A Word Of Thanksgiving
A WORD OF THANKSGIVING
PHILIPPIANS 1:1-2
Paul greets his friends warmly.
Philippians is a deeply personal letter, written out of mature affection for a company of believers who had repeatedly encouraged Paul in his labors for Christ. It is essentially the apostle’s word of thanksgiving, not simply for a gift received and services rendered, but also for the warm concern which the members of the church continued to show for him. Paul recognized that the church was anxious concerning two specific matters: they had heard that his circumstances as a prisoner had changed, and they had learned of the severe illness of Epaphroditus, the messenger by whom they had delivered their gift to Paul. To relieve their anxiety, Paul determined to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi, fully recovered, with a letter of commendation and assurance (2:25-30).
Paul felt a closer emotional bond with the Philippians than with any of his other churches. This is clear from the opening lines of the letter where, instead of asserting his apostleship, Paul contents himself with the designation “servant of Christ Jesus” (1:1). The term translated “overseers” in 1:1 refers to those having overall responsibility for the church. It commonly designated financial officers for townships and guilds in Greek texts, and the Philippian overseers had exercised this function in arranging for gifts to be sent both to Paul and to the poor in Jerusalem. The “deacons” are the pastoral leaders of the congregation who are designated by a title which stresses the idea of service. From other churches Paul had been unwilling to accept for himself even the bare necessities of life (2 Corinthians 11:8-11), but he was confident that his integrity was unquestioned at Philippi. The prayer for grace and peace (1:2) springs from the gospel of reconciliation in which both he and the Philippians rejoiced.