He keeps silence about his status as an apostle. He is writing to people who already know who he is and have an informed opinion of him. He suppresses his dignity. He declares his lowly state,^[1] because the one who confesses Christ as Lord is all the more free and has salvation.

He calls himself a slave and not an apostle. This is a great honor, to be a slave of Christ—not merely to be called a slave but to be one. One who is a slave of Christ is truly free from sin. If he is truly a slave of Christ, he is not a slave in any other realm, since then he would not be a slave of Christ but only half so.

He writes to the saints in his customary manner, but his intent is to write to those who are saints in Christ Jesus, specifically those who confess that he is divine and human. . . . He is not writing to those who by their own deceptions suppress the truth.

He sends his news to everyone, both those who have been deemed worthy of ordination and those who are shepherded by them. By those who are holy he means those who have worthily received holy baptism.

He applies the term bishops to presbyters, for at that time they had both names.^[1] . . . And it is clear that he makes this assumption here also. For he joins the deacons to the bishops, making no mention of the presbyters. Furthermore, it was not possible for many bishops to be shepherds to one city. So it is clear that he is calling the presbyters bishops; yet in this same letter he calls the blessed Epaphroditus their apostle,^[2] . . . and thus he indicates plainly that he was entrusted with an episcopal function because he had the name of an apostle.

Nowhere else does Paul write specifically to the clergy—not in Rome, in Corinth, in Ephesus or anywhere. Rather he typically writes jointly to all who are holy, faithful and beloved. But in this case he addresses specifically the bishops and deacons. Why? Because it was they who had borne fruit and they who had sent Epaphroditus to him.

It is evident that while God is called Father, Christ Jesus is called Lord. Does it not then appear that the Lord does not possess equal dignity with the Father? That might seem true in the world of human beings, but between God the Father and Christ the Lord there is complete harmony.^[1]

It has come to the knowledge of the holy and great synod that, in some districts and cities, the deacons administer the Eucharist to the presbyters, though neither canon nor custom permits that they who have no right to offer should give the body of Christ to them that do offer. And this has also been made known, that certain deacons now touch the Eucharist even before the bishops. Let all such practices be utterly done away with, and let the deacons remain within their own bounds, knowing that they are the ministers of the bishop and the inferiors of the presbyters. Let them receive the Eucharist according to their order, after the presbyters, and let either the bishop or the presbyter administer to them.

[In Philippians 1:1 Paul says] “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, fellow bishops and deacons: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Here, as writing to those of equal honor, he does not set down his rank of teacher, but another, and that a great one. And what is that? He calls himself a “servant,” and not an apostle. For great truly is this rank too, and the sum of all good things, to be a servant of Christ, and not merely to be called so. “The servant of Christ” is truly a free man in respect to sin, and being a genuine servant, he is not a servant to any other, since then he would not be Christ’s servant, but by halves. And in again writing to the Romans also, he says, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ” [Rom 1:1]. But writing to the Corinthians and to Timothy he calls himself an “apostle.” Why is this? Not because they were superior to Timothy. Far from it. But rather he honors them, and shows them attention, beyond all others to whom he wrote. For he also bears witness to great virtue in them. For besides, there indeed he was about to order many things, and therefore assumed his rank as an apostle. But here he gives them no injunctions but such as they could perceive of themselves.

“To the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.” Since it was likely that the Jews too would call themselves “saints” from the first oracle, when they were called a “holy people, a people for God’s own possession” [Ex 19:6; Dt 7:6, etc.]; for this reason he added, “to the saints in Christ Jesus.” For these alone are holy, and those henceforward profane. “To the fellow bishops and deacons.” What is this? Were there several bishops of one city? Certainly not; but he called the presbyters so. For then they still interchanged the titles, and the bishop was called a deacon. For this reason in writing to Timothy, he said, “Fulfill your ministry,” when he was a bishop. For that he was a bishop appears by his saying to him, “Lay hands hastily on no man” [1 Tm 5:22]. And again, “Which was given you with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” [1 Tm 4:14]. Yet presbyters would not have laid hands on a bishop.

Paul praises God every time he remembers the clergy of Philippi, who received the proclamation of the gospel cordially and have remained uncorrupted up to the present.

I both glorify God and offer prayers for you. The fact that you are already advancing in excellence does not prevent my praying further for you.

Here he gives them a great testimonial, a truly great one and such as one might give to apostles and evangelists. The fact that you have been put in charge of one city, he says, does not mean that you care for that one alone, but you do everything so as to become partakers of my labors wherever I am. It is as though you are with me everywhere as my coworkers and companions in preaching. Not once, twice or three times but on all occasions, from the time when you believed until now, you have shown the zeal of apostles. . . . For the care of the saints is no small thing. It is indeed a great one, for it makes you partakers of the blessings laid up for them.

See how he teaches them to be modest. Having just given them a superb testimonial, in order that they should not feel down and out as human beings are so apt to feel, he immediately teaches them to refer both the past and the future—everything—to Christ, who will bring to completion what he has begun in them. He does not take away anything from their achievement, for he has said, I rejoice because of your fellowship, obviously pointing to their own very high level of accountability. But he does not imply that the achievement was theirs alone. Rather it was primarily God’s work in them.

God can work in our acts without our help. But when we will the deed, he cooperates with us.^[1]

Paul had always found the Philippians to be immovable in their devotion to God. He knew how straight and unwearied their course was. He knew they were worthy to share in his own joy. People who share the same faith have good reason to rejoice together in the hope of future immortality and glory.

His longing for them is a great longing indeed. For he has them in his heart. Within the very walls of his prison cell he affectionately remembers the Philippians. This is no small form of praise. The love of this saint springs not from personal preferences but from good judgment and upright thinking. . . . It is wonderful that he has them in his heart in his imprisonment. Even in my defense before the judgment seat, he says, you did not slip from my memory.

His praise for them is strong. He calls them partners in grace. But by grace he is referring to his sufferings, as is made clear in what he goes on to teach, that it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.^[1]

His chains are without doubt a confirmation of the gospel. How? Because if he had refused the bonds, he would have been seen as a deceiver. But the one who endures everything, including persecution and imprisonment, shows that he does not suffer them for any human reason but on account of God, who rights the balance. . . . See how absolutely he turns everything on its head. For what others might view as a weakness or reproach, this he calls confirmation.

He calls God to witness that his deep affection for them may be understood. One who feels so deeply about something is ready to call God as his witness to underscore his feeling. Through this he inspires a corresponding love in them for himself. For it is in being loved that we feel love. He therefore loves all these partners not with a human desire but in the love of Christ, not merely with emotional affection but with spiritual affection. They share with him in the knowledge of the mystery of God and the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since he had said that they had fellowship with him, in order that they would not suppose that he longed for them for this reason and not simply for their own sake, he therefore in the bowels of Christ.^[1] What does this mean? It means in accord with the deep affection we have for Christ, because you are faithful, because you love Christ, because your love stands in accord with Christ. But he does not say love but uses the warmer term bowels, as if he had become as a father to you through kinship with Christ. . . . I cannot, he says in effect, express in words the greatness of my longing. It is not even possible to articulate. Therefore I leave it to God to know, who dwells in the heart. But suppose he had just been flattering them—would he then have called God to witness? That would not have been safe.

There is no end to such love. Anyone who is loved so deeply, loved in this way, wishes to be loved all the more. There is no measure to love. One who loves and is loved in return does not wish that love to stop but to increase.

He wishes, with God’s assistance, to pour into them pure Christian doctrine, that their faith will be firm and that they will see clearly all the vast implications of their faith. He wants them to be able to distinguish what is useful from what is useless. He prays that they may adorn the teaching of the Lord with works of righteousness, producing the fruit of immortality to bring about an abundance of good things. This will be the glory of the apostle to the Gentiles.

He prays that they will not receive any corrupted doctrine under the pretense of love.

Along with good teaching he prays that they might have an upright life, and not simply upright but truly filled with the fruits of righteousness. He is not speaking here of a kind of uprightness or virtue that tries despairingly to grow without Christ.

Enjoy these gifts! Keep your faith uncontaminated! Present the fruit of righteousness to God, so that God will be celebrated by all.

In their great concern for Paul the Philippians had sent the blessed Epaphroditus to help him. For this reason he writes to comfort them in return. He wants to show that the chains that bind him have themselves become the instruments of salvation to many. By the progress of the gospel he means the multitude of believers.

His imprisonment for Christ’s sake is becoming known. This is his distinctive honor. Now others who love him may rejoice with him.

Who are all the rest? The whole of Jewry, in addition to all the churches of the Gentiles. The former still has precedence, since to them the promise was first made.

My chains, he says in effect, have themselves become the source of courage to the others. They can easily see that I bear adversity with joy. So they come to preach the divine gospel fearlessly.

It is confidence in the Lord, not in me as such, that is elicited by my chains. As others take courage from my bonds, so do I. As I become the cause of confidence to others, much more does this have an effect within myself. . . . Note how Paul, even in speaking of great things, remains aware of the tendency toward pride and does not cease to enjoin modesty.

His constancy inspires others to be fearless in preaching. They are learning by the apostle’s example that God is present to watch over those who love him. This itself has an effect upon the misguided brethren who have been preaching the Word of God as if from envy, prompted not by confidence or love of God but by competitiveness.

After the imprisonment of the apostle many unbelievers became so bold as to try to excite a fierce persecution from the emperor. So they apparently also started preaching Christ in their own way, but only in order that the emperor’s anger might be increased. Thus, they imagined, by the spread of the preaching the whole of his anger would fall on Paul’s head. So from Paul’s imprisonment two lines of action have sprung. First, those of good will took great courage from it. The other party appeared to be preaching Christ but was really hoping for Paul’s destruction. These are the ones who were preaching Christ from envy and rivalry. In effect he is saying: Those who envy my reputation and constancy and wish for my death work as rivals. Or: Wishing to be honored themselves, they were trying to use my reputation as leverage. By contrast the others are preaching through good will, without any hypocrisy and with the utmost zeal.

Some preach Christ from envy because of their malice and contentiousness. What they feel is simply envy. They do not preach Christ in a holy and decent manner but merely in order to heap up grief upon me and increase my trial and sorrow. They want to flaunt their delight in my bondage. . . . Others preach not with the motive of adding further grief to my bonds but to claim the glory of preaching for themselves. Meanwhile the faithful preach Christ through good will in sincere belief, not out of envy but because what they believe is good. It is the gospel. So while some are preaching Christ in insolence, to bring punishment and tribulation on me, others are preaching from love. They remain dear to me. They do not insult me because I am in this state for the defense of the gospel.

What does he mean by saying I am put here for the defense of the gospel? Even those who preach out of envy are helping me prepare for the account I must give to God. How so? Having been appointed to preach, he says, I am going to submit a reckoning and defend the work that I was appointed to do. My vindication will be easy because there are many who have been rightly instructed and have faith. But even those who preach out of envy inadvertently demonstrate how it is possible to do a good work even when one’s motive is not good.

What is skewed among those who proclaim Christ out of partisanship is their temperament and their motive, not the content of their proclamation. Paul exposes these bad tempers as the sole cause of their disunity, but these bad tempers apparently do not have a bad effect on the mysteries of the faith. There is still only one Christ and one God. This does not change, regardless of what motives may come into play in preaching him. So Paul is able to say that it is nothing to me whether Christ be preached on a pretext or in truth; Christ is proclaimed. What really matters is the one who is preached, whether through pretentiousness or in true faith. When Christ is preached in truth he is being preached faithfully. The rule of truth remains what it is, regardless of who preaches it—better or worse, there is but one truth. Meanwhile the conduct of preachers varies. Some preach truly, single-mindedly. Others preach insincerely, with affectations.

Note Paul’s wisdom. He does not hurl around scurrilous accusations. He calmly describes what has come to pass. . . . Though the aim and motives on which they acted were corrupted, still the preaching itself was not corrupted. And the preaching of Christ occurred despite it all.

The outcome is very welcome to me: They preach about Christ. They speak Christ’s name. They confess that he is God and the Son of God, even if in a different spirit. For by this celebration, exertion and activity, Christ is proclaimed by all. So I too obtain my wish, which is that Christ should be proclaimed. And if that is so, they are wrong to imagine that they have cast me into grief.

There were in the times of the apostles some who were preaching truth but not in truth, that is, not in a true spirit. Of these the apostle says that their proclamation was not pure but was preached through envy and rivalry. Even though they were tolerated who proclaimed the truth without purity of mind, they were not praised, as if to assume that they were preaching with a pure mind. So Paul says of them that, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. Yet he certainly does not imply that Christ may now be denied in order to be later proclaimed.

Even against their will, Paul shows, the enemies of truth inadvertently cooperate with truth. Some are foolish enough to think that this can also be said about heresies. They ought to have perceived that the holy apostle’s statement here is not an imperative sentence but a declarative one. He did not say Let it be preached but It is being preached. Moreover, he does not condemn those people for preaching bad things but for preaching good things poorly, being led not by reverence for God but by partisanship.