PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians
B.C. Caffin [1826-1894] · 184,182 words · 196 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 1
THE PULPIT EDITED BY THE VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN 011' GLOUOl!:l!TEB; AND BY THE REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A. PHILIPPIANS. 0xposition anlJ 1!1omflrtics BY REV. B. C. C.A.FFIN, M.A.., VIOAB OF NOBTHALLERTON, AND BURAL DEAN; LATE FELLOW AND TUTOB 011' WOBOESTEB COLLEGE, OXJ'OBD. 1!1omilirs b!} J-Ja…
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of the Philippian jailor. The Philippians possessed some of the simple virtues of the old Roman stock. Romans and Macedonians were mingled together at Philippi, and the Macedonian character seems to have resembled the Roman more nearly, perhaps, than that of a.ny other of the subject races. The Macedonians, like the ol…
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love for St Paul, their unhesitating submission to his apostolic authority, their steadfast adherenco to his teaching, may in part ho the resnlt of the labonrs of his trusted friend and follower, who continned faithful (2 Tim. iv. 11) when others forsook him. St. Paul "sailed away from Philippi" in the year 58. His im…
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11 In every place your faith to Godwn.rd is spread abroad.'' It is a Christian hyperbole, the language of joy and thankfulness, not to be pressed to a literal interpretation. Again, it is urged that Aristarchus and Luke, who accompanied St. Paul to Rome, are mentioned in the Epistles to Philemon and the Colossians, b…
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IV. CON'fENTS OF THE EPISTLI<J, 'l'he l!:pistle to the Philippians is a letter from a friend to friends, o. letter of spiritual counsel, written in acknowledgment of loving help. The apostle knew that the Philippians would be interested in his personal circumstances, as he himself is interested in theirs. He tells the…
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of dissonsion. He insists on the paramonnt dnty of pra.yor and thankB- giving, and the watchful government of the thonghts. He acknowledges with thanks their repeated gifts, and pra.ys that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ may be with their spirit. This Epistle has been called "the least dogmatic of the apostle's le…
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VII. COMMENT.ARIES ON TBE EPISTLE. AMONG the most valuable patristic helps are the Homilies of St. Chrysostom ; there are also the commentaries of Theodoret, Theodore of Mopsu.estia, and Theophylact. Among later writers may be mentioned Calvin (1539) and Estiu.s (1614) ; and in modern times, Bengel (1742), Van Hengel …
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Jl<'0pk ecrnratcd unto him by the rite of seo_ Dishop Lighlfoot'e exlurnstive • Disscr- circ11rncisinn. 13~· the same election the tahon on the Christian l\Iinistry,' in his Chri,tinn Church is linly, dedicated to God "l'olume on the Epistle to the Philippit\ns. in bnptirni. This holiness of dodiention Ver. 2.-Gr&ee…
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nncl tboir liboral bounty. 'fhis fellowship in cndurnnce of suft'oring and in propngating began "in tho beginning of the gospel," the gospel. Thus there seems to bo no when the Philippians sent aid to tho apostle roference in the words "defence and con- at Thcsealonicri and Corinth; it continued firmation" to hie publi…
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to thC' light, tht hi1 deeds mlly be m11de that it wne ever u~ed for the palRtium thcro. m11nifest, thRt they are 'Wl'OUfht in God." St. Paul mll8t ha,·e heard it constantly as the A('("(lrding t-0 Another possi.hle deriVRtion, name of the Prrotorian re~im<>nt; he was thP ....-nrn wnuln mPan .. unmixen," th&t is, ke…
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servant, mc11ne laLour for hire, nnd is com- Spirit from the Father. Others, as Meyer, monly used of hil'Cd c11nvaseers, in the sense make the genitive subjective, and interpret of factiousness, party spirit. It is reckoned "the aid which the Spirit supplies." The by St. Paul in Gal. v. 20 among the works Spirit is …
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conetrnrtfon is Rlmo~t hoprlNtsly oonfueed. The first translation seems preferable, for PerhRps lh<' intrrpretat.ion of the R.V. ie the St. Paul's assurnnco docs not seem to rest on Firnplest : "But if to live in the fl.esh,--tf dil'eot inspiration, but on a c11lcnl11tion of this is the fruit of mv work, then what I…
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vi. 13 e.nd Go.I. v. I). Spirit is the highest of perdition, but to you of salvation; tmnR- po.rt of our immo.terirLl nature, which, when fate, seeing that it (yQU,f' oou,rage) is to them onlightonod by the Holy Spirit of God, co.n an wident token of perdition, but (with tb, riso into commnnion with God, o.nd discern b…
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in all troubles and distresses: "My grace la sufficient for thee." It should be our earnest l'ffort not " to receive the grace of God In vain," but " to continue ln the grooe of God;" for that grace "bringeth salvation." 2. Peace. Peooe is (1) a condition rest!ng on fact.I! erlern!'1 to ourselves; reconci~tion with …
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Vera. 9-11.-St. Pau"l's prayer for the Philippians. I. THAT THEIR LOVE KAY ABOUND MORE AND MORE. 1. God had begun in them the good work, the work of faith, faith that worketh by love. St. Paul recognizes the reality of their love; it was true and deep. But: 2. There is always room for growth in love; it is the noblest …
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for the C(lntinuRl growth Rnd diffusion of love, knowledge, righteousness. 8, Seek above all things the glory of God. Vers. 12-18.-7'ie aposUe's own circumstances. Bis holy unselfishness, He measures his C(lndition, not by its present hardships or comforts, but by the facilities which it gi ,-cs for spre.'lding the…
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U. Trrn SOURCE OF STRENGTH. 1. Intercessory prayer. He knows that the Philip- pians will pray for him. When they hear of the bitter opposition of his Jndaizing adversnries, they will pray the more earnestly that help may be given him in his perplexities nnd triBls. He gladly believes that their prayers in bis behalf…
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Vers. 27--:30.-Practical, exhortation,. I. ClmIBTIAN CONVERSATION THE CONDITION OF CHRISTll.N JOY. 0-nly (the word is emphatic)--only, St. Paul says, whether ho lives or dies, whether he comes again or sees them in the flesh no more, whatever happens to him or to them-let them mind this one thing, holy living. This mus…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. VerR. 1, 2.-.Apostolic address and salutalion. The Apostle Pa.nl is as characteristic in his greetings ns in the substance of his epistolary writings. I. 'l'HE AUTHORS OF THE GREETING. "Paul and Timotheus, bond-slaves of Jesu~ Christ." 1. The apostle associates Timothy with himself as on…
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Ministers ~honld bear their_ people much upon their hearts in prayer to God. They should pra~· always for their people. The apostle prayed for his converts :is often as he remcm oored them (1) because "the anxiety of all the Churches" was upon him; (2) becanse he bad a dee~ affection for them; (3) because they were …
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sympathies. They remembered him '' 11s an ambassador in bonds,'' as we are all bound to" remember them that are in bonds as bound with them" (Heh. xiii. 2). They did it, too, at a. time when Roman sympathy seems to have been sorely wanting. It is strange that, wHh a Church in the capital of the world, he should have be…
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Vere. 12---U.-Fttrtherance of tM gospil through the apostle's imprisonment. He now proceeds to inform his converts of his condition at Rome, with his hopes and his fears for the future. His imprisonment had in two important respects signally pro• moted the growth of Christianity in the great metropolis of the world.…
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Vera. 19, 20.-T,lie bearing of his various trials upon his salvatum. "And I know that this will turn out to my salvation." I. CONSIDER TIIE APOSTLE'S CONCERN FOB ms OWN SALVATION. He does not refer here to his release from captivity, but to the salvation of his soul 1. Salvation has several significations in Scripture…
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hc-ro assert. that Christ is his spiritual life, for the rcfcronce is strictly limited to bis "life in t.hc flesh." Thl\t life is snpremoly dovoted to Christ. l. In all its thougl1ts. 'l'here nc_vor wa~ a_ man _whose intellectual _life ~as so wrapped up in hie Saviour; his pla~s, _his an1:1et1es, his hoPE;s, centred…
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Vers. 25, 26.-The apostle's personal conviction as to his future course. He might be uncertain as to which he should choose, but he was fully conlident as to what would befall him. Notice- I. 'l'nE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS CONTINUANCE WITH HIS CONVEilTB. "And being con- fidently persuaded of this [that his life would be for t…
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Vers. 29, 30.-Tlie prim1,ege of suiferifl!J, There is reason given, by way of encouragement, for their steadfastness in suffering. "For unto you it was freely given on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe upon him, but also to suffer for his sake." L Tm: DISPENSATION OF SUFFERING ASSIGNED TO THE BAmTs. Their su…
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Vere. 1, 2.-Saints, bishops, and deacoM. In the beginning of this earliest Epistle of the captivity, according to the showing of Lightfoot, the apostle does not deem it needful to declare his apostleship or to indulge in even the semblance of self-assertion. llracketing 'l'imotheus with himself, he simply declares t…
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V'f'r~. 3-11.-The apostle's inlM"cession and assurance. H:win<Y saluted a well. or~a11izcd Church with its bishops aud deacons, Paul proceeds to c:press his thankR- µidn&"s aod his inforc~ssi~ns~ l<'rom_ this Church at Philippi alone had he received su1•plies. By the hand ot Epaphrod11us they had forwarded their lov…
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Hence it Is the desiro of the progressive soul that others m~y e:<perience a kinrlrc,\ progress, o.nd with duly balanced powers may pass onwardij towards the perfection which is to synchronize with tho day of Jeans Christ. V. AND BU0H PROGRESS IMPLIES FRUITFULNESS, (Ver. 11.) The fruits of right- eousnes_e are y.,ho.t…
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Yers. 21-26.-Life here and 'hereocfter. The brave apostle, a.waiting the slow issur; ,-.f his C8l!8 at Rome, has been speaking of the good effeot of his imprisonment upon the promulgation of the gospel. He can sec the good hene.'\th the apparent evil. And now 1,e speaks of the life he lives on earth and of the other…
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Vera. 21-30.-The gijtB of faith and of suffering. Paul's release is still pro- blematicn.l; it is needful, therefore, that be should make provision in case be sboul,I etill be absent from them. He calls them consequently to citizenship (1ro>..,n6,rr8,) worthy of the gospel, and to the ncceptance of those gifts which th…
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by a t-0kr? of their :iffoction in a contribution for hie support sent by Ep,'lphro- <litns. It 1~ pern,lc-d by a deeper tone of satisfaction than any other of his Epistles, It is c-hRmcteristfoally epistolary in its freedom of plan and famili1nity of expression, \1ritten "?bout a ~o;;-mat.ic purpose, there is one i…
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Vers. 3-11.-E:z:pression of interest. I. THANKSGIVING. 1. Whom he thanked. "I thank my God." As it was in connection with their matters that he thauked Gorl, he might liave said, "I thank your God." As he made common cause with them, he might have said, "I thank our God." .As he felt personally indebted to God on their…
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memories nN>d to be dl"livl"red from treacherousness, and made reliable nnd ready in the ~l'rvice of Chri8t. Our affections need to be weaned from the world and sot on Christ. Our con!'Cicnces need to be delivered from searedness and endued with ten- drrness. Our wills, especially, need to be delivered from w~kness …
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sift you as whent: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." And the very foct that he has begun a good work in us, apart from any word of promise, may be taken. as a pledg_e that he will see to it being completerl. Observe the nexus of our experience. It IS when ~e have experiencerl something of the good w…
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sometimes to_ drag it at the heols of ?-uty. We need to keep it from being placed on u1J1rnrthy obJ('Cls. Wo ~eed to keep 1t from scoking worthy objects in unworthy ,vays. ChriRt_ neeJed_ to rebuke Petor's \ove. to him, which mistakenly forb:\do him to die. L<we IS nourisMd by truth. ,v1th imperfect knowledge our lo…
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epcnk of him to their companions, so that it wonld become litcr,dly trnc thflt his bonds wero manifest throughout the whole Prretorian Guard. And not only were they mani- fest, but thoy were mnnifest in Christ, i.e. as endured in the service of Christ, who thus becamo known to the soldiers, in the way set forth by Paul…
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cluss mcnlioncd hc_re is to be identified with the majority previously mentioned. They were Im brct,h~n rn the Lo~d, Rnd they were brotherly toward him. 'l'heir feeling was that of good ,~tll. An~, lovmg PRul and syi:npathi~ing with him in his strivings, they preached Christ. Takmg the two cl&SSee m AD inverted orde…
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glorious proclnmntion of Christ, as alone meeting the wm1ts of men. Anrl let os trust, too, that the Church shall come forth purified, Raved, and more bopefol ag'linst tho forces of ovil. And if we feel individually as in a prison-houRe, from evil without or within, let us look to the all-wise God to make our prison-ho…
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enrtbly fri<>nds. When the Rpostlo, then, eays that to die is gain, ho must mel\n thnt wl_rnt !s gnined by d~11.th more th~n _coun_tcrbalances the loss. 'l'he result, when every- thing 1s computed, 1s n~t loss; 1t ~s gam. He does not tell us how much gain it le; bu_t be uses tha word_ w)th a_ cer~m absolute~ess, It,…
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ono to decline pro~cnt duty, and to grasp at the prir.e without having run the pr,,- scribcd race, 'Ylnle he ~as even desirous to embrace the gain of dying, he could nGt refuse the obedience of hfe. Out of the confidence that he had work to do rose tho knowledge that he would abide with the Philippians, and still ab…
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faith of 1l1e gospe_l" As enfranchieed citizens it would devolve upon them to fight, The object for which they would have to fight 'Was the faith of the gospel. .An attempt would be made to make them believe a lie. 'l'hey ,vcre to present e.n unbroken front to the enemy. 'J'hey were to stand faet, striving for the f…
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excite o.nd employ certo.in powers of the mind, leavin" all the others in a state of decay 11nd torpor I Millions feel that the work in which they are engaged is so unworthy of their no.tures that they lack both self-satisfaction and freedom. The services make nn derno.ncl upon their powers of investigatioD, specula…
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where lives in the character of man. The present age lives in the character of the pnst, and so back; the millions of unrcnewed men live in the character of Adam, imbibe his selfishness, and practise his disloyalty. All r~nerate men live in the character of Christ, appropriate his grand ideas, cherish his spirit, an…
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Vore. 3-5.-Paul's [!ratitudefor good 'Tl!en. "I thank my God upon every remem- brance of you, always m every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." There are two things noteworthy hero at the outset. 1. A minister's hearty rec.ognition of the…
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~ers. 6-8.-Personal Ohristianity. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which bath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart• inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of th…
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According ton 1cm of mind, we must always think of those with whom we have the deepest sympathy. The chief object of love is ever the chief subject of thought. 2. They filled his heart. " I have you in my heart." And the reason he assigns iM because of their hearty i<lentification with him in his ministry. "Inasmuch as…
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"Things that are excellent." 'l'he originlll constitution of conscience wns to do this evermore. It does this in he!lven; it once, perhaps, did this on earth; but now, alas I throughout the greater portion of the race in all lands, its sympathies are not with" the things that are excellent.." So awfully hRs it been …
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to rise no more, leaving the world to go back into Jewish and Gentile darkness, intoler- nnce, and superstition. But here the apostle says it was not so. It helped, not hin- dered, the ouwnrd march of gospel truth. He indicates here how it tended in this direction. 1. Dy extending its knowledge in fhe imperial city. "S…
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spirit.. They preached ~rom IC envy and strife.'' This shows beyond question that the ,1 udaizing party-the hitter Rntagonists of Paul-were at work in Rome, preaching in the!r way the ~ospel; .r:encbing it, not fro1;11 pure love to Christ and souls, but to gratify their O\\'n factious spmt and to serve tb~1r_ own li…
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Injury, overy good man is B blessing, Goodness is a.t once the cause, the evidence, and the measure of morn.I usefulness, But how is this usefulness achieved? P.y magni/Jin.'l Christ. Bnt how are you to magnify Christ? Not by making him greater thrn he is. This would be impossible. His "name is above every name." He i…
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Ver. 21.-.An ideal life blooming into a happy death. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is ga.in." Paul, having expressed in the close of the preceding verse his supreme resolve that Christ should be ma.,unified in his body, whether it be by life or by death, here describes the life he was dererrnined to live,…
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worldly interests. No; by it they lose all I.hat make~ tolerable the exi~tenee. But to the ChriRtly man it is" gain" on two accounts. 1. On account of what it take.9 away. Physical 111Hic~ionR, secular anxieties, mental imperfections, more.I depravities, spiritual temptations; m one word, 011_ that pains the body, delu…
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Pnul ilcsircd death; hie self-love y81\rned for 1.t. So far as he himself we.a concerned It wonld be in e,ery way an e.dve.nt.age, l1. Here is SOCUL LOVE URGING OONTINUANOE in the world. "Nevertheless to e.bidc in the flesh is more needful for you." To promote the gospel amongst them nnd to diffuse it amongst his o…
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present conduct in accordarJce with that faith, suhorilinate the world to the Roul, and conu-Jmte the soul to almighty love. In eh. iii. 20 Paul says," Our conversation is in heaven;" that is, out· citizenship is in heaven. The genuine disciple of Christ is now a citi7,on of heaven, ho is ruled by the laws of heaven, …
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Lydin., a .Tewish proselyt~; a ~~k slave; a Roman jail or. The..oe may be taken to rcpre!'{'nt the thrre lcadm2: d1ns1ons of the human familv, all of which are to be emhrncM by the C11tholic Church. Their conversion &I.so iilustrates the iruth thRt in Ciiri~t .Jesus there is no di~tinction or male or female, bond or…
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VIL If you lack perseverance, remember Hs secret, which is that it is to be foun<i in a. GENUINE CO-OPERATION IN GoD'S WOBK for mankind.-V. w. H. Ver. 7.-Tlie communion of saints. I. COMMUNION m BUFFERING. "In my bonds." These Philippians had to endure hardship in the cause of the gospel. Every Christian hns to endure…
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,era. 15-18.-The sririt of/action.. I. WHAT IT IS. Like nearly ttll ln11nan errors, it hRs its Nil'in in a good trait in our nat.nre which hM become corrupted by tho intr()(luction vf Cl'il mot.i,·cs. It springs from the desire men havo to a.et in common, Tlic C:hristinn dc,·elopment of this desire is the communion …
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Vore. 27-30.-Exhortation to unity: (1) motives/or it. I. LovE yon THOSE wn0 HAVE LAD0UflED FOi\ us IN THE 00BPEJ,. Mnny can feel this love who are not yet capable of rising to a sense of love towards God. 'l'his lower affection may lead to the higher love of which it is a reflection, II. 'l'llE DIBCOMFITUIIE OF THOSE …
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Ver. f..-Be_c11m, c-011U,merl, a11rl ended in God. This phrase describes tho first essenti31 condition of the Christ.inn life. I. CHRISTIA]'.-S HAVE A 000D WORK GOING ON wrl'RlN TBE:M. 1. Cbristilmity is first of all inf.ernal. What is in us is the matter of chief importance. 2. A wo,·k is goin" on in the heart _of…
1,239 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.