Philippians and Titus: A Pentecostal Commentary

By DR. MATTHEW N. O. SADIKU

Every serious student of the Bible desires to understand the text, discover the biblical principles, and apply the truths to his or her life. This commentary is designed to help students, pastors, and Bible teachers understand Philippians and Titus in a simple manner. Working from the popular New International Version (NIV), the author provides helpful commentary on the text verse by verse.
This verse-by-verse commentary is different from others in two respects. First, it is brief while some commentaries are unnecessarily wordy and verbose. Second, it is Pentecostal in outlook. This implies that we generally adhere to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and adopt a literalist approach to the interpretation of the Bible.
Philippians is a joyful, personal letter. It teaches that real unity and joy are possible only in Jesus Christ. Discover Pauls secret to finding joy in Christ.
Titus is one of the Pastoral Epistles. It deals with the need of godliness in the church, in the home, and in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466999183

DR. MATTHEW N. O. SADIKU

Matthew N. O. Sadiku is a professor at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas. Before joining Prairie View, he taught at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, and Temple University, Philadelphia. He is the author of over 220 professional articles and over forty books, including Secrets of Successful Marriages, How to Discover God’s Will for Your Life, and commentaries on Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians. His books are used worldwide, and some of them have been translated into French, Korean, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish. He can be reached via e-mail at [e-mail].

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© Copyright 2013 Dr. Matthew N. O. Sadiku.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Unless otherwise stated, scripture quotations are from the

New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, used by

permission of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4669-9919-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-9918-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013910649

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CONTENTS

Preface

Abbreviations

Part 1: Philippians

Introduction To Philippians

1 Salutation

2 Thanksgiving And Prayer

3 The Gospel First

4 The Joy Of Ministry

5 Exhortation To Humility

6 Shining As Stars

7 Model Servants

8 Knowing Christ

9 Following Christ

10 Exhortations

11 Content In Christ

12 Final Greetings

Part 2: Titus

Introduction To Titus

13 Salutation

14 Qualifications Of Church Leaders

15 Confronting False Teachers

16 Family Relationships

17 Grace For Living

18 Living In Society

19 Final Messages

Selected Bibliography

To

Christopher and Christianah Falade

PREFACE

Earnest Christians are hungry for information that makes their Bible come alive. The Christian life can be described as getting to know God better every day. Every Christian should regularly—daily—read the Word of God. We should find time for quiet time or personal devotion. The reason we have so many bad days is that we do not spend time with God. We must spend time with God if we want His blessings on our lives and we want to hear from Him.

For over 20 years I have been using commentaries in my daily devotion. The blessings derived from the commentaries is overwhelming. I am writing this commentary to share some of those blessings and lessons I have learned over the years.

This commentary provides verse-by-verse exposition and application on Philippians and Titus. (The reason for combining Philippians and Titus in one volume is that they are both short and written by Paul.) It is different from others in two respects. First, it is brief while some commentaries are wordy and verbose. This commentary does not delve into critical and exegetical details. Therefore, the limits of this commentary forbid that we consider all the views concerning any issue, but an attempt will be made to provide a brief, sound, yet scholarly, view. Second, it is Pentecostal in outlook. This implies that we generally adhere to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and adopt a literalist approach to the interpretation of the Bible. Pentecostal doctrines include speaking in tongues, gifts of the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders, divine inspiration, divine healing, Christian prophets, and apostles today, to mention but a few. The early church was basically Pentecostal in nature, i.e. it exercised considerable freedom of the Spirit in its life and worship.

In order to provide a readable text, this commentary is based on the New International Version (NIV) translation. The commentary is for laymen, pastors, teachers, and students of the Word. It is designed to enrich your quiet time or personal study by making the commentary clear and simple. With the Bible in one hand and the commentary in the other, you will be able to unpack the truths of the Word of God. It is my prayer that this commentary brings you both delight and insight in understanding God’s Word.

I owe a great deal to all who have written on Philippians and Titus before me. It is my pleasure and honor to thank Livinus Maduka, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi, and Dr. Linus Ojukwu for reviewing the entire manuscript. Special thanks are due for my wife for her constant support and prayer.

ABBREVIATIONS

PART 1—

PHILIPPIANS

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS

Apart from Philemon, the epistle to the Philippians is the most personal of all of the Pauline epistles. The terms I, me, my, and myself appear about 120 times, making Philippians one of Paul’s most personal epistles. Also, joy dominates the letter; the concept of joy or rejoicing appears 16 times in 4 chapters or 104 verses. The epistle has been called our joy in troubled times.¹ To Paul, the church at Philippi was his joy and crown (4:1). Any believer who is feeling down or discouraged should study Philippians. This is recommended because there is no book in the Bible that is so filled with joy as Philippians.

Before we journey through this exciting letter, we should first consider some preliminary matters—authorship, the recipient, the occasion, and the message—concerning this letter.

Authorship

Philippians and Philemon are Paul’s prison letters whose authorship is not seriously disputed. No serious objection to Pauline authorship of Philippians exists today. All evidence points to Paul as the author of the epistle. However, the letter has been termed spurious by F. C. Baur. His criticisms have been refuted several times by Bible scholars.

The only serious question of authorship concerns the integrity of Philippians. Dividing the book into multiple letters is the product of scholarly speculation. Some scholars believe that the present form of Philippians consists of two or three different letters written at different times. All the theories of multiple letters are based on imagination, not on textual evidence. The traditional position is that Philippians was composed as one letter. This remains the least problematic theory.

Paul means little, in contrast to his former name Saul, which means asked or prayed for. Luke makes a transition from using the Hebrew name Saul to the Roman name Paul in Acts 13:9. We know for sure that Paul was a Jew and was born in Tarsus, a city about 700 miles north of Jerusalem and capital of the Roman province of Cilicia (Acts 22:3). Paul’s father was a Jew who migrated to Tarsus. He was a Pharisee. His son Paul was raised a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). Paul was born a Roman citizen, not a naturalized citizen. As a Jew, Paul learned the OT, the law and the traditions. As a Greek, he received typical Greek education comprising music, history, religion, philosophy, poetry, and science. Roman culture, Jewish culture, and Greek culture—all summed up in this one man and prepared him to write Philippians.

Paul was in prison for four or five years; the first half of this period was spent at Caesarea, while the second half at Rome. While in prison, he wrote four letters: Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon. (Paul possibly might not have written them if he was not in prison.) While Philippians stands alone, Colossians is the link between the other two. Assuming that they were all written in Rome, Philippians should be placed early in the Roman captivity and the other three letters later. It was written from Paul’s imprisonment from Rome at about AD 62. Paul was finally beheaded by Emperor Nero around AD 68.

Recipient

The city of Philippi was founded in 356 BC and named after Philip II, king of Macedon and father of Alexander the Great. It was located in the northern part of modern Greece. It was a gold-mining town. (It was the gold mines that attracted Philip II.) It later became a Roman colony in 31 BC, permitting discharged Roman military veterans to settle there. Latin became the official language of Philippi. At every turn in the city, one was confronted with Rome: Roman language, Roman-style clothes, Roman customs, Roman house, Roman officials, Roman soldiers, and Roman merchants. In a sense, All roads lead to Rome—the most important city in the empire. Military towns did not attract Jews until they became commercial centers, so there were hardly any Hebrews and hence no synagogue in Philippi.²

The Philippian church was founded by Paul during his second missionary journey around AD 51. (It was the first church Paul founded in Europe.) His associates were Silas, Timothy, and Luke. As usual, when Paul and his team got to Philippi, they looked for a synagogue. They could not find one in the entire city. (Philippi did not have a quorum of ten Jewish men necessary to establish a Jewish synagogue.) Therefore, they went to the riverside outside the city gates and met there with those who practiced the Jewish faith.

The establishment of the Philippian church marked the entrance of the gospel into Europe. Christianity reached Macedonia or Philippi less than 20 years after the death of Christ. The beginning of the church was recorded in Acts 16. (Luke’s special interest in the city has been taken to mean his civic pride in his own place of origin.) It was a man of Macedonia who invited the Paul to Europe; but his first convert there was a woman. The story of Paul’s brief stay in Philippi centers around three people: Lydia, the slave girl, and the Roman jailer. Lydia was from the city of Thyatira and a merchant dealing in purple-dyed fabrics. She was already a proselyte to Jewish religion. After her conversion, Lydia invited Paul and his team to her home. Lydia and the jailer and their households were baptized into Christ. They formed the first members of the church in Philippi.

Occasion

With the possible exception of a few, Paul’s letters were written to meet some specific needs. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.³ Paul wrote to the Philippians for two reason: to thank the Philippians for a gift and to plead for unity.

The Philippians sent Paul a gift through Epaphroditus. But Epaphroditus became ill and was homesick. Paul sent him home. Epaphroditus carried Paul’s letter of thanks to Philippi. The Philippian church was about 12 years old when Paul wrote the church in AD 62.

Message

If you ask a number of believers to name which Pauline letter they like best, the majority might say Philippians. We like Philippians because we like the Paul we meet there. The letter is full of memorable passages. Here is a sample of my favorities:

• For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:21).

• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (2:3).

• Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (2:12,13)

•