively fought against the truth and tried to hurt brethren who stood for Biblical truth.

When brethren treat us like this, instead of insisting that they must be lost (Can't be brethren), we should do as Paul did. Acknowledge that they belong to the Lord, acknowledge that they don't practice the same faith, and praise God for whatever good they are doing. In this verse, Paul definitely uses Christ to identify changes in a Christians life that some saved people do not have.

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Philippians 1:16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

This verse is in the same sentence as the one above. Please read that note for critical contextual considerations. Where the verse above was identifying two different motivations for preaching Christ, our current verse is providing more details on the wrong motivations that some people have for doing the right thing. That is why we always need to get our attitudes right before we deal with our actions. These people dealt strictly with their actions and ignored attitudes because, while actions are don in the physical world, attitudes almost always start in the spiritual reality. The role of the Son of God that is identified as Christ, within the Bible, deals with our spiritual maturity including changing our attitudes to be those of God and of considering the spiritual aspect before looking at the physical. There people were not truly following Christ because they ignored the spiritual and only looked at the physical. Our verse shows us that there are saved people (brethren in the Lord) who are not true Christians ('disciples of Christ') and who have God's Holy Spirit in them but do not have Christ in them.

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Philippians 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Please see the note on 1:15 which started the discussion which this verse is part of. It gives the context. Within this context we have Christ being matched with the gospel. In our current verse, when Paul says Christ is preached, he means that the gospel of Christ is preached. In our verse, Christ is used for the gospel of Christ.

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Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Please also see the note on 1:19 under Jesus Christ for the breakdown of this sentence and for the use of Jesus Christ in it. In context of everything up to this point, Christ is referring to God's role that brings spiritual maturity on an individual basis after profession. Few saved show the changed life that Paul showed. Pauls changed life is what caused him to say Christ shall be magnified in my body. That is, as Pauls body (physical life) showed the changes that having Christ in him brought, Christ was magnified. Certainly, not all saved magnify Christ, and those that do have not reached the level that Paul did. This also matches what we see in Galatians 2, especially 2:20 (please see verses and associated notes). So, Christ is used by itself here and not Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus because magnifying Christ is definitely something that varies from saved person to saved person. Please also see the notes on all previous verses, especially those for 1:12 through this verse for the context leading up to this verse.

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Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

The phrase of For to me to live is Christ is best explained by the verse and note for Galatians 2:20 which says I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Please use the link supplied to go to the note for that verse within this Lord Jesus Christ Study. That note is extensive and explains the doctrine that is on both of these verses and does the explanation in detail. Basically, in both verses Paul is telling us that every part of his life, every moment, every thought everything is dedicated to displaying Christ through his physical life. While most of us do this occasionally, few can claim the devotion that Paul showed to this task.

In addition, this verse is a conclusion of the argument that Paul has been presenting since 1:12. Please see all of those verses and accompanying notes. Simply put, Paul is saying that if he continues to physically live then Christ will continue to live through him. However, if he physically dies, then he goes to Heaven, receives his rewards and ends pain of this life. At this point, Paul figures that even if he doesn't lay up any more treasure in Heaven, he has enough for his eternity. He isn't doing what he does for his own reward but to increase the reward of his followers. Pauls life displayed a unique individual spiritual maturity that comes to only some saved after profession. Thus, Christ is used by itself in this verse.

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Philippians 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

More than looking to be with Jesus who died for him and more than looking to be with the Father, Paul was looking to be with Christ who had developed a personal relationship with Paul. We are told that the relationship between a man and wife is symbolic of the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32). Even as (some) couples that have been married for years can say that the relationship is better after years together, so also Paul had developed a preference for God's role as Christ.

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Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Our verse is part of a sentence that is in Philippians 1:27-28. Our sentence is explained in full, with consideration of context, within the Book Study on Philippians. Within our sentence we have the gospel of Christ explained to some extent. The Book Studies on Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians provide the gospel of Christ in full detail. Please see them as necessary.

We have see the word gospel used several times within this epistle before this verse. In some of those instances the word gospel was used for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:17 the word gospel was used for the gospel of Christ, just as our current verse states. All gospel present the same information but the difference is in the perspective that is presented. Please see the Gospel Flowchart to understand this relationship and see the Word Study on Gospel to see the various gospel that the Bible names.

All gospel tell us the 'good news that God wants an ongoing personal relationship with us'. the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ pleases equal emphasis on each major point: we need to be saved, we need to maintain an ongoing personal relationship that results in our spiritual maturity, and that we will face a judgment for how well we did on that spiritual maturity after our initial profession. The gospel of Christ down-plays the first and last point while providing detailed information on how to maintain an ongoing personal relationship that results in our spiritual maturity. That is because this is the main point where religion attacks. Religion teaches that we get all of the blessings while continuing to live in sin or it teaches that we get sanctification (spiritual maturity) by keeping their religious rules. Paul already talked about brethren in the Lord who were doing this when he wrote this epistle. Therefore, Paul is emphasizing this particular area of the gospel because this is what shows the difference between the truly saved and religious pretenders.

In the Bible, Christ does not deal with lost people just like a righteous person does not have personal intimate relations with someone that he is not married to. In addition, 'Kiddie Court' does not have a child doing the judging but is named that way because of who is judged in that court. Likewise, the judgment seat of Christ is named that because only those who belong to Christ will appear there. The Son of God will not judge is there using His role of Christ because Christ has a personal relationship with the saved and a righteous judge can not have a personal relationship with someone who appears in His court. No, the Son of God will judge us using His role as Lord because that role is completely non-personal.

Thus we see that the gospel of Christ is limited to the role of Christ within our lives and down-plays our initial profession and our ultimate judgment. The gospel of Christ is concerned with our sanctification, which is what Christ brings to saved people.

Please notice that our next sentence starts with For, which tells us 'the reason why' we need the spiritual growth that only comes through the sanctification that the gospel of Christ gives. Notice that Paul says For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. No one can do this without God given sanctification, which is what the gospel of Christ produces.

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Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Verses 1:29and 1:30 are the same sentence where Paul tells the Philippians that they are going to suffer the same way that he did. That is, the suffering would result from their standing for the gospel of Christ just like his did. Please also see the notes on verses earlier in this chapter which explained this suffering. Those who caused the suffering were brethren in the Lord. They were other saved people who objected to the message that we are supposed to have a personal walk with Christ and not keep religious rules like the Mosaic Law. They also objected to the message that some people would receive greater rewards than others based upon their spiritual growth and personal walk with God. They were like good saved people today that believe that Heaven will be some form of communism with all living in mansions with the martyr receiving only some minor honor above the saved person who lived for hell. No one can hurt a Christian more than a saved carnal person. We saw Paul tell us to not be surprised when the brethren turn on us and when it happens, just look for Christ to be magnified in your body as you respond correctly through the power of Christ. In this verse, Christ is used for the changed life which saved people display to the world as a result of their personal relationship with the Son of God through His role of Christ.

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Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

This verse has therefore because it is based upon all of chapter 1, especially 1:29-30 where Paul told the Philippians that they would suffer like he did for the gospel of Christ and that the suffering would come from brethren in the Lord. (Please see those verses and associated notes for more details.) Here, after giving the bad news, Paul gives them instructions for how to handle the trouble when it comes. Paul uses If as since, which we also see in many other places in the Bible. These words have different definitions (interpretations) but can have the same application, which is what we see here. The definition of since is part of the full definition of the word if. The Bible uses if instead of since when there is even a slight possibility of the result not happening.

Effectively, Paul is saying " Since there is consolation, comfort, love, etc in Christ'. The only way that anyone can handle the things that Paul experienced and that the Philippians were going into is by developing a personal walk with Christ that many saved don't have. Look at verses and notes on 1:12-21 for Paul's response. Look at the rest of this sentence (2:2) where Paul tells them to react like he did (that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind). Look at the rest of this chapter where Paul uses Christ as our example of the reward that we can expect if we spiritually mature to the level that Paul is telling the Philippians to mature. Verses 2:1-18 are all on the same subject and end with a reminder of our standing before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11). In these verses we have the attitudes and actions that are basic to being in Christ. Please see all of those verses and associated notes. Paul definitely uses Christ in this verse for a personal relationship that most saved people don't have. This is an excellent example of how God uses His role as Christ different from other roles.

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Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

This verse is part of a sentence that goes from 2:14 through 2:16 and it is critical to understand the entire sentence, and the place of this verse within the sentence, in order to properly understand what is meant by the phrase the day of Christ. Please see the chapter note in the Book Study on Philippians for an outline of this chapter which will help in understanding the context of this verse and to see the outline of the sentence that this verse is part of. In addition, the section of this chapter that this verse is part of actually started in 2:1 and goes through 2:18. That means that all of the verses within this section of the chapter are related and should be considered together Please see the verses and related notes for 2:1, 2:5, 2:10, 2:11 and 2:15 in order to understand the context. Of these links to verses, 2:15 is the most important since it is in the same sentence as our current verse. These things are the minimum requirement for understanding that includes the context that God placed our verse within. The most common source of doctrinal error is ignoring the context of a verse within God's Bible.

This is the second reference to the day of Christ, with the first being 1:10. In that note, within the Book Study on Philippians, the differences between the day of Christ, the day of Jesus Christ, the day of the Lord , and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, are explained. With that in mind, we can say that the day of Christ is the 1,000 years reign of Christ. Thus, Paul is talking about the rewards that he will get during that time and the rewards which are available to us, but which will not be given until that time.

In context, Paul is telling the Philippians how to act so that they will get rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11), which comes just before the day of Christ, and is when we receive the rewards that we will enjoy during that time. Our sentence tells us that Paul wants to rejoice at their rewards, like any parent rejoices at their child receiving recognition for accomplishment.

As explained in more detail in the note on 1:10, the day of Christ is a reference to the 1,000 years reign of Christ. That is when all of the world will see the rewards that are given to faithful people but denied to the unfaithful. One error that a lot of immature carnal saved people make is believing that everyone will get a mansion. However, the only thing promised to everyone is a robe of righteousness. In this sentence we find the character and testimony that our lives are supposed to have in order to get the blessings and rewards which are promised within this chapter. The required character and testimony are the result of what Paul told us in 2:12-13 where we are told to work out (work to bring to the outside what is inside) and where we are told that what is supposed to be on the inside is it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. That is, as we work to make the things of God's will and God's pleasure visible to the outside world after God puts them inside of us, we will receive the character and testimony that our lives are supposed to have. Further, that the character and testimony will give our parents, preachers and teachers reason to rejoice when we are rewarded (and not punished) at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11). Please also see the note for 2:15 under Son.

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Philippians 2:30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

All indications are that Epaphroditus was a non-preaching missionary. In order to spend the many months required to travel in Pauls day, then to stay and work helping Paul, Epaphroditus would have had to be what we consider a 'full time' worker. Further, to be trusted with the funds necessary to support Paul and others with him for several months, Epaphroditus must have been spiritually mature and have been sent from the church under direction of the Holy Ghost. Today, we mainly send out preaching missionaries but the early church considered non-preachers to also be workers for Christ.

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Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

The previous verses give a summary of Pauls religious standing and accomplishments that he calls dung when compared to a personal relationship with God that only comes through God's role as Christ. Lots of people think they have a relationship with the Son of God because they go to church and listen to a preacher who tells them how to act and tells them that if they act that way they are a Christian. But if we look at what is taught in Galatians, especially Galatians 4, we see that so long as someone else has to tell you what to do, God doesn't treat you any different than He treats a servant. (Please see the notes related to Galatians 4.) In order to be treated like a son, the Child of God has to act like Christ without anyone telling them or telling them how to act like Christ In fact, for someone to have Christ like Paul is talking in this verse, they have to not only be willing to suffer the loss of everything, but to have actually had the religious crowd reject them for saying that what Christ personally showed them in the Bible is more accurate than what the religious crowd teaches. Anyone who has read much of the notes in this study has found many things that go against the religious teaching of all major denominations and should be able to understand how I can say that I personally have experiences rejection of the religious crowd for sticking to the things that Christ showed my personally in this study. However, as Paul says here, I'd rather have the personal leading of Christ than all of the acclaim of the religious (but wrong) crowd. Please also see the notes on 3:3 under Christ Jesus and for 3:8 below and under Lord Jesus Christ for further clarification.

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Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

This verse is the central verse of this chapter. Many think it is the theme of the entire book. It is the start of a sentence that goes from 3:8 through 3:11 and gives the main attributes of a true Christian Please also see the note on 3:3 under Christ and under Jesus for further clarification. In this sentence there are 2 colons which equate the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord to the other two sections of this sentence. In this sentence Paul is emphasizing the knowledge that he gained through his personal experience with God through God's role as Christ. This sentence can be broken down by punctuation as:

There was no question about Paul being willing to loose everything to gain the knowledge that only comes from a personal relationship with Christ Jesus my Lord.

Yea doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:

Paul had lost everything and felt he only lost dung when he received personal spiritual maturity through Christ and had Christ put His faith in Paul.

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law,
but that which is through the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul was certain that the only way to become dead to this world and alive to God (the resurrection of the dead) was through becoming as much like Christ as he could.

Paul wanted to personally know and experience all that he could of the risen Christ.

That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

None of us can take anything of this physical world out of it. We only take our own soul and spirit and God's rewards for letting Him live through our lives to win others to His salvation and a life in Him. Each of the parts of this sentence talk about being dead to what we will loose anyway in order to gain things that we can't loose.

Notice that in the middle section of this sentence, Paul says that I may win Christ, and be found in him. This says may, not will. It is NOT guaranteed that all saved will be found in Christ. Since it is may, it is also possible for it to be may not.
Next it says not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. This is not Pauls faith in Christ but the faith of Christ. This fits with Ephesians 2:10 which says For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. God never forces His will on anyone. A true Christian asks God to do a work in his life. God puts the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9, etc) into the Christian which causes a God wrought change which then yields good works seen by men. It takes the faith of Christ working in us to bring about the change. Thats what Jesus meant in John 15:1-8 when He said how we were to be His disciples. There are saved people who are not disciples. You can not be a true Christian without being a disciple. Look at the rest of this sentence in Philippians to verify that claim.
This section says not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. Many believers claim to not be keeping the Law, but are relying on their own righteousness by keeping religious rules. A true Christian isn't keeping religious rules and isn't trying to build his own righteousness but is trying the build the righteousness of Christ that is only possible through a personal relationship with God through His role as Christ All of Romans 14 is about those that are saved but weak in the faith versus those who have spiritually grown through the personal relationship with Christ Those who are weak in the faith have their own righteousness, even while being saved; whereas a true Christian has Christs righteousness.
Paul finishes this middle section with the clarification of the righteousness which is of God by faith. We can 'see' our own good works of keeping religious rules. But Hebrews 11:1 says Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So, our good works that we can 'see' are not by faith. In the section before this Paul described having brethren in the Lord condemning him and trying to add to his afflictions while others supported him. A true Christian follows the Spirit of God and the word of God even when condemned by brethren in the Lord. A true Christian relies on the righteousness which is of God instead of the righteousness seen and approved by brethren in the Lord.
The next section, which says the same thing as the middle section and clarifies the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, starts out with That I may know him. Is it possible to be any clearer that Paul is talking about a personal knowledge that only comes from experiencing a personal relationship with Christ?
I guess it is because the next section in the third part of this sentence says and the power of his resurrection. In case the reader forgot, Paul stated that His means God's role as Christ alone. So this could be restated as That I may know the power of Christs resurrection. Resurrection follows death. As stated clearly in (several) other places of this study, the Bible says that Jesus died to save us from Hell and give us Heaven (Romans 3:26 ; etc). However, all verses about the cross of Christ (and that use Christ died) say that Christ died to change us after profession. Some of those verses are blatant in that declaration and some require proper interpretation of the sentence (not just the verse) to see it, but all equate Christs death to us having a changed life. So, the power of Christs resurrection is talking about a changed life in the believer. As late as it was in Pauls life, he was still looking for Christ to change him more.
This third part continues with and the fellowship of his sufferings Only a fanatically spiritually mature Christian would want the fellowship of Christs suffering. That isn't the suffering of Jesus on the cross but the ongoing suffering of Christ because of disobedient church members that he has to punish, and more. Enough said.
This third part continues with being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Lots of people pervert the phrase resurrection of the dead by taking it completely out of context. Paul is striving towards the spiritual perfection of Romans 6 even while knowing that perfection is not possible in this flesh. However, this falls back to what has been said all along and to what Paul eloquently states in the next sentence (Romans 3:12). Increased perfection in our spiritual walk in this life requires increased work by Christ that only comes from a personal relationship with God through His role as Christ after profession.

In summary, we can say that it definitely takes the faith of Christ working in my life for me to be found in him.

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Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Please see the note for 3:8 above and under Lord Jesus Christ for details on this verse which is part of a much larger sentence.

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Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Verses 3:18 and 19 form a single sentence which can be divided by punctuation as:

Many people walk as the enemies of the cross of Christ.

(For many walk,
of whom I have told you often,
and now tell you even weeping,
that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

People who mind earthly things and walk for lusts will have an end [of] destruction.

Whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things.)

Verses 3:18 and 19 form a single sentence which is surrounded by parenthesis but is not included within another sentence. That means it is included within the context of the entire paragraph in order to give detailed clarification to the entire paragraph. Thus, it is critical to understand the larger context in order to understand what this sentence is clarifying. In the larger context, (Philippians 3:16-21) Paul is telling us to realize that there are two classes of saved preachers and teachers. (this section is talking about their walk and what they mind which affects our sanctification, not our salvation.) Preachers and teachers can be divided between those who teach error (justify a walk and a mind for sin) and those who teach Biblical truth. Paul is warning that preachers and teachers and who are teaching error don't walk like Paul did (3:17). We need to consider the entire chapter where we are told how Paul walked.

3:1. . . . Paul started out telling us to rejoice in the Lord and we saw that this was especially true in times of trouble. So, we want to be careful of preachers and teachers that can't rejoice in the Lord during times of trouble.

3:2. . . . Paul warns us to beware of certain people. Preachers and teachers who don't warn you against certain people are to be avoided.

3:3. . . . Paul made a difference between the religious and the spiritually led.

3:4-6. . . . Paul warns against trusting in the flesh. We need to avoid leaders that emphasize fancy titles and degrees and outward religious signs that can be done without God's power.

3:7-11. . Paul was willing to loose everything in the flesh and world for personal training from Christ. Lots of preachers quote other preachers like the Pharisees did. Most preachers and teachers preach religious doctrine and not what they have personally received from a walk with Christ. Thats OK so long as they are under the guidance of someone who does show the Biblical evidences of a personal walk and instruction from Christ. Think of the difference between a journeyman tradesman and a master.

3:12-14. . . . Truly godly men know of their personal failures and certainly don't claim 'sinless perfection' but are constantly asking God where they personally need to improve their walk 'In Christ'.

3:16-21. . . . (Excluding 3:18-19) Truly godly men have their conversation in Heaven, which means that the actions of their life (conversation) are all about revealing the things and ways of Heaven in all of the circumstances found in this life. They are all about unity in the church (walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing [3:16]) by having everything subdued unto the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (3:20-21)

Returning to 3:18-19, we see the description of those who did not walk like Paul and are to be avoided. Paul plainly tells us that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Many other places, including notes on 3:8 (under Christ and under Lord Jesus Christ), show that the cross of Christ and the death of Christ all say that Christ died to change our lives after our initial profession as opposed to the 'death of Jesus' which provided initial salvation. All of Philippians 3 is talking about spiritual changes that God brings into peoples lives after initial profession through the ministry of Christ. So in context, the enemies of the cross of Christ are not lost people but those who fight against a personal relationship with God through God's role as Christ. These people include the brethren in the Lord that Paul already mentioned. Please understand, this sentence is describing those who are in opposition to the people that walk like Paul describes in the rest off this chapter. Please go back and read all of this chapter and the points mentioned above. NONE of it is talking about getting lost people saved. ALL of it is talking about our walk after our initial profession. These enemies of the cross of Christ preach salvation. They AGREE about the things of the cross of Jesus. Their difference is in the ministry of Christ when it comes to the payment of sins done by saved people AFTER their initial profession. One group emphasizes 'eternal security' to the point of insisting that there are 'no tears in Heaven' and that we will all get a mansion, even those who live for the flesh here on earth (see next paragraph). Another group insists that there must be visible differences if you are truly saved but then claim those differences are keeping religious rules. We see Paul talking about that group in this epistle but he talks the most about them in Galatians. Although there are differences in what they preach about the flesh (no actions in the flesh matter versus actions in the flesh provide spiritual sanctification), they both deny the personal ministry of Christ and the doctrine that a true Biblical Christian is 'Christ like' because it is actually Christ living through their lives in the flesh (Galatians 2:20). The true result of the cross of Christ is that the suffering and death of Christ (not Jesus) pays to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). Many saved addict in the Reformers Unanimous program has personally learned the difference between being forgiven and being cleansed. The difference between a saved addict and a saved person who is no longer addicted is the ministry of Christ where He applies the payment paid on the cross of Christ.

In addition, to what has already been said, this sentence has a colon in it. Therefore, Paul defines the enemies of the cross of Christ as Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Now as much as we might like to say that this is only lost people, we all know saved people who live for the pleasures of the flesh (whose God is their belly) and glory in sin (whose glory is in their shame) and who mind earthly things. So, the only basis for claiming that this is lost people is the phrase whose end is destruction. However, 1Corinthians 11:30 and 1John 5:16-17 clearly say that there are some saved people whose end is destruction. There is therefore no basis for claiming that this is not saved people. The fact is that Philippians 3 is only talking about saved people. These enemies of the cross of Christ are saved people who fight against the personal ministry of God through His role as Christ.

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Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Notice that this verse says Christ which strengtheneth me not Christ who strengtheneth me. If Christ were a person, then the Bible, which always uses correct English, would use who, not 'which'. However, since Christ is a role of God, 'which' is correct. (Steve Currington, the head of RU, pointed out the same thing in his Blog of 3/18/2008, after I had wrote this note. Christ showed this fact to more than person.) Going on, this verse is directly connected to 4:12 which gives us examples of all things. Lots of 'Christians' like to 'claim' this verse but then complain when God gives them abasement and hunger and suffer need. We don't like it when God says 'put up or shut up'. Thats why Paul uses Christ here and not Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. Only a few of the saved can 'put up' enough to claim this verse and those have all received spiritual maturity after profession through God's role as Christ. In 4:8 Paul started his final instructions to the Philippians church and as part of that he comments on their unique personal relationship to Paul (4:11-18). They did what no other church did. They received rewards from the Lord that others didn't receive because the Lord, as the righteous judge (2Timothy 4:18) gives rewards in direct relationship to how much we let Christ minister through our personal lives. Paul says I can do all things through Christ because by going through with the Son of God that the Bible isentifies as Christ, we can access the power of the Son of God which actually accomplishes things. Yes, Christ strengtheneth me because Christ provides the power to my physical body and to my life in the flesh (Galatians 2:20). Christ strengtheneth me just like a steel girder strengtheneth a silk sheet and lets the silk sheet hold up a house.

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Jesus Christ

Philippians 1:1, 6, 8, 11, 19, 26; 2:21.

Every one of these verses in Philippians that use Jesus Christ tell us about some blessing that all saved have but which is increased with our spiritual maturity through the ministry of God in His role as Christ. Among other things, Paul mentions the day of Jesus Christ which is the same as the day of Christ only in this verse Paul is letting us know that all believers will face that day. Those saved people who didn't earn any rewards aren't going to get out of facing their God and having their works tried by fire. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

As Paul often does, he opens this book identifying it as written by him but coming from Jesus Christ. But here, he also says it is written by Timothy, who Paul plans on sending to the church at Philippi. As is also his custom, Paul identifies themselves as the servants of Jesus Christ to open with stating that their authority comes from Jesus Christ. As stated in the note for this sentence, within the Book Study on Philippians, this is also showing that Jesus Christ is the one Who authorized Timothy to take over the ministry of Paul.

Within our sentence, Jesus Christ is also used as the commonly used identifier in the first Century church. Jesus Christ is also used as a combination of Jesus and Christ. Within the Bible, we receive different blessings from Jesus and from Christ and from our Lord.

Please also see the notes for this sentence under Christ Jesus and under Lord Jesus Christ. Our sentence uses Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus and Lord Jesus Christ in the same sentence. God has Paul do this deliberately because the change in the roles of the Son of God which are named have doctrinal significance, as is noted in the related notes of this sentence. Please also go to the beginning of this Study and click on the links for the various names of the Son of God. Those links will take you to notes about the general usage of that name within this epistle. Those notes contain significant facts related to the doctrine of God deliberately using different identities of the Son of God for different doctrinal purposes.

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Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

This verse is part of one sentence that goes from 1:3through 1:7. In it, Paul mentions how he thanks God for them with joy because of their continuous fellowship, defense and confirmation of the gospel and how they are partakers of his grace (reward) and will be in the day of Jesus Christ. This sentence is divided by the punctuation in the Book Study on Philippians, and that note explains the context and details of this sentence with links to many supporting Studies and verses. However, the same division is provided below with different titles for the various parts of the sentence. The division in the Book Study on Philippians gives general titles while the titles below are more related to our participation in the gospel because of our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. This sentence is divided by the punctuation as:

Paul was filled with joy and thanks to God because of the Philippians continuance in the fellowship in the gospel.

Every time that Paul thought of these Philippians, he was filled with joy and thanked God for their fellowship in the gospel.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Paul was confident that God would keep them involved in the fellowship in the gospel until the day of Jesus Christ.

Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Paul was sure these Philippians would continue to act the same because he had personally experienced the grace God gave to them and Paul personally know the keeping power of that grace.

Paul knew how the Philippians acted and how they would continue to act because I have you in my heart.

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all,
because I have you in my heart;

Paul was sure that each and every one of them personally would be partakers of my grace when they were in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

inasmuch as both in my bonds,
and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel,
ye all are partakers of my grace.

We see this sentence separated into two Equivalent Sections where the First Equivalent Section talked about present day and the Second Equivalent Section talked about future. Paul was certain that the 'God who never changes' and who was currently leading these Philippians would continue to lead them the same way in the future.

Please also see the note for C1-S3 in the Book Study on Philippians about how all of 1:3 through 1:14 are all connected together by the connecting words that God had Paul use when writing these sentences. Thus, proper consideration of context requires all of these sentences / verses to be considered as a single unit.

The day of Jesus Christ (1:6) is different from the day of Christ (1:10; 2:16). We can see the difference in how Paul uses you with The day of Jesus Christ and he uses ye with The day of Christ. You is generic and applies to a whole group of people while ye means 'each and every one of you personally'. In 1:6, Paul is saying that He (God) would continue to act the same way in everyone that is saved (you) until Jesus Christ returns. That might be several life times in the future but until it happens, God will act the same. However, if a saved person goes up in the 'Rapture' or they physically die, they personally have an appointment at the Judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11). Since that is personal in nature, ye is used in relationship to that day. In Philippians 1:9-10 we see things that Paul prayed that we would each have in our personal lives when we answered for the things that we personally did in the flesh. God might reward the entire church for a job well done and still punish an individual for their failure to participate. However, God might judge the nation for sin while also rewarding the individual for personal faithfulness. The day of Jesus Christ is a time that will affect the entire world and is used to tell how God works with all saved until that day (which is the same for everyone). However, the day of Christ is talking about a personal eternal rewards and positions that we will have starting with the 1,000 yeaqr reign of Christ. (This also is consistent with the use of Jesus Christ verses the use of Christ in the Bible.)

The day of (Jesus) Christ is different from the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord occurs 29 times. As I understand it, The day of the Lord is talking about the Great Tribulation. Isaiah 2:12 says For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low. This does not describe the saints at Philippi. Isaiah 13:6 says Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. The saints at Philippi are not facing destruction. So, the day of Jesus Christ and the day of Christ are different from the day of the Lord. The day of Jesus Christ is the day that God stops working through all of the people in the church, as seen in this verse, which is the day of the 'Rapture' and is a day of great joy, not of howling.

In addition, to these other days, we have the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 1:4-8). That is the day of the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) since it includes the role of Lord and because the sentence actually says that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ye makes it personal and the blameless makes it a judgment.

In this sentence, Paul is talking about their fellowship in the gospel and how that fellowship was due to God doing a good work in you. While Paul uses Jesus Christ to identify when God will stop working through the church, the subject of this sentence is what God will do until that day. That is, God will continue to use the church to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel of Lord Jesus Christ is the main subject of this chapter and a major consideration of this epistle. It is different from the gospel of Christ (Galatians, Ephesians, etc) in that the gospel of Christ puts a strong emphasis on how saved people are to spiritually mature after their initial profession while the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ puts equal emphasis on all three parts of the gospel (get lost saved; get them baptized and active in the church; get them to grow up spiritually). The message of this sentence, which comes after the opening salutation, is the main subject of this epistle.

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Philippians 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

This verse starts with For (Here's why), which means it is the reason why Paul said what he did in his prior statement. There (Philippians 1:3-7), Paul had said I thank my God upon every remembrance of you and then goes on to list several spiritual reasons that they encouraged Paul, but most important was their continued fellowship in the gospel. So, the first thing that we see here is that we should thank God for those people who encourage us in our ministry and that we should long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ (desire the best blessings for those people from the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of Christ). That is, Paul longed for their following the example of Jesus while they lived in this flesh using the Power of the Holy Ghost. He also longed for their continued walk and maturity in Christ.

The next sentence starts with And, which connects it to this sentence. In the next sentence (1:9-11) we see some of the detailed blessings that Paul prayed for, which shows exactly what Paul was longing for. Please see those verses and the associated notes for the context of this sentence. Paul longed for them in the bowels of Jesus Christ and is our example of how we should care for those that we lead to salvation (Jesus) and encourage to spiritually mature (Christ).

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Philippians 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

In our sentence, Paul reminds them that the fruit of righteousness is by Jesus Christ. We will find out how much of this fruit of righteousness we have when we are at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11). We receive our first righteousness from God with salvation through God's role as Jesus. However, as Ephesians 2:10 says, we are His workmanship. All future righteousness also comes from God. He provides additional righteousness as we yield to the ministry of Christ, which brings spiritual maturity. God does not force His will on anyone in this life. But as we allow Him to work in our lives, He brings additional righteousness into our lives.

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Philippians 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Many people might be confused by the phrase this shall turn to my salvation unless we remember that the true Biblical definition of salvation is God's life in me. Some people have been taught to think of the eternal part of God's life to the point of denying the part of God's life that is added by the ministry of Christ However, this study has shown that part of our salvation is God's life that is added by the ministry of Christ, which means that our salvation can be added to by Christ. With that understanding, I will say that when Paul says I know that this shall turn to my salvation...whether it be by life, or by death, he is saying that what is going on will increase the ministry of Christ in his life (my salvation) and that will be true regardless of whether he physically lives or dies from what is going on. In addition, another clue to the right interpretation is in the first word: For. This sentence is the reason (For) that Paul would say notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Paul had a proper attitude towards brethren who were trying to add to his affliction. Hes saying that his proper attitude is going to get him rewards (turn to my salvation = increase God's life in my life) and that that his attitude will work towards the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Regardless of whether you agree with my explanation of turn to my salvation, the important thing, for this study, is the use of Jesus Christ in this verse. (I would have ignored the turn to my salvation but I was afraid that people would think I ignored something important.) In this study and verse, Jesus Christ is used because our proper attitude towards adversity can increase God's Spirit that causes people to be saved (Jesus) and God's Spirit that causes people to mature after profession (Christ). Please see the note on 1:20 under Christ about the phrase of so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body in this sentence.

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Philippians 1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Here, Paul says that he would choose to stay (in the body as opposed to dying) and increase their rejoicing in Jesus Christ than pursue his own desire to go to Christ. In this verse, Paul uses Jesus Christ for both ministries of the Son of God. Paul was looking forward to helping them to increase their soul winning (ministry of Jesus) and to helping them in their encouraging others too mature spiritually in Christ Both, those who have just made their initial profession (Jesus) and those who have spiritually matured (Christ) can rejoice in God intervening in the life of their preacher because a Goodly preacher will use the blessings that he receives from God to benefit the members of the church.

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Philippians 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

Paul uses Jesus Christ as the combination of the two roles of the Son of God. The lost don't seek the things of salvation (Jesus) and the brethren in the Lord that caused Paul tribulation, and that would cause the Philippians tribulation, don't seek the things of Christ. This sentence is part of a section going from 2:19 through 2:22 where Paul explains his plans to send Timotheus and why the church at Philippi where he is supposed to send a report back to Paul but also has the recommendation, and charge, to assume the responsibilities of a pastor. Paul is telling this church that they should accept his leadership (pastor position). In the next sentence Paul writes But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. In other words, Timotheus had proven that he sought the things which are Jesus Christ's the same way that Paul had. Both had the heart of a pastor in that they sought salvation of the lost (ministry of Jesus) AND in that they sought spiritual maturity of the save (ministry of Christ).

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Christ Jesus

Philippians 1:1; 2:5; 3:3, 8, 12, 14; 4:7, 19, 21.

Christ Jesus is used a little more than Jesus Christ in Philippians. Usually, Jesus Christ is used more than Christ Jesus (189 versus 58). Philippians is written to the most spiritually mature church that received a New Testament letter. They understood more about the ministry of Christ than any other church. Paul is providing final instructions to these mature Christians and, therefore, uses Christ Jesus more than Jesus Christ. As seen elsewhere, Christ Jesus is used for things that are available to all saved but where spiritual maturity is more important than salvation in receiving the blessing. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ Jesus.

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Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Please also see the notes for this sentence under Jesus Christ and under Lord Jesus Christ. Our sentence uses Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus and Lord Jesus Christ in the same sentence. God has Paul do this deliberately because the change in the roles of the Son of God which are named have doctrinal significance, as is noted in the related notes of this sentence. Please also go to the beginning of this Study and click on the links for the various names of the Son of God. Those links will take you to notes about the general usage of that name within this epistle. Those notes contain significant facts related to the doctrine of God deliberately using different identities of the Son of God for different doctrinal purposes.

This sentence is started by telling us that it is written by the servants of Jesus Christ and written to all the saints in Christ Jesus with all blessings coming from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, we see a deliberate distinction between the various identifiers of the Son of God within this sentence.

Paul is reminding them (and us) that he and Timothy acted as servants of Jesus when they led the saints to salvation. Further, they had acted as servants of Christ when they had taught them to mature spiritually and develop their personal relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul recognizes that growth by calling them the saints in Christ Jesus. By using Christ Jesus instead of Jesus Christ, Paul is recognizing that the changes, which are due to their spiritual maturity, are more evident than the change from salvation in their lives. Further, we see that this epistle is directed only to spiritually mature people (the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons) because the promises that are within this epistle are to the spiritually mature and are not made to saved people who refuse to mature spiritually. (Please see the Relational Prepositions Study for more details on the Biblical use of the word in.) While the epistle is written to the spiritually mature, Paul and Timotheus are the servants of Jesus Christ because they represent Him not only to the spiritually mature but to all people.

The significance of this epistle being written only to spiritually mature people can be seen in the fact that many preachers have acknowledged that Philippi was the most mature church that Paul wrote to and the only one that he didn't have to correct a significant problem at. Further, the most that Paul had to do about correction was tell a couple of ladies to try to get along. Verses 1:1 and 1:2 are the same sentence, which makes them both part of the introduction of this epistle. This is important because if people follow the verse format they think that each half of this sentence is independent. It is the method of the Devil to quote scripture while leaving out significant context so that he can distort the word of God. In this case, the two verses are equivalent. That means that they give the same message while presenting that message in different formats. This doctrinal truth is important to proper understanding of this sentence.

In addition, to saying that he and Timothy were representing Jesus Christ, and in addition to recognizing their spiritual maturity by calling the Philippians the saints in Christ Jesus, Paul also offers Grace be unto you, and peace and explicitly states that these spiritual gifts come from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. This third way of identifying the Son of God, within the same sentence, is also doctrinally significant. (Please see the note under Lord Jesus Christ for the details.) Not only is Grace...and peace offered from God our Father but God the Son's role as Lord is also included because God wanted to assure these saints that were living for Christ that they did not have to worry about their judgment when they appeared before their Lord to give an account for the deeds of their personal lives. Blessings from our Lord, while we are still in this life, assures us of our judgment when we face Him as our judge.

Thus, we see three different sets of roles for the Son of God used and each set is used to provide different doctrine and yet all three are included within the same sentence so that we know that God is making this deliberate doctrinal difference by His deliberate choice of every word. (he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live [Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4]).

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Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

In 1:1 Paul said that he was writing to all the saints in Christ Jesus Then he told them about his suffering for the gospel of Christ (1:12-21) and told them that they would suffer the same (1:29-30). Now he is using Christ Jesus as the example of the guarantee of reward that we will get for spiritually growing and suffering for the gospels sake. 2:5 is the start of a sentence that goes through 2:8 and can be separated by punctuation as:

We are to have the mind of Christ Jesus.

Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus:

Christ Jesus was equal to God the Father.

Who,
being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Christ Jesus didn't demand His place but took the place given to Him.

But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:

Christ Jesus was willing to die on the cross because that was what was demanded of Him.

And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.

This sentence has four Equivalent Sections which tell us about the mind (attitude) of Christ Jesus. It also tells us to have the same mind (attitude). Christ Jesus did not demand His rights but was willing to suffer anything the Father allowed and told Him to suffer (became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross). He did it knowing that he would receive the reward. That is truly 'living by faith' and we are to do the same. This sentence says something similar to Hebrews 12:2 which says who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Christ Jesus came here and died, not so that He could go to Hell for us, but for the personal relationship that comes after initial profession. This relationship is given to all saved and it is required for us to spiritually mature. The spiritual maturity is required for us to enjoy Heaven. The personal relationship after profession is more important to God than the initial profession because he loves us enough to want us to enjoy Heaven. Thus, Christ Jesus is used and not Jesus Christ. Also, Paul has been talking to the Philippians about things that not all saved get and has been using Christ as the only role of God involved. Notice that when he got to something that all saved receive, he switched from Christ to Christ Jesus. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians 1:10 for links which use mind with Jesus Christ.

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Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

This verse starts out with For ("Here's why"). It follows 3:2 which says Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. In 3:2 Paul is categorizing all people who have a different spiritual nature. Paul uses Christ Jesus here because he is showing the difference of people who are saved and spiritually maturing through a personal relationship with Christ from those that are lost (dogs), or saved but not growing spiritually (evil workers) or those that claim salvation but hold to religious traditions instead of a personal walk with Christ (concision). Paul uses Christ Jesus instead of Jesus Christ because the distinction that he is drawing here demands spiritual growth through a personal walk with Christ after profession.

A quick study of the places where to phrase the circumcision occurs (Acts 10:45; 11:2; Romans 3:30; 4:9, 12; 15:8; Galatians 2:7-9, 12; Ephesians 2:11; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11; 4:11; Titus 1:10) shows that this phrase is used for Jews but is also used for saved people who led a separated and sanctified life of faith. In fact, in many of these places, God makes it clear that applying the circumcision to the Jews is only true physically. Since this verse says have no confidence in the flesh, it should be obvious that the circumcision in this verse does not mean the Jews. Those who want the spiritual blessings that God promises to the (spiritual) circumcision must reject the physical definition of circumcision and accept the spiritual definition of circumcision, which is a separated and sanctified life of faith. Since this is what God wants for all saved, but only those who have spiritually matured through the ministry of Christ have it, Christ Jesus is used in relationship to the circumcision. That's why Paul uses Christ Jesus here. For those who might doubt my analysis look at Paul's own words in the next several sentences. Paul himself draws the contrast between the religious and those who have a personal walk with Christ and ends his comments with 3:8. Remember the verses and notes from the first two chapters where Paul says that he suffered from brethren in the Lord and warned the Philippians that they would suffer from brethren in the Lord. Paul's use of brethren means that they were saved but Paul calls what they were trusting in after profession to be dung (3:8). I know of no other place in the Bible that makes such a clear distinction between being a Christian (as defined by 3:8-11) and being saved but carnal and religious. Our relationship causes us to increase our spiritual relationship with God and, thereby, become more spiritually mature.

Please see the note on 3:8 under Christ and under Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, please also look at the Study called Relational Prepositions Study for links to other places in the Bible where we find the phrase in Christ Jesus.

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This sentence is talking about our personal relationship with the Son of God, through His roles as Christ Jesus, which we will be judged for when we stand before our Lord. In particular, the order of these names lets us know that the judgment will be based upon how much we spiritually mature after our initial profession. That is why this verse uses Christ Jesus. Within this personal relationship we have certain responsibilities and Christ Jesus has certain responsibilities. The note for this sentence in the Book Study on Philippians concentrates on our responsibilities. The note under Christ tells us what Christ is doing within this relationship and the note under Lord tells us about our future judgment.

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Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Please see the note on 3:8 under Christ and under Lord Jesus Christ and all other referenced notes. Paul is still striving to become all that God planned for him to be when God saved him through the ministry of Jesus and far more the additional plans that God made for Paul as he submitted to the ministry of Christ. Abraham didn't receive the additional blessing of Genesis 22:17 until he obeyed God and would not have received that promise if he disobeyed. The same way, we receive additional promises from God as we obey and grow through the ministry of Christ. Paul says that he was apprehended of Christ Jesus because Christ Jesus legally took control of Paul's life (apprehended of Christ Jesus) to accomplish a purpose. However, He did not do more than what was originally planned because God does not take away our free will and will take control only when we willingly give Him control. In addition, every time that we give control to Christ Jesus, God gives us additional blessings.

Once Paul understood God's plan for his life, and that he had to actively give control to Christ Jesus in order to get Christ Jesus. to do more through his life, Paul did everything he could to legally seize (I may apprehend) the spiritual things that Christ Jesus had given to him. This was so that he could get the additional blessings such as those explained in the prior sentence of this chapter. Thus, we can see that what God had planned for Paul because of the ministry of Christ was far more than what God planned at his initial profession. The more he submitted to Christ Jesus, the more blessings he received and the more God used his life. For example, Acts 9:15-16 say nothing about writing scripture, at Paul's initial salvation, yet God added this to Paul's ministry because he followed after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

God also has planned for every saved person to receive far more through the ministry of Christ than they received at their initial profession. These things aren't for just some saved (Christ) but also require spiritual maturity after profession in order to receive them. Thus, Paul correctly uses Christ Jesus instead of Jesus Christ. Again, this is clearly said by Paul in the next sentence, which is 3:14.

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Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Please see the prior note on 3:12. Here Paul is saying that even though he is in a Roman prison with a death sentence over him, he is still looking to gain more by getting closer to Christ Jesus. If you look at the book of Philemon, you will see that Paul was still winning lost souls. If you look at all of the 'prison epistles' you will see that Paul was still doing all that he could to persuade men to grow spiritually and serve Christ Jesus. Paul declared that he would die still running the race that God put before him personally. Please note that within this chapter the role/name of Lord is used three times and twice it is combined with Christ. . The role/name of Jesus only occurs five times and then only as Christ Jesus or Lord Jesus Christ. However, the role/name of Christ is used five times by itself in addition to these other usages, for a total of nine times. Thus the spiritual maturity that is attached to the use of Christ Jesus is a major theme of this chapter.

Notice that in this sentence Paul says I press which means that he is personally putting a lot of effort into reaching this goal. Then he says toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God. God is the one who sets the mark that we are to press towards. Romans 3:23 says For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 is only part of a sentence telling us about the righteousness of God and Being justified freely by his grace with the basic concept being that God justified us and didn't put any restriction on that justification (freely). He then gave us His righteousness so that we could show the world how receiving God's righteousness could make a difference. God then gave each and every one of us a personal goal of displaying His glory and when we don't live up to that goal and we don't show God's glory in the way and at the level that he sets, we sin. Thats what 1John 1 is talking about.

So now we come back to our sentence here and we see Paul saying " The best that I've done so far is still short God's glory, and is therefore sin, but I keep on trying to reach God's goal of my using God's righteousness to show God's glory". People who are lost or are spiritually immature are using their own righteousness to set the goal of their life. God wants all saved to use His righteousness to achieve His goal of His glory, but that takes spiritual maturity after salvation, which is why this sentence uses Christ Jesus. Please also notice that this is " in Christ Jesus. We may be saved but we can only press toward the mark (God's glory using God's righteousness) for the prize (reward at the judgment seat of Christ [Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11]) of the high calling of God when we are saved (in Jesus) and in Christ Jesus.

Also, look at the next sentence which starts with Let us therefore. As a direct result of each of us pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God we are to be perfect (spiritually mature) and be thus minded (have the mind of Christ [1Corinthians 2:16]) and believe that if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. If anyone comes to us and shows us in the Bible (using proper methods of Bible interpretation) where we are wrong, we are to thank God for His sending the messenger to us because God shall reveal even this unto you. There should be no question that God wants all saved to accept correction and rebuke, but that only those who have the godly wisdom that is the result of spiritual maturity through the ministry of Christ will accept such in a truly godly fashion.

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Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The peace of God is available to all saved (Jesus) but realized the more we grow spiritually through the ministry of Christ. Immature Christians have a lot harder time being at peace in a storm than more mature Christians do. Thats why Paul uses Christ Jesus and not Jesus Christ.

This sentence starts with And which makes it added unto what came before. Those who don't have what preceded this verse don't have the peace of God. In 4:1 Paul started a new subject that goes through this verse. Within this section, Paul kept using Lord to remind these people (and us) that we will face the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) and receive either reward or punishment. (Please see the notes for 4:1, 2, 4 and 5.) As noted for prior verses, our greatest reward comes from letting Christ live through us. This is only possible for saved (Jesus) and God expects all saved to let Christ live through them (Galatians 2:20). However, the peace of God only comes from spiritual maturity that is the result of letting Christ take us through terrible circumstances and seeing Christ take care of those circumstances. Thats why this verse says the peace...which passeth all understanding. Yes, this peace is of God but many people are trying to understanding it when it passeth all understanding. It can not be understood but must be experienced. I just finished talking to a nephew. I am on medical leave and he was wondering why I wasn't worried about my employer getting mad about how long I've been off. He wondered if they would get mad and fire me when I returned. However, in the last 8 years I've been out of work 4 times. Through experience, I know that God will provide for my needs. He was trying to understand it, but couldn't really understand the peace of God, which passeth all understanding that I personally had in this matter. However, the level of peace that I have is only the result of spiritual maturity through the personal ministry of Christ. Thats why Paul uses Christ Jesus and not Jesus Christ in this verse.

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Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Paul starts this promise out with But. That word connects this promise to previous statements while going in a different direction. The Philippians had given monetarily to Paul as their missionary and as a member of their church family. (Please see the note on 4:10 for more on this subject.) In this particular monetary offering, they had taken out of what God had given to them and they made a special offering to help a fellow member of their church family. Our sentence starts with the word But and is talking about their personal amount of money and changing directions from their own money decreasing to a promise of an increase. Their needs would be met by God because they had given a free-will offering to God in supporting a member of their church family and the offering went beyond their responsibility to tithe.

In addition, to the financial considerations, they were personally spiritually maturing through the ministry of Christ to the point that Paul warned them that God would let them start suffering persecution. Saved people who 'claim' this promise but haven't paid their tithes or haven't given to missions beyond tithing or haven't been personally involved in the local church ministry and haven't personally spiritually matured through Christ have not met God's requirements to receive this promise. The Lord will reject their 'claim' as invalid. Notice that Paul goes on to say that God will meet their needs by Christ Jesus. That means that this promise is available to all saved (Jesus) but is more dependent upon spiritual growth after profession than it is on getting saved. It also means that some back-slidden carnal saved person that gets into financial problems, or who is involved in some ongoing sin that interferes with their relationship to Christ, can forget this promise, even if they do tithe and give to special offerings and make spiritual investment in missions.

Within the Bible the word by is used to tell us 'how you get from one place to another'. Within our current verse we see that we get from a place of having needs to the place of those needs being supplied and that being accomplished by Christ Jesus. The Bible uses the phrase by Christ Jesus only in Ephesians 3:21 and in Philippians 4:19 and in 1Peter 5:10. The Bible uses the phrase by Christ only in 2Corinthians 1:5 and in Galatians 2:17. Please see those verses, and their attached notes, for more details and to understand the Biblical doctrinal difference between the use of by Christ Jesus and the use of by Christ.

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Philippians 4:21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.

This verse is part of Paul's closing salutation. He closes as he opens: with reference to saints in Christ Jesus and grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ. Please see this section in the Study on Relational Propitiations for links to other verses which use the phrase in Christ Jesus. The word in is used to a relationship and people who are not maintaining their personal relationship that is in Christ Jesus do not get the blessings of this epistle nor do they get the salute of this sentence.

Salute means to great as an equal or superior. Paul doesn't tell saints in Christ Jesus to greet all who claim to be saved as their equal, only those who have evidence of Christ Jesus ministering in their lives after profession are to be treated as equals. Even then, we are to use the spiritual maturing that comes through the ministry of Christ so that we salute others the proper way.

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Lord Jesus

Philippians 2:19.

Please see the note below. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus.

Philippians 2:19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

Lord Jesus is used in this verse like it is used in other places in the Bible. Lord Jesus is used as the ultimate ruler among men (All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth Matthew 28:18). Paul trusts, but can not say as a fact, that Lord Jesus will send Timotheus to them. The first time that Lord Jesus was used was after the resurrection. As Lord, the Son of God appoints men to positions, such as the pastor of a church. Since Timotheus was being sent to check on the church, and at other times is sent to a church to be a pastor, and at this time is given the recommendation and charge to care for them as a pastor, the Lord Jesus (as opposed the Lord - God the Father) appointed him to his position. However, Paul does have this trust in the Lord Jesus for himself but still has trust in the Lord (God the Father) for himself. This difference is because, at this point in his prison time, things don't look good. (this note for more details.

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Lord Jesus Christ

Philippians 1:2; 2:11; 3:8, 20; 4:23.

Lord Jesus Christ is used at the opening and closing of this book to wish the readers grace and peace from each of God's roles. The grace and the peace that we receive from God through each role is different. This blessing is often used by Paul in opening, and sometimes in closing, his letters. Two of the verses in this section don't really use Lord Jesus Christ but say that Jesus Christ is Lord and that Christ Jesus is Lord That leaves only one verse in Philippians that provides any unique doctrine about Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 tells us that all three of God the Sons roles are involved in our salvation. Each role of God the Son, as well as God the Father and God the Holy Ghost, provide something different towards our salvation but it takes all three of the roles of God the Son, as well as God the Father and God the Holy Ghost, to provide all thats involved in our salvation. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus Christ and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please also see the notes for this sentence under Jesus Christ and under Christ Jesus. Our sentence uses Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus and Lord Jesus Christ in the same sentence. God has Paul do this deliberately because the change in the roles of the Son of God which are named have doctrinal significance, as is noted in the related notes of this sentence. Please also go to the beginning of this Study and click on the links for the various names of the Son of God. Those links will take you to notes about the general usage of that name within this epistle. Those notes contain significant facts related to the doctrine of God deliberately using different identities of the Son of God for different doctrinal purposes.

Verses 1:1 and 1:2 are the same sentence and the colon between them make these two verses Equivalent Sections of the same sentence. Treating them separately leads to doctrinal error. Thinking that they deliver different messages is doctrinal error. The Grace...and peace offered in this Equivalent Section is to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. It is not offered to the saved person who refuses to mature spiritually so that they will be in Christ Jesus. (Please see the Relational Prepositions Study for more details on the Biblical use of the word in.)

As seen in other books, Paul opens with a blessing of grace and peace from each of God's roles as Lord and Jesus and Christ. Each role provides different blessings. Please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on Philippians for more details on the words grace and peace.

Lots of people want to claim the peace of God but their life proves that they really don't have it. It takes spiritual maturity which comes from obedience in faith, which is why our sentence limits this to the spiritually mature saints in Christ Jesus...with the bishops and deacons. The peace from our Lord assures us that we will receive a well done when we face Him in judgment. While many claim and hope to receive this, only the obedient will receive it.

The grace that comes from our Lord is administrations (1Corinthians 12:5) and the ability to perform within those administrations. We also get the blessings associated with those administrations and we get eternal rewards for properly handling those administrations.

The peace that comes from Jesus is the result of our following His example of how to live in this flesh using the power of the Holy Ghost. (Please see the Study called Jesus used power of Holy Spirit) . When we follow our flesh and the way of this world we have fights and turmoil and do not have the peace that only comes from following Jesus.

The grace that comes from our Jesus enables us to consider different responses to situations and chose the least offensive way and the way that brings the greatest testimony of the changes that come from an ongoing relationship with the Son of God. We've all heard of gracious people and Jesus is the One who changes the worst person into someone that is gracious.

The peace that comes from Christ is the result of our obeying His commands which result in our spiritual maturity. Children have lots of worries and distresses which adults can laugh at. This is also true in the spiritual reality. The more we spiritually mature the less of these worries affect us.

The grace that comes from our Christ are the spiritual gifts which are given to help the entire body of Christ. As we (properly) exercise these gifts we provide blessings to others, we receive spiritual maturing for ourselves and God increases our abilities with these gifts and sometimes gives additional spiritual gifts.

As we look in detail at the grace and peace that come from each role of the Son of God it should be easy for the reader to see that they are only the result of saved people being obedient to the point that they grow up spiritually. Thus, it should not be hard to accept that the Equivalent Section of this sentence limited this grace and peace to the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.

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Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Please see the chapter note in the Book Study on Philippians for an outline of this chapter which will help in understanding the context of this verse. Please also use the link above (the verse number in the verse quote) to see the note for the sentence that this verse is part of. That note is in the Book Study on Philippians and divides the entire sentence by punctuation and explains the entire sentence accusing to the grammatical structure. These things are the minimum requirement for understanding that includes the context that God placed our verse within. The most common source of doctrinal error is ignoring the context of a verse within God's Bible.

This verse is in the same sentence as 2:10, and the note on that verse should also be looked at. This sentence ends a section that starts out with Paul talking to the Philippians about their personal relationship with God through His role of Christ Paul assures them of God's reward for their service and uses the man Jesus as his example and then tells us that every knee should bow. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Its not just Jesus who died for us Who is Lord, but Christ also is Lord. The Son of God deals with us, in a personal way, after our initial profession, through His role as Christ. However, we will face Him as Lord where He will judge us for our obedience to Christ when we get to the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11).

This judgment, with the resulting rewards or punishments, is especially true because Paul was telling the Philippians that he suffered from brethren in the Lord and that they would suffer the same way from brethren in the Lord. However, the day will come when we shall each be judged by our Lord for how we responded to the ministry of Jesus and of Christ Here, Paul is assuring them that these brethren in the Lord that currently don't accept the 'Lordship' of Christ will do so some day. However, these Philippians will receive rewards at the same judgment because they do accept the 'Lordship' of Jesus and they do accept the 'Lordship' of Christ.

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This verse is the central verse of this chapter. Many think it is the theme of the entire book. It is the start of a sentence that goes from 3:8 through 3:11 and gives the main attributes of a true Christian Please see the note on this verse under Christ for expansion of the definition of a true Christian and for a breakdown of this sentence by punctuation. Paul makes the distinction between true Christians and the saved and religious several times and ways in this book. Please see the note under 3:3 for verses leading up to here that explain Paul's distinction. The 'saved and religious' are included in those that Paul describes in 3:18-19. In this verse, Paul deliberately uses Christ Jesus my Lord and Christ in two different ways. Paul is saying that all of his religious background and achievements, listed in prior verses, he counts as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Notice that there are two colons in this sentence and the first occurs after the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. That makes the rest of this verse and 3:10-11 equivalent to this knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. If you look at what is in those verses it becomes very obvious that what Paul is describing happens only to saved people who spiritually mature through a personal relationship with Christ and who obey everything from their Lord without question. There is absolutely no way that this includes someone that just got saved. Paul uses Christ Jesus my Lord here to include each of the Son of God's roles, but then uses the unusual phrase of Christ Jesus my Lord to let us know that we will be judger by our Lord for how well we do our part in the personal relationship with the Son of God's roles as Christ and as Jesus or Lord by saying that I may win Christ (not Jesus. The note for 3:8 under Christ gives a clarification of the relationship that we will be judged for.

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Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Please see the chapter note in the Book Study on Philippians for an outline of this chapter which will help in understanding the context of this verse. Please also use the link above (the verse number in the verse quote) to see the note for the sentence that this verse is part of. That note is in the Book Study on Philippians and divides the entire sentence by punctuation and explains the entire sentence according to the grammatical structure. Please also see all of the notes for verses in Philippians 3(1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 18 and 20) in order to understand this summary. These things are the minimum requirement for understanding that includes the context that God placed our verse within. The most common source of doctrinal error is ignoring the context of a verse within God's Bible.

This sentence has a colon in it which equates For our conversation is in Heaven to Who shall change our vile body. Our conversation is our 'lifestyle '. Our 'lifestyle ' is dictated by each and every role of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of these roles provides part of our salvation, which is why Paul says that He is the Saviour. As explained in the Message called Body, Soul and Spirit Salvation, our body, our soul and our spirit are saved different ways and different times. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord (Romans 10:13) our spirit is instantly saved. However, our body is not saved until we get to Heaven and get a new body, as explained in our current sentence. Our soul (the way we think, the way we make decisions and the way that we react emotionally to the circumstances of life) is being saved from the day of our profession until we meet Jesus Christ in death or the 'Rapture'.

Paul is saying that our salvation isn't really complete until we are living in Heaven with a new body and the Lord has subdued all things unto himself. Our salvation was started by Jesus, perfected by Christ and will be finished by the Lord This verse uses Lord Jesus Christ as a combination of each of the roles of God. As we have seen many other places, Biblical salvation is best defined as God's life in us. God the Father made the plan of salvation and provides the power of salvation. John 1:12-13 tells us that we can receive power to become the sons of God and that this birth is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

As Lord the Son of God (with the agreement of God the Father) changed our legal status from being sons of Satan (as Adams sin made us) to being sons of God. However, since we were sinners (violators of God's Law) and God in the righteous judge of all of the earth, our sin had to be paid for and God the Son, in His role as a physical man named Jesus, paid that price. He also became our role model for how to live in the flesh by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Obviously I am not providing all off the Bible verses and cross references to support these statements. However, they are provided elsewhere in this study.) As Lord, God the Son decides whose prayers to accept and whose to reject. Of course, we have the parable of the publican and the Pharisee who both prayed and ones prayer was accepted while the others prayer was rejected. So its not if we pray but if God accepts our prayer. In particular, the Lord rejects the prayer of salvation of those people who want to avoid Hell while living for Hell. They want to mock God (Galatians 6:7). However, those who really want to become a son of God and accept the ongoing relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ and allow Him to spiritually mature them, those people have their prayer answered.

As we allow Christ to live through us, God keeps records and we will be rewarded or punished at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 ; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) by the Lord (2Corinthians 5:11). All of this is involved on God the Sons role as Saviour. His role as Saviour is not complete until all of us has been saved, including our souls (mind, will and emotions) and our bodies being changed.

In addition, this sentence says that our changed bodies may (not will) be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. I am not going to provide a lot of doctrinal evidence for what I say here, but there is a log of Biblical evidence of variable talents in eternity. Those who do more for God's service here will have more talents in eternity. That's what this phrase means by according to [how much] he is able even to subdue [our conversation] unto himself.

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Philippians 4:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

As we so often see Paul do, he opens and closes with a prayer for the grace from the Lord, from Jesus and from Christ to be on his readers. The grace received from each of God's roles is different and Paul wants his readers to receive it all.

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Son

Philippians 2:15, 22.

Please see the note below. Click here for all of the Verses that use Son and here for the Summary on the name / role of Son.

Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;.

Please also see the note for 2:16 under Christ which deals with the day of Christ. That is when we get our reward for most of all that this epistle tells us the do. In this sentence we find a colon after Do all things without murmurings and disputings:, which makes it equivalent to the rest of this sentence. The second half of this sentence is divided into three parts (steps) by semicolons. Our current verse is the first step (how to live), which we have to accomplish before we can have the second step (testimony) or the third step (reward). Within this first step we have five things which we are to make part of our life and we are to do them without murmurings and disputings. While I could go into detail about each of these five things, it should be obvious (with just a surface reading) that the only way anyone will achieve these items, especially with the requirement that they do them without murmurings and disputings, is if they have God change their character from the natural man (1Corinthians 2:14; James 1:23) to the character of God. As sons of God we are to show the same character as the Son of God. Please also see the other notes on the sons of God for John 1:12; Romans 8:14, 19; Philippians 2:15; 1John 3:1-2.

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Philippians 2:22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

The him of this verse is Timotheus whom Paul said that he would send to this church in 2:19. (Please see the note for that verse under Lord and the note on 2:21 under Jesus Christ. )Paul uses son in this verse to say that Timotheus had the same character and spirit as Paul.

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Verses within this Study.

Lord Jesus Christ in Philippians

Lord only

Jesus only

Christ only

Jesus Christ

Christ Jesus

Lord Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ

Son

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