Philippians

In this week’s blog, we are continuing to make our way through the prison letters of Paul. This week’s focus is Philippians. We’ll look at the letter in terms of its audience, situation, and message…

Audience

The audience consists of believers in the city of Philippi, an important city in the Roman province of Macedonia.  Paul visited this city and evangelized many there during his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:9-40).  Many people in this city had the privilege of being Roman citizens.  Based on references in the book of Philippians (1:27; 3:20), the audience of this letter was made up of people who had this citizenship.  Also, it is clear from Acts and Paul’s letters that Paul had a close and long-lasting relationship with this group of believers.

Situation

The situation Paul addressed here is perhaps the most positive among Paul’s letters.  The Philippians had previously provided aid for Paul during his ministry work (4:15-17), and they were able to give again for the cause of supporting both Paul and the Gospel (4:10) by sending Epaphroditus and their gifts with him (2:25; 4:18).  There were, however, less positive aspects to the situation behind the writing of this letter.  The Philippians had some problems with unity and still needed encouragement for their spiritual growth.  In addition to this, a potentially dangerous group could have negatively influenced them.  This group was leading many Christians away from trusting in Christ and his saving work on the Cross.  It was necessary for the Philippians to hear about how they should live.

Message

Paul had three basic purposes in writing the letter of Philippians – update, exhortation, and gratitude.  One of Paul’s purposes was to update the Philippians concerning his condition and destiny in prison (e.g., 1:12-26) and the future visits of Epaphroditus and Timothy to them (2:19-30).  Another purpose was exhortation.  Paul gave the Philippians many different exhortations.  Many of Paul’s exhortations have to do with the topic of unity (see 1:27-2:11; 4:2-3).  Another major focal point is warning them about the message and example of certain group of false teachers (see 3:1-4:1).  Finally, Paul wrote in order to express his gratitude for the Philippians’ gifts and long-term support (see 4:10-20).  Throughout the letter, Paul rejoiced and invited the Philippians to rejoice with him (e.g. 1:18-19; 2:17-18).  Paul’s reason for joy was God’s saving work and ministry through Paul and the Philippians.