Today we’re going to start reading from the book of Philippians. So as we’re about to see, the authorship is Paul and Timothy, and the letter is written to the church in Philippi, Greece. This was the first Christian Community established in Europe. Unlike some of the other letters that were written by Paul, this one was not in response to a crisis of doctrine (like Galatians or Colossians) or written to correct any major problems in the church (like 1 and 2 Corinthians). The tone here is gratitude and warmth towards their generosity and confidence in God’s work in their lives and in their church. Let’s read
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
Paul has different ways he refers to himself. Sometimes he says he’s the apostle to the Gentiles, but here he doesn’t say that. He also doesn’t say he’s an overseer or deacon, but that’s what he calls some of the people who he’s writing to. He doesn’t describe himself as a church leader of a planter of seeds of the Gospel. He calls himself a servant of Christ Jesus. In English translations of the Bible, the word servant might have come from a number of different words. There are about 5 different words in the Greek that end up getting translated into the English word servant. So let’s discuss a them:
Pais means a beloved son or daughter who is under the authority of their parents. This word doesn’t denote a worker, but it means this person is in a subordinate position, subject to the wishes and rules of their superiors. This person is expected to grow up, mature, and become their own authority eventually. It appears in the Bible about 25 times. The relationship that Jesus had with the God the Father used this word to describe how Jesus “Pais – served” God in full obedience.
Oiketes is used four times in the Bible, and refers to a household servant. It’s kind of like a temporary employee. This might be someone who is hired or is under the authority of a head of the household. Sometimes this person is hired and paid, other times the person is not paid, but is repaying a smaller debt. The relationship is temporarily subordinate to the master, but remains somewhat free to go or do their own thing eventually, and that person is treated like part of the family. Eventually most Oiketes servants would be expected to finish their service, and they are always receiving some sort of compensation or credit for their labor.
Therapon is used once in the bible and refers to an attendant or someone who assists another. Sometimes the therapon servant is a hired hand, other times they are in the position against their will, but it seems more comparable to a right hand man.
The next word is Diakonos, which occurs about 30 times in the Bible. About 20 times, it’s translated to minister, 7 times it’s servant, and 3 times it translates deacon. The word Deacon is actually derived from this word. The connotation of this word is someone who willfully serving or doing the will of another. This term is common in clergy. Ministers in church or Deacons are people who maintain all of their autonomy but choose to help someone else out. These people are not subject to the will of any other, and would never be considered to be owned by anyone else but themselves.
The 5th and final word that gets translated to servant is Doulos. This is the word that’s used here In Philippians 1:1 Paul refers to himself as a Doulos to Jesus Christ. This word means bond-servant. What does that mean? Let’s talk a bit about the modern concept of bonds. These are basically IOUs that were created when some party (government, corporation, municipality, mortgage borrower) wants to pay for something they can’t afford. They create an IOU and borrow the money from someone who can afford to make the purchase. The IOU specifies how much interest is paid, when it’s paid, when the borrowed amount is due, all of the terms for prepayment, and any other specific details. A bond is a binding legal agreement where a borrower is bound to a creditor and needs to make payments back. These terms, Bond, Binding, Bound, all connote two different things being tied or fastened together, a promise between them, or a pledge to return something to its prior owner. As an example, if I own a bond issued by the Microsoft corporation, I basically own a first claim stake in the borrower’s assets. I am the first party to get paid back in the event that Microsoft becomes insolvent, and I am supposed to get paid back in full before any Microsoft stockholders are able to keep any money or wealth to themselves. Bill Gates’s stock holdings in Microsoft will be worthless if I don’t get my bond paid back in full. This is the modern understanding of bonds.
Now let’s compare that to what we’re reading here in this usage, a Bond servant is someone whose debts have been purchased at a great cost and now belongs to someone else. They are bound to another. The difference in this and the modern view of bonds is the debt amount. Unlike an Oiketes servant, a Doulos servant, or bond servant, never expects that this debt in the bond is cleared in their lifetime. Why? The redemption cost is so prohibitively high. It would be as if I owed someone $500,000,000, or some ridiculous amount of money. Jeff Bezos could probably pay it back, but it would take me many many lifetimes to buy back my freedom from this burden. It’s kind of like someone who goes to jail and has to serve like 6 life sentences. When a crime or infraction is that bad that you need God to give you multiple repeated lives to fully repay society for something you’ve done, you know it’s a serious punishment. So if I owed somebody $500,000,000 I would be his bond servant. I would basically be bound to him, and be owned by him, spending the rest of my life doing whatever he said. If he made an agreement with someone else to transfer my ownership, I would go and serve the new master with the same devotion and the same indebtedness. So unlike the other four Greek words that turn to servant, the degree of servanthood for a Doulos is complete and utterly indebted to. It’s almost a mistranslation to call a Doulos a servant. A more appropriate word is slave. A Doulos is permanently bound to another. Terms like Bondage or Slavery all go back to the Doulos bond servant. The Doulos slave is comepletely owned by his Kyros or Lord. In this context, there is never a doulos with his or her own will. They serve fully and utterly at the hand of their Lord.
What’s the point of all this?
When we look at the sin that we’ve accumulated in our lives. In not just the things we’ve done, but the things we have said, the things we have thought, all the things that we didn’t do that we should have, these things add up. In the old covenant, this sacrificial system allowed for the people to pay for some of their sins using innocent blood. But there was never enough payment that could be made, and even if there were hypothetically enough, the person would end up needing to come up with more payments as soon as they sinned again. The human condition is that we sin. We sin so much we can’t stop. If there was a way to pay for that sin, it would be so expensive that we would need many lifetimes to pay for it. But we sin much faster than we can pay for it, so the gift of multiple lifetimes would only make the problem worse, as the debt rises faster than the repayment. In that way we are slaves, whether we want to admit it or not. The way the Old Covenant was structured, it appeared that our sins against God made us indebted to God, and therefore we were enslaved to God. But that’s not quite right. Jesus taught us that We are Slaves, but we weren’t really enslaved to God or to the sacrificial system of payment for sin. That would imply that we were enslaved to the consequences of sin. But we were actually Slaves to sin itself. In John 8:34-36
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Anyone who sins is a slave to sin- a Doulos to sin. We were in bondage to or enslaved to Sin. We were dead in our sins. There was nothing we could willfully do to get away from this pattern, this rising debt. We were so enslaved in our minds and hearts that we offered ourselves to sin, and the result of that is our own destruction. Jesus said slaves have no place in the family. So like the example before, we owe an incomprehensible, unpayable amount of debt. And we are enslaved to this master. In this state, Sin is our master, and no act or will of ours can change that. The only way out is to have the debt paid, but we can’t pay it. It was like me owing a man $500 million dollars. I just belong to him, unless someone like Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates who a) can afford to have the debt covered and b) wants to and c) chooses to buy me from my debtholder and own me instead. The choice is not mine, I actually have absolutely no say in the matter. In the same way, we are not saved from the slavery of sin based on our choices or our actions. We aren’t saved by our works. That’s also how the Son sets us free, not our choice or will, but God’s will. That’s the plan. Not our plan, God’s plan. Jesus Christ pays the unpayable ransom and buys us from the control and authority of Sin. Our bodies, our lives have been purchased at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul uses the analogy of being bought at a price to convince the reader to honor God with their bodies. We are not our own. We don’t belong to ourselves. We belong to God. We used to belong to Sin, but now we belong to God. And God uses our bodies as a dwelling for His Holy Spirit. Not just any dwelling, but a temple of His Holy Spirit. Now here’s the question. How do we treat our old Master. How do we relate to our sinful nature? Do we walk back to our prisons, or do we live like freed men? Do we obey our sinful desires, our flesh? Or do we obey the Father? Paul explains this slavery further in Romans 6:16-18
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
No matter how you look at it, you are a slave to something. Who or what do you obey? If you obey sin, it results in death. If Jesus Christ has set you free, do you treat him as your master, and obey God? If so, that obedience leads to righteousness. Verse 17 says Thanks be to God, although we used to be slaves to sin, now we have come to obey, not just going through the motions, but we obey from our hearts being changed by the teaching of the Word of God. Look at the end of verse 17. The teaching (of the Gospel) has claimed our allegiance. This phrase, “Claimed our Allegiance” is beautiful. The teaching, the doctrine, the word has CLAIMED our allegiance”. We have been chosen and we have been claimed. God said, “this one is mine.” There’s a type of doctrine called the “name it and claim it” gospel. I believe that is totally possible, just not for us. That’s something that only God can do. God gives us a name, he calls us, he and claims us. When we desire to name things and claim them, we are trying to make ourselves like God, which is wrong. God is the namer, God is the Claimer. We are the claimed. He goes into the depths and riches of wealth of His love and mercy and grace, claims us, setting us free from slavery to sin, and we are now slaves to righteousness. When we look at God’s grace and mercy, his majesty, his riches, and the most precious sacrifice he’s made for his enemies… when we look at the depths of His love for us, not because of who we are but in spite of who we are, we can’t help but to obey him. It’s not obedience based on fear of punishment, but obedience because we love God and believe that he knows what’s best for us, and wants the best for us.
19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul admits that the slavery analogy doesn’t explain everything about God’s love for us, but it’s a valuable and useful comparison when you understand what it all means. The point Paul was making is we have been freed from the dominion of sin and the results of sin, and the death from sin. We have been made free to obey and reap the benefits of righteousness. Not because we were righteous, but because we were given an undeserved gift. The Gift of God is the consequence of Jesus Christ’s righteousness, Eternal Life, which is given to us through Christ Jesus. He alone can afford to give Eternal Life. Let’s read some more of Philippians 1, so we don’t get stuck on verse 1.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
His first wish is grace and Peace to extend to them from God their father and also Jesus Christ. When God extends his Grace in our lives, we experience the undeserved gift of forgiveness, we experience redemption, and we experience peace. When you wish for Grace and Peace to an unbeliever it means that you wish they can come to that obedience that comes from God’s doctrine claiming us. When you wish for grace and peace to someone who is already saved, it’s more of a wish that the person continues to recognize God’s love and Mercy, that they continue to cherish and treasure those things that God has done in their lives. Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget how blessed we are, now that we are at peace with God. It’s easy to forget how much God’s Grace and mercy are impacting our lives, our thoughts, our emotions. It’s easier to see and focus on the problems in our eyes, rather than show gratitude for the blessings we take for granted. Note the language in verse two also is consistent. He continues to call God our Father, and call Jesus Christ as his Lord, his master. Let’s read on.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Paul really feels an affection for the church of Philippi. He thinks of the people he knows there, and every time he remembers them he thanks God. He thanks God that God chose to set them free from their sins, and he is joyful that they are part of the same family, members of the same body, partners in the same church. This joy and community that he feels is something more than just being part of the same social club, or part of the same interest group. Verse 5, They are partners in the Gospel, and they are being held by the same hands of the loving Father. God has chosen them to be part of the same team, ministering with the same purpose and goal. They have been friends and brothers since the beginnings, the first days of this church. Verse 6, Paul has seen evidence of God’s mercy on their group, and is confident that God has begun a good work, and will continue to carry on that good work until completion. He isn’t saying he’s confident in their abilities. He isn’t telling them to hang in there. He’s saying God will carry you on. God is powerful and capable. He is saying that God is in control and everything that has begun will be perfected when it’s all said and done.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul goes on to say it’s is right to feel this way, which may just mean that he is honestly thinking of them and has them in his heart. Or it might mean that there are some who question whether he should have this confidence in God’s provision for this group of people. We shouldn’t presume to know peoples’ hearts, and it’s wrong to assume that somebody does or doesn’t believe in God and in the saving work of Jesus Christ. In the case of Paul, he knows the group he’s writing to and fully believes that they are sharing in God’s grace and that God’s presence is active in their church. Another thought- Paul might be inclined towards resentment, that he has to be in chains or imprisoned for his faith, while the church at Philippi is enjoying stable time in their existence. Some members in Macedonian churches were poor, but other members of the church were in a position to donate to Paul’s ministry, and this is one of the only instances described in the Bible where Paul accepts a monetary contribution from a church. It takes a certain close relationship to accept payment for this type of work. Paul understands that they are on the same team, and whether he’s the one in chains, and they’re free or the other way around, they share in the same Grace of God. From the standpoint of God’s Kingdom, Paul sees no difference between sitting in a jail cell or freely teaching. He is confirming the Gospel regardless of the time, place, circumstance, or situation. He has a one track mind, and it’s all about advancing the message of Jesus Christ and the Good news of His Gospel. We might have a different idea about that. I know for me it’s easier to praise God and help in a ministry that advances the Gospel when the situation is friendly or accommodating. If I am in a situation where the people are unfriendly toward Christians, I would probably act or speak differently. Whether it’s self preservation, or fear of man, or not wanting to be teased or taunted, or some combination of all of that, I have some sort of reservation against speaking out. It’s not just in the context of Christianity, it is everywhere else in my life. This is contrary to how Paul is and what Paul is teaching. I know I am in the wrong. When I am honest, I think I am more like the one who may lose his life trying to save it, while someone with the boldness and zeal of Paul loses his life and saves it. Paul will be willing to preach a sermon or conduct a worship service if he’s threatened or in a jail just as much as if he’s safe in someone’s home. Paul identifies with his brothers and sisters and has the affection and emotion of a brother who longs to be reunited with his family.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
This prayer is a good explanation for what’s in Paul’s heart when he thinks about the church. This prayer explains a lot of the motivation for the letter in the first place. First, that your love abound more and more. This growth of love comes from knowledge and depth of insight.
Do you want to be more loving? Grow in your knowledge and depth of insight. Study the word, gain knowledge. Paul’s letter is an attempt to help them gain that knowledge. Not just superficial knowledge. Jesus was son of God, Jesus died on a cross, Jesus came back to life. Anyone can spout truths. But we want a depth of insight. We want to know what type of a servant we should be towards God, we want to understand how deep our debts are to sin, how depraved we were. We want to have a Biblical understanding so that nobody misleads us with false doctrine, so that we don’t grow cold or apathetic towards a wonderful and beautiful truth. We want to have knowledge so that, as it says in verse 10, we are able to discern what is best.
We want insight so we are brought to a place where we are made pure and blameless in Christ. And so that we can be filled with the fruit of righteousness, clothed in the purity and perfection of the Son. And when we do that, our love will abound, and it gives Glory and praise to the only thing worthy of that praise and Glory. God, the creator of the universe and loving Father.