Philippians: the Theology of Joy: Understanding Paul's Perspective on Rejoicing in the Spirit

By Edward L. Kanniah

Joy in the Christian life has never been a divine suggestion but an indelible part of His new creation, yet we have found that much of what is today dubbed Christianity lacks this intrinsic feature. As to naming the source of the problem, we have found many views. But this author has but one to name, and that is the laziness of modern Christians in understanding their position in Christ. Christians do not make the study of the scriptures a lifestyle. Joy, as a concept, was God’s invention, not man’s, and yet today, people are convinced that they can obtain this blessing without Him. He gave it and outlined only in His Word how to get it and keep it. This is why I call it a theology and not a philosophy. It requires thinking biblically.

A pastor of a local church and loves teaching the Bible verse by verse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973629054

Edward L. Kanniah

A pastor of a local church and loves teaching the Bible verse by verse.

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Copyright © 2019 Edward L. Kanniah.

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WestBow Press rev. date: 12/10/2018

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Dedication

1

Philippians 1:1–2

Philippians 1:3-8

Philippians 1:9-10

Philippians 1:11 From a crackpot to a fruit bowl.

Philippians 1:12-14. When bad things happen for good reasons.

Philippians 1:15-18

Phil. 1:19-20. When Trials become Triumphs.

Philippians 1:19 -continued

Philippians 1:20a

Philippians 1:20b Magnifying Christ in my body

Philippians 1:21

Philippians 1:22-26

Phil. 1:27-30. Christian Character in a Careless World (part 1).

Phil. 1:27-30. Christian Character in a Careless World (part 2)

Phil. 1:29-30. Christian Character in a Careless World (part 3)

2

Philippians 2:1

Philippians 2:2-4

Philippians 2: 5 Mind Does Matter 1. The Plan of Humility for Unity

Phil.2:6. Mind does Matter 2 ‘The Pattern of Humility is for Harmony’

Phil.2:7-8. Mind does Matter 3 ‘The Picture of Humility is for Dignity’

Philippians 2:9-11

Philippians 2:12-15

Philippians 2:16-18

Philippians 2:19-24

Philippians 2:25-30

3

Philippians 3:1-3. The truly righteous and the traditionally religious.

Philippians 3:3-6. What is a Christian?

Philippians 3:4-6. Religious Duties do not impress God.

Philippians 3:7-9

Philippians 3:10-11

Philippians 3:12-14

Philippians 3: 15-16

Philippians 3:17-19

Philippians 3:20-21

4

Philippians 4:1

Philippians 4:2-3

Philippians 4:4

Philippians 4:5

Philippians 4:6. The Antidote to Anxiety

Philippians 4:6b

Philippians 4:7

Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:9. Do you or don’t you?

Philippians 4:10

Philippians 4:11

Philippians 4:12

Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:14

Philippians 4:15-17

Philippians 4:18-20

Philippians 4: 21–23. The Grace of Greeting.

Thus we conclude Philippians.

Postscript

Bibliography

Preface

The following expositions on this most marvellous book of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians were given at Calvary Baptist Church from Feb 2009 to May 2010. Consequently, it is then dedicated to all those who sat through every Sunday morning during that period and gleaned all that they did. The writer had purposed to give this series as a testimony to his congregation of the majesty of God’s Word. The need for it to be put into print arose from people requesting copies of the sermons and for this I am thankful to the Lord.

We have explained, as best as we could, all that we saw as pertinent from every verse. I would never call this exposition a full and final settlement of the book. Such a claim would betray my view of scripture as God’s Word and as God’s Word no one man can plumb all its depths.

Moreover, this offering is not in any way meant to substitute your own study of the sacred text and if used that way will insult the effort of the author and his time. Having stated that fact, this is why we include a bibliography of books at the end that I have benefitted from and recommend to you to read so as to compliment your further study of Philippians. Therefore, we advise that you read it alongside your study of Philippians rather than instead of it.

Edward Kanniah

Calvary Baptist Church

Sunnyridge, Germiston, RSA

May 2010

Introduction

The study of the scriptures must always lead one to glorify God. Indeed, that is the chief end of man. Aside from that goal everything else is subsidiary. Our philosophy of preaching is premised on that which the apostle had told Timothy that ‘all Scripture is given by inspiration of God’ (2 Tim. 3:16). That means that every word is inspired not just the general content or the major import and as such we endeavour to exposit, as far as is possible, every word of God.

Joy in the Christian life has never been a divine suggestion but an indelible part of His new creation, yet we have found that much of what is today dubbed Christianity lacks this intrinsic feature. As to naming the source of the problem we have found many views, but this author has but one to name and that is laziness in modern Christians to understand their position in Christ. Christians do not make study of the Scriptures a lifestyle. The said study is reduced to a necessary inconvenience reserved only for the pastor or Sunday school teacher and consequently the Bible becomes just a Sunday book or, given the fancy bible covers, an accessory to match the said church outfit. We are not to use the Bible as an accessory but rather we are told to adorn the doctrine of God (Titus 2:10). That being the case we decided to title this book ‘The Theology of Joy’ for we believe this to be, not an option but more importantly, a theological fact. This is why you will not find a certain amount of ‘steps’ to joy but a verse by verse exposition leading and prompting you gently on towards this condition. Joy, as a concept, was God’s invention not mans and yet today people are convinced that they can obtain this blessing without Him. He gave it and outlined only in His Word how to get it and keep it. This is why I call it a theology and not a philosophy. It requires thinking, and that Biblically, not feeling. Furthermore, as Ben Witherington III (2011: 55) explains:

"The emphasis on thinking and mental reflection makes Philippians stand out from the other Pauline documents with some ten uses of phroneō and its cognates in Philippians compared to only eleven in all the other undisputed Paulines."

Therefore, it is my prayer that what you learn herein will cause you to think as Paul does and not only to think but also to unite your heart to fear His name (Ps. 86:11) and further to also excite your heart to rejoice in Him (Ps. 85:6).

Many technical aspects such as the background and geography pertinent to this church are related more incidentally rather than officially. Alternative interpretations are not afforded space given the nature of this undertaking and consequently dubious word studies are avoided not because the author feels them to be a drab. Rather he has attempted the same and simply put out naturally what was gleaned scientifically without copiously bothering the reader. Again, we refer you to our bibliography for such perusals. As stated above we are not here providing you with a commentary but a companion to your reading of the book of Philippians. It is aimed at nurturing the young or even the unaided Christian in understanding and deepening their walk with God and a serious commitment to the work of His grace under the auspices of a local Church. We believe this is indelibly linked to Paul’s theology of joy. Mine is the effort to attempt to help deepen your walk with God and your love for Him. Psalm 5:11c Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. We also pray that you are caused to rejoice in Him so that the word of the Psalmist in 108:7 rings throughout the Earth, God has spoken in His holiness: I will rejoice."

Dedication

To Dad.

For providing me with a legacy so that unlike Sarah my laughter will not be one without faith.

1

Philippians 1:1–2

This epistle stands as a tribute to the obedience of Paul in his mission work. Paul had arrived here ten years before, and from a small, unofficial riverside gathering of women, he planted this church inside a famous Roman colony. Why did Paul choose to come here? Actually, he didn’t. In reading Acts 16:8–15, we get the background to it. God chose for him to come here, and Paul chose to obey. Why are you at the church that you are at? Is it really the place you want to be? You need to ask whether this is where God wants you to be. Does humility characterize the outflow of your decisions? Is unity the key factor in your choices? This is what the book (and this section) will reveal.

In Acts 16:9–10, Paul was instructed in a vision to go to Macedonia. It was his second missionary journey, and he was, at this point, able to take Timothy, Luke, and Silas with him. Without the mind of God in missions, we are not at liberty to answer why Paul was not allowed to go to Asia. We can only be thankful that he came to this region, and thus this church was born as a result of his mission work. When Paul was writing this letter, Emperor Nero was ruling the empire; historians tell us that Nero was a prolific author. How ironic is God’s justice that none of it remains to prove that fact, yet the writings of Paul permeate not only the church but secular history too.

There was in his vision a man who said, "Come over and help us" (emphasis mine). Paul was to help and not to go over there and do nothing. Where there is no gospel, help is needed. This man must have been the Lord, as according to Acts 16 there were no saved men in Philippi, only women conducting a prayer meeting.

The apostle Paul was under house arrest when he wrote this epistle, and he was free to receive visitors. One such guest was a man called Epaphroditus. He brought tidings and a gift for Paul, and Paul sent this letter back with him. It is reasonable to conclude that Paul was very fond of this church at Philippi. It began when Paul and his company went down to the river where a group of women were gathering (Acts 16:13). One of these, and probably even the leader, was a woman named Lydia. She was a businesswoman who was a seller of purple—she sold a dyed cloth that was fashionable among the upper class. She was the first convert in that region, and that was how this church was born. Do not despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10). You can see by this that the Jewish population was very small, for you needed a minimum of ten men to start a synagogue. The Lord works in ways that are far outside the logic of a human mind.

It was not all that easy to start this church, for every day as they went to the gathering, a demon-possessed girl followed them and kept crying out at them until Paul commanded the demon to come out of her. There is a principle that must not go unnoticed, and it is that wherever God is working, you can be sure that the devil is not far behind. Her owners, who kept her as a slave to perform divinations for the people,¹ were upset now that their moneymaking scheme was fouled, and this got Paul and Silas arrested; you will remember that they sang in that jail, and at midnight there was an earthquake and the doors were flung open. The jailer thought Paul and Silas had escaped and was about to kill himself; Paul called out to him and spoke the gospel message to him, and he got saved. All this we read in Acts 16. That, by the way, was ten years prior to the planting of this church.

From the mention of the Praetorian Guard (the palace guard) in Philippians 1:13 to the mention of Caesar’s household in 4:22, we are sure that Paul was in Rome when he wrote this. Moreover, he was an arrested man, and this time he was in a guarded house, so the church put some money together and sent it with Epaphroditus. While at Rome, Epaphroditus got sick and likely would have died if not for the Lord’s grace (Phil. 2:26–27).

It is truly an epistle of joy, for the words joy and rejoice in all their forms appear fourteen times in four chapters. At best we could refer to it as a thank-you letter: Thank you for the money, the gift, the ministry of love, and the prayers. Have we not had to write letters like that to those who have blessed us? This is why this is not a treatise or a dissertation of sorts, where Paul in his usual style is defending some great doctrine or opposing some heresy. This is also why there are no Old Testament quotations. The section on the kenosis (Phil. 3:5–11) was not written to defend the doctrine; it was merely a doxological expression, which many believe to be a song.

Paul and Timothy

Timothy is mentioned alongside Paul for three reasons. First, it is probable that he was involved with Paul in the evangelization of Macedonia (Witherington 2011, 41). Second, it is probable that the Philippians were acquainted with Timothy (Phil. 2:19), and Paul inserts his name to excite some fondness in them. Third, given the context of this epistle, Paul wants to display the very thing he requires from this church—and that is to regard others in the church as equals. Therefore, he does not assert his apostolic rights like in other epistles. For example, in the Galatian epistle he had to do so because it came under attack in those churches from his opponents (Gal. 1:1), but that is clearly not the case in this epistle. This letter is motivated by more personal matters (Runge 2011). Furthermore, by so doing, Paul is also respecting the leadership here. He is coming in as an equal. He is not trying to palm himself off as one superior, for he says in 3:12 that he has not attained, and in verse 13 he says that he has not apprehended. It is by the grace of God that he is an apostle and not of anything in himself. The principle here is well expressed in 2:4, when it reads, Look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.² Put others first even if that means taking a step back. Taking a step back does not mean relinquishing or abandoning responsibilities; it only means that one’s temperament and personality must be toned down if it’s offending others. This is so humble and in keeping with the spirit of unity. As much as joy is a choice (Swindoll 1991, 34), so is humility.

At this point, he is so aware of the discord in the church and the sensitivity behind it all that as a typical pastor he tries his best to promote a spirit of unity. This is also evidenced by the fact that he couples his name with that of Timothy. Timothy means he who honors God. What contrasting temperaments. Paul was forthright and bold, while Timothy was timid. This is unity in humility! I call it unimility! The old man with the young man! Age and youth must work together. This is exactly what it will take to grow the church. It will be a collective effort. Youth cannot work without maturity for a lack of experience, and age should not work without youth for a lack of strength. The aged apostle John, also recognizing this fact, wrote in 1 John 2:14, I have written to you, young men, because you are strong. It’s a collective effort!

Bondservants of Jesus Christ

Paul first identifies himself and Timothy, and now he describes the two of them. What a humble way to introduce oneself and not flaunt one’s titles. As pointed out above, the defense of his apostleship is not an issue here; internal disunity is the issue, and therefore, by this designation he begs for humility as he portrayed in that marvelous section regarding Christ (Phil. 2:5–11). It seems that the issue of his apostleship was not a concern in any of his Macedonian churches, for he has omitted it in the Thessalonian epistles as well. By using this designation, he exhorts the Philippians to adopt this attitude. They are very much tied and married to the cause of Christ. The term shows unanimity with each other in the cause of Christ. It is an unquestionable allegiance to one who is greater than I; it’s an unswerving commitment that is voluntary. Two scriptural examples will support the point. In Exodus 21:5–6 we read, But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ Then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the door post, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. Then in 1 Corinthians 7:22, Paul writes, For he who is called in the Lord, while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise, he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. Everyone is committed to a cause. Not me, you might say, I prefer to be neutral." Let me remind you that is also a cause! Neutrality is a position! Why not commit to the cause of Christ?

All apostles are servants, but not all servants are apostles. A servant speaks with humility, and an apostle speaks with authority. A servant is not without dignity, and by such designation, he is in good company with Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David; in fact, according to Jeremiah 25:4, all the prophets were servants. The greatest of servants was our Lord Himself. A servant is one that is prepared to die for the cause of Christ. Swindoll (1991:35) summarizes Kenneth Wuest as follows, The Greek term translated servant means many things: One bound to another … by the bands of constraining love … one in such close relationship to another that only death could break the bond … one whose will is swallowed up in the sweet will of God … one who serves another (Christ) … with reckless abandon, not regarding his or her own interests. No one would argue that this describes Paul perfectly and by association it describes Timothy too. Servanthood is a privilege not a right!

To all the saints: A saint is someone who has been set apart and consecrated to the service of God and unlike Pope John Paul II who it is claimed sainted more people than all of his predecessors combined true saints are ones who have been saved by grace through faith for God glory and service. They are, as Paul defines, servants of Jesus Christ.

They are bondservants ‘TO’ the saints. This implies action. This is to all of them not just a select few or his favourite people. A pastor does not have favorites; he must love everybody within his fold. In 1:4 making request for you all. In 1:7 he has all of them in his heart and they are all partakers with him in grace. In 1:8 he longs for them all. In 1:25 "I shall continue with you all for your progress.’ In 2:17 ‘I rejoice with you all.’ In 2:26 even Epaphroditus was ‘longing for them all.’ In 4:21 He sends greetings to ‘every’ saint. Whatever he has to say must be said to all. This is also very practical because it makes him a transparent man. Housed within this phrase ‘all the saints’ is the utopia that the Psalmist envisioned when he wrote in 133:1 How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is good, and it is pleasant, but this kind involves sacrifice. You will find that mature people will be ready to sacrifice, and immature people won’t. Sacrifice and compromise are not dissimilar. Compromise is when a major doctrine is being violated and sacrifice is when your ego is being crucified.

There are 6 couples here: 1. Paul & Tim. 2. Bondservants & saints. 3. in Christ & in Philippi 4. Bishops & deacons. 5. Grace & peace. 6. God & Christ. He identifies them and then describes them. Then he moves to them. He reminds them of their salvation and security and their leadership and direction. Then he talks about virtues that can only be experienced in God through Christ. Now are you ready for the epistle?

In Christ Jesus: Their spiritual location speaks also of their security. Most people today have difficulty with understanding their purpose in life because they do not understand their position in life. They cannot make head or tail with their lives because they do not understand, nay, appreciate the fact that they are fixed as secure with Christ. The preposition ‘in’ denotes that. Many issues of the day with us, if we are honest enough to admit, have to do with security, whether of our investments, or marriages, or jobs, etc. Here we are pointed immediately to a spiritual fact that transcends the material. The saints are mentioned first before the servants because if there are no saints there will not be any servants. The fact that they are called saints is another indication that such a designation has to do with security. This is an adjective and describes one that is separated unto God for a purpose. Paul and Timothy were servants because they were saints and a saint is a servant. There is no one-upmanship here because we are all one in Christ. It is because of Christ that we have salvation and it also because of Him that we security. Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus and in vs. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

Paul uses the phrase ‘Christ Jesus’ nine times in this book, more than in any N.T. book rivalled only by first Timothy where he uses it 8 times. This is how he first met Him -as the Messiah saviour and as One that was glorified. Where we find ‘Christ Jesus’ it refers to His royal office and where we find ‘Jesus Christ’ it refers to His humble office like ‘bondservants of Jesus Christ.’

Who are in Philippi: This is to remind them of their testimony to unbelievers and their responsibility to them. God never puts you in a place for nothing. You stay where you do because God brought you there. You work where you work because God brought you there. You attend the church that you do because God brought you there. The physical address is a reminder that they are in the world but not of it. We are separated from this world in terms of holiness, but we still must evangelize them. That is why Monasticism was never God’s intention for it defeats the purpose of evangelism. Separation is your right, but evangelism is your responsibility. ‘In Philippi’ also speaks about your testimony because that is the public amongst whom you are. People are watching you (your testimony) and people are waiting for you (your responsibility).

With the Bishops and deacons: It is an act of grace that this church is not without leadership and that biblical leadership. When a church has godly leadership there will be joy. Notice also that it is in the plural, which only means that they had abundance of leadership now as opposed to when Paul first found them on that rivers edge, where there were no men at all. The saints are with them not below them, yet they are there to serve as spiritual protectors and under shepherds. Just because we are all one does not mean that there should be no structural leadership.

The word with indicates that the message was also for the leadership as well as the laity. Yes, the people must exemplify joy but think of it. Imagine the leadership all sour faced and indignant. A leadership without joy is a dictatorship. If anything is to be practiced in the local church it must first be practiced among the leadership.

Witherington (2011:47) points out, "Episkopos in non-religious contexts refers to the commissioner of a new colony, including a Roman colony." Perhaps he is trying to remind them that they are a new colony of faith with a heavenly citizenship (3:20). Bishops are no higher than deacons any more than God is higher than Christ and deacons are no lower than Bishops any more that Christ is lower than God. It’s dangerous to push the analogy too far because there is nothing on earth to compare the relationship of God the Father and His Beloved Son. The difference between God and His Son is one of rank not essence.

Deacons assist the ministry. The office arose as a ‘dispute’ in Acts 6. The apostles, instead of being sidetracked by this dispute, purposed to have such helpers and deacons, since then, are vital to the administration of the local Church.

So he greets them and now he graces them.

Vs. 2. Grace to you: The Romans and Greeks used to say, ‘greetings to you.’ Paul’s greeting was different. For him grace always precedes peace and the two are never swopped. The grace that is mentioned here is not the grace that is necessary for conversion to Christ but the grace necessary for constancy in Christ – not for salvation but for sanctification. This is what the writer of Hebrews talks about in 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Grace produces peace and peace produces joy. This schema can also be seen in the Upper Room discourse that our Lord left for His Church in John 15. This is the gospel story! In Greek mythology everything Midas touched turned to gold and in biblical history everything Paul touched turned into the gospel. Well said Philip Doddridge (ed, Peterson, 1968) "Grace tis a charming sound harmonious to the ear, heaven with the echo shall resound and all the earth will hear.’ The life without grace is a life without God. The same grace that saves is the same grace that sanctifies.

And peace to you: If grace comes from above and without us then peace comes from within. However, it is a by-product of grace and is essentially the Christmas story. It is a word that means bind together (Swindoll, 1991:37). It is where we get our English word ‘Irenic’. Just like with grace Paul is not here talking about Peace with God, which is attained at conversion but peace of God (4:7), which is enjoyed through communion. This is vital for a relationship with God our Father.

Peace is the antithesis of confusion. 1 Cor. 14:33 God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Peace comes from God. Romans 15: 33 & 16:20 call Him the God of peace. Peace comes from the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:22 point out that it is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Romans 14:17 declares that peace is in the Holy Spirit. Outside of the Holy Spirit you cannot have peace and not to know God is never to have peace. That is why when announcing the birth of our dear saviour the angels said to the shepherds in Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men or towards men of God’s grace.

From God our Father: Where does it come from? Man’s pursuit? No! It comes from God in terms of His authorship and as Father in terms of His relationship. Paul and Timothy had a father and son relationship. God is our Father, what sweet music that is to know. He is not a tyrant. This is about working together for God’s glory. God our Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ shows us that they work together for their own glory too.

But He is only our Father because of the following:

And the Lord Jesus Christ: His equality with God is seen in this naturally following statement with the conjunction ‘and’. As Jesus Christ He is Saviour of the world, as Christ Jesus He is the Messiah of the world and as Lord Jesus Christ, He is sovereign over death Hell and the grave and over the world of Satan. This title He shares with no one. He is Lord! People do not make Him Lord. He is Lord! He was Lord at His birth, death and will still be Lord when He returns to rule this Earth. In the book of Acts, He is mentioned as ‘Lord’ 92 times and as ‘Saviour’ twice.

What does it take to start a church?

The above will evince that across the gender, language, financial, societal barriers God calls out people for His Church.

Tensions: The Romans conquered the Greeks (as prophesied in Dan. Ch. 8) but they retained the name Philippi and from a city of enormous importance it became a colony. Talk about humility! Due to some more fighting which involved Antony and Cleopatra, Emperor Octavian made them stay there instead of in Rome. So they were basically citizens of two cities. Philippi became a home away from home. They were citizens of Rome but living in Macedonia. Just like us Christians, citizens of heaven but living on earth. Philippi was a gateway to Asia. It was literally between two worlds. Alexander the great began his venture to conquer the world from here.

Paul was free, yet he was writing this in chains (1:12-16). J.D. Pawson says, You can hear the clanging of the chains throughout the epistle.

Conclusion

Although called by Paul in 4:1 his ‘joy and crown’ they were not without their problems. Their infighting bothered him (4:2) as he begged Euodia and Syntyche to reconcile. In 2:14 they were given to ‘murmuring and complaining.’ It could also be that in 4:19 they were given to financial worry and that too robs you of your Joy. Yet we read in 2 Cor. 8:2 regarding this church, How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. The joy of a pastor is to see people grow.

For life, liberty and the pursuit of Joy this book is a wonderful study. In chapter 1 he thanks them for their generosity. In chapter 2 he encourages them against their despondency. In chapter 3 he warns them against disunity and finally in chapter 4 he encourages them to dependency.

From the quiet prayer meeting beside a gentle stream to the violent earthquake inside a prison, sandwiched by a bothersome clairvoyant demon possessed girl, this church was born. From the prayer of the woman to the praise of Paul and Silas in the jail to the power of God against the devil we have the Philippian church. Yes, the gates of hell will not prevail and where the work of the Lord is the devil is not far behind.

187 rock reliefs were found in Philippi and 80 of them bearing images to the goddess Dianna. The others to other gods! This was a hotbed of paganism and polytheism. All of these gods were demagogues that fought and killed for their rights to be gods whereas the One presented here is contrasted by humility. It is time for unimility and this glorifies God.

Philippians 1:3-8

Humility, we discovered was the vital key to unlocking this epistle and by way of application it is just as crucial in unlocking joy in our lives. The utopia of unity can only be realized through humility, hence our term unimility. Instead of writing ‘saint Paul to the servants in Philippi’ we read ‘servant Paul to the saints in Philippi’. Paul changes the style not the structure of an average Greco-Roman letter. They too would identify themselves then greet the recipients and then proceed to thank the gods for their health, wealth and prosperity. Paul, on the other hand, thanks God in Christ. He can take a simple ‘howzit boet’³ and change it into the gospel. In those 6 couplets above we find all the themes that we will face in these pages. Everything that is going to be explained in greater detail later was condensed in those 6 pregnant couples.

We saw who wrote it, to whom it was written to and now we must consider why he wrote it. Paul has a pastoral concern for this church (every church) and how best to show it than to pray. He does not hide the obvious fact that there are relationship disorders, on the contrary he enumerates it candidly. A pastor looks at his congregation and he is aware of their plights and problems - the battering from without and the bickering from within. He notices all too well the lack of humility and is sometimes overwhelmed by it all, but he cannot live in denial about it. He must acknowledge it and move forward. More so, in spite of it, he must remain thankful and joyful and the only way to do that is to be found in prayer.

As an outline in this section we have his confidence in 1:3-8 and his concern 1:9-11. This is called the chapter of the ‘gospel of Christ’ because, really, all he writes is a preamble to that monumental statement in 1:27.

Prayer is that all-inclusive term that must involve ‘thanks’ and ‘requests.’ Although verses 3-7 is one complex thought (Runge, 2011) and is written as one long sentence⁴ but we shall deal with each verse separately and hopefully not lose the essence in so doing.

Vs. 3. Romans 1:21 reads, "Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although this is describing the unbeliever, but the image is stark. They were not thankful and consequently unable to glorify God. Thankfulness is at the heart of prayer. Witherington (2011:52) notes, Though these verses have often been called a prayer, in fact this is not quite correct. It is rather a report of what Paul says in all his prayers of petition, what he believes about his converts, and what he hopes, and trusts will be true about them in the future." For the mere fact of prayer, we should be thankful that God has designed this measure of communication with Him. Sometimes our prayers are peppered with give me, bless me, take me, and bring me, that we forget to say thank you to Him.

Paul says he thanks ‘my God’. C. S. Lewis used to say that he did not like the expression ‘my God’ because for him it conveyed the idea of ownership, like saying ‘my car.’ I don’t agree I think it is like saying ‘my wife’. It does not imply ownership but intimacy, endearment and association. It is a relational term in that it refers to the one you are related to. It is also an exclusive term in that it refers to the only one you are related to. At this point so early in the epistle Paul assumes that our understanding of God includes Christ. He can assume this because he has made this clear by the phrase ‘and Christ’ in vs.2. We cannot conceive of God as Father without Christ. He is that Son that makes His Fatherhood a reality to us. He who has seen me has seen the Father He tells Philip in John 14:19.

‘Upon every remembrance of you’ does not refer to isolated incidences but all that they are in their composite whole. The ‘you’⁵ is the entire Philippian church including Euodia and Syntyche and refers to something that they possessed which we have come to safely conclude within the context of the epistle, is joy. It is also an insight into the degree or type of thankfulness - a joyful one not a mechanical one! Every remembrance of them is a remembrance of that partnership for which he is so thankful. It is not a superficial thankfulness but a deep-seated appreciation. This