Genesis to Revelation: Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon Leader Guide: A Comprehensive Verse-by-Verse Exploration of the Bible

By Abingdon Press

Study the entire Books of Books of Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon beginning with Christ’s obedience and ending with the Christian refreshment. Some of the major ideas explored are: obedience, faith and action, coming of the Lord, Christian endurance, and the life a grace in the church.
Leader Guide includes:

A verse-by-verse, in-depth look at the Scriptures.
Background material, including word studies and history of the biblical setting.
Answers to questions asked in the Participant Book.
Application of the Scripture to daily life situations.
Discussion suggestions.
A variety of study options.
Practical tips for leaders to use.


More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.

This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels:

What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session.
What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage.
How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today. The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words.


The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use. Includes maps and glossary with key pronunciation helps.
Updates will include:

New cover designs.
New interior designs.
Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book).
Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV).
Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.
Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure.
Include larger divisions within the contents page to reflect macro-structure of each biblical book. Ex: Genesis 1-11; Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-15; Exodus 16-40; Isaiah 1-39; Isaiah 40-66.


The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: May 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501855306

Book preview

1

CHRIST’S OBEDIENCE AND CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE

Philippians 1:1–3:1

DIMENSION ONE:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Answer these questions by reading Philippians 1

1.Who sends the letter to whom? (1:1)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus send the letter to all God’s holy people [saints] in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.

2.How do Paul and Timothy greet the Philippians? (1:2)

Paul and Timothy greet them with grace and peace.

3.For what does Paul pray? (1:9)

Paul prays that the Philippians’ love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

4.What is Paul’s situation as he writes the letter? (1:7, 12-14, 17)

He is in prison, in chains.

5.How does Paul interpret his situation? (1:12-14)

He interprets his imprisonment as an opportunity to preach the gospel and to encourage others to dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

6.How do Paul’s supporters interpret his situation? (1:16)

They see Paul’s situation as his opportunity to defend the gospel.

7.How do his foes interpret it? (1:17)

They see Paul’s imprisonment as an occasion to stir up trouble for him.

8.How does Paul expect his situation to turn out? (1:19-26)

He knows that Christ will be exalted by his death or life, but Paul expects to be delivered from prison and to visit Philippi in person.

9.How does Paul expect the Philippians to act while he is absent? (1:27-30)

He expects their manner of life to be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Answer these questions by reading Philippians 2:1–3:1

10.What behavior by the Philippians will complete Paul’s joy? (2:1-4)

Being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind will complete his joy.

11.What are the marks of this behavior? (2:6-8)

The marks are not grasping for status, self-emptying, humility, and obedience.

12.Why is this behavior the norm for the Philippians? (2:9-11)

This behavior is the norm because God has exalted the crucified Jesus as the Lord of all creation.

13.What action of Jesus is reproduced in the lives of his followers? (2:12-13)

Obedience is the action.

14.What will make Paul proud on the day of Christ? (2:14-18)

Their hold[ing] firmly to the word of life will make Paul proud.

15.Whom does Paul plan to send to Philippi soon? Why? (2:19-24)

Paul plans to send Timothy in order to get direct news of the Philippians and for him to minister in Paul’s stead.

16.Who came from Philippi to be with Paul and help him? (2:25-30)

Epaphroditus came to help Paul.

17.What do the Philippians hear about Epaphroditus’s condition? (2:26-27a, 30)

Epaphroditus has been ill and almost died.

18.Why does Paul send Epaphroditus back to Philippi? (2:28)

Paul sends him so the Philippians may see that he is fully recovered.

19.What is Paul’s basic feeling in this opening section of his letter? (1:4, 18; 2:2, 17-18)

Joy is Paul’s basic feeling.

DIMENSION TWO:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

Philippians 1:1. One of the perplexing problems for the student of Philippians is the understanding of overseers (bishops) and deacons in 1:1. Scholars generally agree that these words in this context do not refer to officers of the church but rather to persons who performed particular functions necessary for the life of the congregation. Bishops were overseers of the corporate activities of the congregation. Deacons were responsible for certain supportive roles as the church cared for its needy members and organized itself for effective action. In this setting, the bishops and deacons are first and foremost saints. Yet, just as Paul and Timothy found their true status as servants, so service was the only reason for the existence of bishops and deacons.

Philippians 1:6, 10. For Paul, God’s redemptive work begun in Christ awaited its consummation in the coming of the exalted Christ at the end of human history. Salvation, although a present experience for the faithful, was not complete and would not be complete until Christ came to judge and redeem the whole creation. Paul expected this final act in the drama of salvation, the day of Christ Jesus, to come soon. But he made no temporal predictions, set no date, and in general exercised a great deal of restraint about the details of the event. His emphasis rather fell on the certainty of the event as the necessary fulfillment of God’s saving purpose manifested in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:7, 12-26. Paul’s hope in the day of Christ Jesus is the context that gives meaning to his imprisonment (being in chains). Meaning is the decisive issue here, not geography. We cannot be sure where Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. Acts mentions two imprisonments, Caesarea and Rome. These are possibilities, as well as any other city he visited, for Paul was always a controversial figure and could conceivably have been imprisoned at a number of places not mentioned in Acts. Some scholars argue for Ephesus on the grounds that the frequent messages from Paul to Philippi reported in the letter would have been more likely from the nearby Ephesus than from the distant Caesarea or Rome. Caesarea, Rome, Ephesus, some other city—all are possibilities that cannot be settled finally without more evidence than we possess.

But the meaning of Paul’s imprisonment is set forth clearly by the apostle. His imprisonment is not accidental, but rather the result of his participation in defending and confirming the gospel (1:7). For Paul, the new age that will come fully at the day of Christ Jesus has already dawned in human history in the obedience of Jesus Christ unto death, even death on a cross (2:8). The enemies of Christ are Paul’s enemies, and the suffering of Christ is Paul’s suffering. Thus, Paul’s imprisonment is the continuation in human history of the passion of Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus Christ confirmed the saving purpose of God in his life and death, so Paul confirms that saving purpose in his life and, if need be, in his death. Therefore, the outcome of Paul’s imprisonment is essentially a matter of indifference. All that matters is that his whole being is a proclamation of Christ. Freed from anxiety about himself, about the church, and about the world, Paul can declare with amazing confidence, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (1:21).

Philippians 1:19; 2:1. In the interim between the exaltation of Jesus Christ and the day of Christ Jesus, Paul and all the saints are not left alone to carry on the struggle, but are empowered by the Spirit of Christ. Common sharing in the Spirit (2:1) is not limited to a special group within the church but is the common experience of all the saints. All who come to faith, who are set apart for God’s service, who hold fast to the word of life, who suffer for Christ’s sake, are able to do so because they are helped by the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is love in action. The Philippians have been loved into sainthood by Christ, made present to them in the Spirit-powered preaching of Paul; and their continuing in love is the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

Philippians 2:5-11. This passage is perhaps the best-known passage in the entire letter. Paul portrays Christ as the source and the substance of Christian conduct. Only in Christ, in the power of God’s love, is Christian behavior a possibility. The reference to attitude in this context is not to a frame of mind but to the essential being of the whole person. In verse 5, have the same mindset might be rendered as have this true being. True being is not a private possession but a corporate possibility in a community of persons. This new possibility of personhood in community is not an ideal. It is a life lived.

Paul views Jesus’ life as the center of human history. Since God’s true being is self-giving for all of life, Jesus participated in God’s true being, not by grasping after it as a status, but by losing himself in service. Jesus lived his unity with God by becoming one with all persons in humility, obedience, and death. Thus, Jesus is the source of personhood in community because, in his life of self-giving love, God’s purpose for all persons is fully realized. In losing his life he found it not simply as a private possession but as the gracious gift of God for all humanity (compare with Mark 8:31–9:1).

What Paul and all saints at Philippi experienced by faith in Christ Jesus is an anticipation of what all creation will acknowledge at the day of Christ Jesus. Salvation, God’s redemptive action in the cross of Christ Jesus, is not simply for the faithful individual, or merely for the faithful community, but rather is universal in scope. The power in the cross of Jesus is nothing less than the power of God. Therefore, the name or power of Jesus is absolutely superior to all other powers. In fact, it is the only real power. Nothing can resist that power, so when it is fully manifest at the day of Christ Jesus, every knee will bow in submission to it. None are excluded, whether in heaven, on earth, or under the earth. The confession that is now made in the church by faith will finally be made by every tongue: Jesus Christ is Lord (2:11).

Notice that Jesus, in this connection, puts aside identity with God. As the agent of God who participates in the form of God as the revelation of God, Jesus subordinates himself to God in obedient service. All that Jesus does points beyond himself to God. His lordship is the exaltation of lowliness, the glory of humility, the fullness of emptiness, the life of death, the joy of suffering, the freedom of slavery. Therefore, at the day of Christ Jesus when every knee bows at the name of Jesus, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, it is not for his glory but to the glory of God the Creator.

Philippians 2:12-13. The reference in this passage to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (2:12) is often lifted out of context and interpreted to mean that salvation is a human achievement, which is the result of anxious and fearful striving. Nothing could have been farther from Paul’s mind. What he is saying here to the saints at Philippi is that their obedience of faith is God’s work in them. They can confidently depend on God to continue to work for the perfection of their salvation in obedient service. The reference to fear and trembling is a warning that turning away from God’s work to trust their own work will inevitably separate them from God and condemn them to anxious self-seeking. Once again, Paul is reminding the saints that a manner of life worthy of the gospel (1:27) is a life created by the gospel, sustained by the gospel, and perfected by the gospel. In short, God is glorified by the saints who follow Jesus Christ on the way of absolute dependence on God. Just as Jesus Christ’s lordship is to the glory of God the Creator, so their sainthood is to the glory of God the Creator.

Philippians 2:17-18; 3:1. Paul used the language of the temple liturgy of Hebrew tradition to dramatize the possibility that his ministry to the saints at Philippi might cost his life. The imagery of a drink offering poured on the sacrifice and service of their faith is used here to remind the saints that their worship is a public act of allegiance to Christ; it involves them, as it involves Paul, in suffering for Christ’s sake. Suffering is not an end in itself or motivated by a martyr complex. Instead, it is the consequence of public loyalty to Christ, which challenges all other loyalties and exposes the saints to the same hostility that Jesus experienced. Moreover, loyalty to Christ is not simply a verbal transaction; it is obedience even unto death. Since Jesus Christ’s lordship was revealed in human history, in his life given for others, the confession of his lordship in human history is life given for others or, as Paul puts it here, a life poured out as an offering on the sacrifice of faith.

So the suffering of Paul and the saints is not a sign of their defeat or failure, but rather the distinctive mark of their victory and success. But this victory and this success are hidden in their history under the sign of the cross and are theirs only in the sense of faith in Christ as the exalted Lord of death itself. For this reason, Paul is glad and rejoices with all the saints. For this reason also, he reminds them that in a warped and crooked generation (2:15), they should be glad and rejoice with him. Here Paul witnesses to the radical reversal of Christian faith that transforms the circumstances of despair into hope and finds in the terrible testing of suffering and death the ground for gladness and joy. Paul is not whistling in the dark but announcing his faith when he tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord! (3:1).

DIMENSION THREE:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN TO ME?

Philippians 1:1—Who Are We?

The participant book encourages participants to consider the words servant (slave) and saint as clues to Christian self-understanding. One of the major barriers to a discussion of these words is their familiarity. Members of the class have heard them before and have some preconceived notions of what they mean.

Perhaps you can begin a discussion by asking each person to tell his or her perceptions of what these words mean. Test to see if a consensus of understanding is emerging in the group. This exercise will help participants experience the words anew and appropriate new insights as they come to voice in the discussion.

The exercise also may lead directly into a consideration of the meaning Paul had in mind as he referred to himself and Timothy as servants and to the members of the Philippian church as saints (God’s holy people).

The distinctive Pauline meaning of the words arises from the fact that the apostle used them to describe relationships to Christ. Paul and Timothy were servants of Christ; the Philippian believers were saints in Christ. Guide participants into a period of reflection on the way our fundamental self-identity is usually a matter of relationships. We are children of our parents, husbands or wives of our spouses, employees of our companies, citizens of our nations, members of our political parties, and so on. Point out how relationships are usually specific and local. This opens the way to consider how personal identity is realized in communities of support and responsibility. Long before we are conscious of our identity, we are told who we are; we are given names; we are accepted into a community.

How are the relationships implied in the words servant and saint created? How does Christian faith begin? Ask members of the class to report their Christian origins. Are there common points of emphasis running through a variety of experiences? Does the relationship to Christ create unity in diversity? Are the differences that divide the result of maintaining relationships with Christ or of neglecting those relationships?

As a conclusion to the issue of Christian identity, remind participants of the sacrament of baptism as a dramatic enactment of uniquely Christian relationships. How is baptism a symbol of God’s action in Christ that creates servants of Christ and saints in Christ?

Philippians 1:27–2:18—What Must We Do?

When we know who we are, we will know what we must do. Ask participants to discuss whether this statement is borne out in their experience. Explore with them the connection between knowing who you are in relationships to family, to work, to neighborhood, and to state and nation, and knowing what you must do in these