Partners in the Gospel (XXI)

(Note: This is my last post on Philippians.  And, I have not yet decided where I am going to go from here.)

Philippians 4:10-20 is largely a “thank you note” from the Apostle Paul to the Philippian church.  It has to do with a relatively recent gift they had sent Paul, but there is much more in this section that just a “thank you” for their generosity.

However, all I am going to treat this time is the two best-known verses in the overall section: 4:13 and 4:19.  The reason I am going to do this is that both verses tend to be taken out of context by those who cite them as promises from the Lord.  And, yes, they are wonderful promises, just not exactly the promises that many take them to be.

What’s the problem with 4:13?  When you hear “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me” (HCSB), it sounds like a promise with no limitations.  After all, hat else can “all things” mean?  And, that is the problem.  In this context, Paul is talking about being content in whatever circumstance he finds himself, whether in haiving “a little” or having “a lot.”  So, it is being content through Christ in that range from poverty to wealth that is in view in 4:13, not a promise to be able to do anything.

Similarly, 4:19 initially sounds like an unbounded promise when it says “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (HCSB).  It would be wonderful if the Lord did in fact promise to meet all our needs, no matter what we did.  However, that is not the issue in view in the context at all.  Instead, Paul is referring to the generosity of the Phlippians, which had met his needs in his house arrest in Rome.  So, Paul says that, because of their going the extra mile in giving, the Lord will “return the favor” to them by meeting their needs, if their giving to him had left them in a tight financial position.

Philippians 4:21-23 is anything but a standard closing to one of Paul’s letters.  Just check out Romans 16 or 1 Corinthians 16 or even the largely impersonal ending of Ephesians and you will see exactly what I mean.  Primarily–and significantly–it is much shorter than the conclusions of any of Paul’s other epistles.  Why is this the case?  In my view, the best explanation is that Philippians has an internal chiastic (i.e., inverted parallel) structure, meaning that information normally included at the end of letters is found in the middle of Philippians (i.e., 2:19-20) in what can be called the “travelogue.”

Other than that observation, the inclusion of the wording “Caesar’s household” is the most interesting part of the conclusion.  That must mean that Paul’s time in Rome had been successful in converting at least a few of the servants in the palace, though probably more people, including some in responsible positions.  Mot likely, this wording includes some in “the imperial guard,” whcih the Apostle had mentioned in 1:13.

Coming Tuesday: Undecided