Had a really good experience in Phillippians today.

[Bishka]

Is there anyone else out there that enjoys the book of Phillippians. This is the first time I've actually read it through on my own.

Some verses I wanted to share that really just struck me were

Phillipians 1:2-5 (KJV)

"2. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. I thank my god upon every rememberance of you.
4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.
5. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."


Phillipians 1:10-11 (KJV)

"10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincece and without offence till the day of Christ;
11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."



The two that really touched my heart today were verse

"21. For to me to live is Christ...."

and verse 29

"29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, no only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."



Just wanted to share those with you.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Thanks for sharing, Becky.

The little epistle to the Philippians is my favorite Pauline letter. I just like the whole dern thing.

 

[dawny0826]

"I can do all things in Christ, who strengthens me."

Phillipians 4:13

 

[Bishka]

"I can do all things in Christ, who strengthens me."

Phillipians 4:13

Defintley a good verse. I haven't gotten there yet, I'm taking it a little bit at a time.

 

[Bishka]

Thanks for sharing, Becky.

The little epistle to the Philippians is my favorite Pauline letter. I just like the whole dern thing.

Thanks for the info. I think God had something in store for me today. I wasn't planning on reading in Phillipians, but I opened my scripture right to the Epistles of the Phillipians.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

{From some research that I'm working on..}

In Philippians, Paul presents himself as a little Christ, patterning his conception of his apostleship after the Christ-hymn both conceptually and in vocabulary.[1] The parallel between the emptying of Christ and the emptying of Paul is evident as Paul describes how he has emptied himself of his qualifications as a Jewish teacher in chapter three.[2] “As Christ had ‘emptied himself’ (2.7), so Paul had been emptied of everything that, as a Jew, he had counted as his assets (3.8).”[3] In chapter four, the readers are given an example of a person who has achieved the humility that is required of them. Paul writes in Phil. 4.11-13 that he has achieved that he what he was trying to teach the Philippians in 2.5: Tou:to fronei:te ejn ujmi:n o} kai; ejn Cpistw:/ jIhsou::: he knows how to be humble (tapeinou:sqai) as Christ humbled himself.[4]Paul was a Jew of high standing and became a servant (3.4-8) just as Christ was equal to God and became a servant (2.6-8). Paul suffers for the Gospel as Christ suffered on the cross; both are obedient to God. Christ is exalted (3.9-11); Paul is self-sufficient (4.11-13).[5] We can interpret Paul’s conception of himself as a servant or slave of Christ as parallel to Christ taking on the form of a servant in the hymn. Despite any low views of slavery that his audiences may have, Paul is not telling them that he is human chattel that can be bought and sold by other humans, but that he is a tool of God and should be received as a prophet, perhaps on the same level as heroes of Jewish tradition that are called slaves in the LXX: Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah.[6] As the slave of Christ or the apostle of Christ, Paul claims to give the words of God, making him the bearer of the ultimate gift.

[1] For the centrality of the Christ-hymn in Philippians, see the vocabulary study by David E. Garland, “The Composition and Unity of Philippians: Some Neglected Factors,” Novum Testamentum 27, no. 2 (1985). I will use only one of his many examples. Cf. Raymond Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Doubleday, 1997), 488.

[2] Martin, Philippians, 199.

[3] T. E. Pollard. “The Integrity of Philippians.” New Testament Studies 13 (1966-7): 62.

[4] Cf. Martin, Philippians, 176.

[5] In claiming self-sufficiency, Paul is associating himself with the defining characteristic of the Socratic wise-person. In attaining this quality, he is the ideal teacher, friend, and citizen. Cf. Epictetus, Disc. 2.10.8-13; 2.14.8; 2.15.10; 2.20.20; 2.23.38; 3.21.5b-6; and 3.24.47; Dio Chrysostom 69.2. Paul claims this virtue both here and implicitly in 1 Thess 2.1-12, and both are in the context of friendship. For Philippians see Abraham Malherbe, "Paul's Self-Sufficiency (Philippians 4.11)," in Friendship, Flattery, and Frank Speech, ed. John T. Fitzgerald (New York: Brill, 1996), 131ff. For 1 Thessalonians see Abraham Malherbe, "'Gentle as a Nurse': The Cynic Background to 1 Thess II," Novum Testamentum 12, no. 2 (April 1970): 208ff; for more on the context of friendship in 1 Thess 2 see David E. Fredrickson, "Parrhsi/a in the Pauline Epistles," in Friendship, Flattery, and Frankness of Speech, ed. John T. Fitzgerald (New York: Brill, 1996), 171. Fredrickson notes that Paul also uses parrhsi/a in the context of friendship in 2 Cor 3; 7.2-7, Phil 1.12-20, and Phlm 8-9; cf. 1 Thess 2.1-12 to Plutarch, Moralia 49e.

[6] Cf., TDNT 2.268.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Thanks for the info. I think God had something in store for me today. I wasn't planning on reading in Phillipians, but I opened my scripture right to the Epistles of the Phillipians.

Every day spent with Philippians is a good day.

 

[sojourner]

The hymn is one of my favorite passagees of scripture.

I liked your excerpt, but I would like to extend that thought to include, not only Paul, but any Christian who empties him(her)self, shows forth Christ as an ambassador of Christ.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

The hymn is one of my favorite passagees of scripture.

I liked your excerpt, but I would like to extend that thought to include, not only Paul, but any Christian who empties him(her)self, shows forth Christ as an ambassador of Christ.

My interpretation is exclusive of that idea. It's taking the hymn out of context... I'll show why later but I have to go for now.