Tim Lee

Dr. Ryan

BITH 213

10 November 2020

Assignment 2

In the book of Philippians, Paul is writing from prison to the Church of Philippi, for

whom he shows gratitude and offers blessings. Specifically looking at Philippians 1:15-30, Paul

first explains to the Church of Philippi that despite being in chains, the spread of the Gospel does

not stop for him or the Church, and through this experience, he will find salvation in Christ. Paul

writes that “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”(Philippians 2:21, NIV). To conclude

the passage, Paul encourages the Church of Philippi to live a life worthy of the Gospel, that if

they are to believe and follow Christ, they also must be willing to suffer and struggle like their

brother Paul. Throughout the passage, Paul gives the Philippians his personal outlook of the

current state of ministry, his own convictions of being faithful to God, and through this, we can

learn how we as the modern Church can continue the work of Paul and ultimately bring others to

Christ.

In the passage, verses 15-18 bring some interesting thoughts to the topic of the meaning

of mission work. Paul talks about how some choose to spread the Gospel out of jealousy of him

and solely preach to benefit themselves, while others do it because of their love and affection for

Paul and the Gospel. However, verse 18 brings some conflicting ideas in my mind because Paul

says that despite whatever motive someone may have had to speak upon the Gospel, he rejoices

and is glad. According to the IVP Bible Background Commentary, Craig Keener writes, “Despite

the disapproval of some philosophers, competition for honor was a central value for men in much

of society, including, conspicuously, Rome and its colonies. Jewish teachers allowed that serving

God from impure motives was better than not serving him at all”(Keener 559). What Paul is
Tim Lee

Dr. Ryan

BITH 213

10 November 2020

writing here is that while he wishes those who preach Christ out of human emotions rather than

for God is not sincere, he still feels that he can rejoice in that because they are still preaching the

message of the Bible. As humans, we often strive and look for the gratification of others, which

is understandable. It is in our nature because it gives us this feeling of success and meaning in

our lives. And while it may seem to some that even if someone is going off of impure emotions,

that it’s better to let them do that, then nothing at all, to me, is wrong. In fact, to me, it is worse

because that means we are enabling people to be hypocritical by twisting the true message of

Christ. Christ’s message to us is one of selflessness, obedience, and purity, and when we allow

someone who is intentionally doing it for their own pride rather than God, it means nothing. It is

like clean water running through a contaminated and distasteful faucet; despite the source being

pure, what the water is dispensing through ultimately makes the water unclean. Personally, I

believe it would be better off for people who preach the Gospel out of the selfish ambition to not

preach at all because the people who receive the message may be turned off by the attitude of a

person preaching out of spite. However, I do believe that sometimes in my own life, I have

unintentionally used the Gospel to magnify myself and my own ego rather than Jesus, and many

others probably have to. These verses have reminded me that in my own practice of faith, to

always think and be intentional with what I am conveying and saying to others because the

sanctity of Christ should not be tainted by our own boastfulness.

Paul writes in verses 19-26, talks about living for Christ despite not knowing what the

next day may hold. The Commentary on the New Testament by Robert Gundry states, “In my

body” implies that through his Spirit, Christ indwells Paul’s body (Romans 8:1– 11; 1
Tim Lee

Dr. Ryan

BITH 213

10 November 2020

Corinthians 6:19); and Christ will be magnified in it both if Paul continues living as a proclaimer

of Jesus as the Christ and if Paul dies as a proclaimer of Jesus as the Christ”(Gundry 209). My

perception of this commentary is one of agreement, and as Christians, I believe we should all try

to strive to be like Paul and be able to say that we can live out our lives in obedience to Christ,

and our deaths left a legacy of one that exemplified the story of God. We should take an attitude

like Paul and understand that while there is much work to do here, we should be hopeful and

eager to be a part of the labor. However, what I thought was interesting was the seemingly

nonchalance Paul talks with when talking about desiring to depart from this world and be with

Christ, which he said would be far better. And while I know heaven is eternal paradise, death

stills seems to scare me, and that idea lingers in my mind. And what I think that informs me is

that I am far from where I need to be in terms of my faith in God. To me, Paul was able to reach

a point in his relationship with God that he was always ready to accept what God had in store for

him. Whether that be in teaching the Gospel in front of emperors or talking to prison guards in

his own imprisonment, Paul was willing to embrace everything God threw at him. But for me, it

is sometimes hard for me to do whatever God is calling me to do when I am comfortable where

I’m at. And like many of us, we become so accustomed to this world; we forget that this life is

nowhere near what God has in store for us in heaven. I wish to implement a mindset like Paul,

where God’s will is the number one priority in my life.

The last part of the passage is where Paul talks to the Philippians about how they should

act when spreading the word of God. Tn 2:16; 3:12– 14, for maintaining and propagating the

belief whose object is the Gospel). Gundry writes, “Worthily of the gospel about the Christ” is
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Dr. Ryan

BITH 213

10 November 2020

defined by “standing in one Spirit, with one soul contending together for the faith of the gospel

and not being scared in any respect by those who are set against you.” Paul wants to hear of such

heavenly citizen-worthy conduct whether he comes and sees the Philippians (in case he’s

released from prison) or stays absent from them (as now)”(Gundry 213). What Gundry says

reflects the message Paul is trying to convey and is applicable then and now. Throughout history,

nations have battled each other and even have been divided amongst each other; however, the

Church is one of the few constant pillars of the world where the spirit of Christianity remains the

same throughout the entire world. And I think Paul says these verses because he understands that

the unity of the Philippians would bring more confidence and impact on the culture and society

around them, that even if persecution were to come their way, they would be able to stand firm in

Christ. I think at Wheaton College, students may have conflicting thoughts about certain

principles and passages that are preached by the others, but what is more important than anything

is that we understand that we still remain brothers and sisters in Christ, and in that, we have

higher goals and responsibilities then hypothetically some silly topics, and that is to live a life

worthy of the Gospel. This is what I strive for and hopefully be able to exude each and every

day.
Tim Lee

Dr. Ryan

BITH 213

10 November 2020

Bibliography

Gundry, Robert, and Robert H. Gundry. Commentary on the New Testament, Baker Academic,

2010. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/wheaton/detail.action?docID=5215182​.

Keener, Craig S.. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, InterVarsity Press,

2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/wheaton/detail.action?docID=3316816.