PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians
B.C. Caffin [1826-1894] · 184,182 words · 196 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 121
s?'uccly ~n~ w_,,rds to express its e~cellency. Compared with this, all other things sink mt0 rnsigmfica1_1ce;. what was gam beco,me_s loss; ~hat was glory becomes shame. F,,r tills knowkdge ~mphes the prcsenee_of Ch_nst, "(:bnst in yon, t.h~ Hope of glory." (3) 'l.'hns the Clmst1an who knows Chnst, wms Chnst to be …
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earthly things ns loss. 2. Tlie .ipiritual resurrect/on here is the carne.~t of the gl,,rin11.~ resurrection hereafter. 'fbo heavenly life begins hero; tho lifo of faith is the bcginnin~ of tho lifo of glory. Both consist in union with Christ, who is our Life; both rlerivc ~hei~ joy 111~cl br!ghtncss_ only from his irr…
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Fed. the truth God will cerf,ai'.nly reveal it. Only let a man be like St. Paul in hiR humilit..- an? earnest perseverance,_ never satisfied with himself, never counting himself t-0 ha.-e attarned, but always pressmg towards the mark, a.nd God will reveal tho truth tn him, as he re,·ealed it to St. Paul. Thus we lea…
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Ill. BUT THERE ARE EVIL EXAMPJ,ES IN THE CHURCH. 1. Many who are calfor/ by the Name of Ghrist mind ecirthly things. 'fhey will not take up their cross and deny themselves; they serve their own lusts. Such men are really enemie~ of the cross of Christ; they hate the cross, they shrink from the cross, and they grievousl…
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HC\MILIES BY VAlUOUS AUTIIOHS. Yer. 1.-Spiritu,:u joy. "Finally, brethren, t'l'joicc in the Lord." The key-note of tlw Epistle still recurs. I. 'l'hc: NATUl'.E OF JOY IN THE LoRD. It is to mnke him tho object of our joy: 1. For what be is in himseH, the God of love and light and blessing. 2. For what ho is to us: (1)…
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Ver. 8.-Tlte excellency of the knowledge of CJhrist. "I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." I. THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST. 1. It implies a knowledge of the way of salvation, the Word of God being our guide. (Rom. x. 17.) Eternal life hinges upon it. "This is life eter…
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1mbi<>Ct is presented under two asp..--cts. I. Ohrist the present Gain of the sinner, "That I may gain Christ." Consider: (1) The person to be gained. " Christ." The Lord of he.a:en and eart-~, who h~ all t~ures of happiness in his keeping, who is the supreme 0b1ect of angelic worship and samtly adoration. It is the…
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Vere. 12-14.-The apostles confession of his imperfection and his method of Ohrislian progress. There is a touching and instructive humility in the language of these verses. I. His OONFEBBION OF IMPERFECTION. "Not as though I had already attained or ham been made perfect;" and again, "I count not myself to have appreh…
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Vers. 18, 19.-The walk of mere worldly professors. "For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross :of ChrisL." The allusion is not to errorists merely, but to the antinomian formalists in the visible communion of the Church. I. MAl-'"Y PERSONS ARE FOU…
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I. CoNBIDER THE JEWS FALSEI,Y 80 OALLBD. (Ver. 2.) The custom of the Jews in their pride, was to regard themselves as children at God's table and all others as only "d?gs" below it_ (Matt. xv. ~6). Paul r?verses the figure, and has no hesitation in sayrng that the r1tuahsts of his day, that 1s, the Jews who were pre…
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oun SELFIRHNEBB INSTEAD OP ESTABLISHING ANY 0LAIM TO BALVAT!Olil'. Paul's zeal was undoubted in persecuting the Christians. He was the first persecutor of his time; so that, in addition to hie pride of birth and breeding, he could plume himself upon a religious reputation without a parallel among hie people. He thought…
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wNl,. am! rnry meuns in his power. It is the essence of religion and of eternal life, •· This is life et.crnal, to know [i.e. to be acquainted with] thee the only true God; and ,l,•sus Christ whom thou h:ist sent" (John xvii. 3). Let n~ man be content with sn_nhini:: short of this acquaintanceship with Jesus. III. …
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memory w_hich ~nables us to carry on the advantages of past ages to the coming time. Ilut tho m1~ery 1s that we burden memory with thoughts and feelings which cannot help, but hmder our future development. It is these thoughts and feelings which we must learn to forget. We content ourselves with mentioning here two. I.…
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_Ve111. 17-:-21.-0elestial citize~hip. Paul, havin_g urged the duty of forgetting the tlungs behmd, now speaks of his own example still more pointedly. He has been minding this rule and walking before men as an illustration of its power. And in this occupation with the future. his idea has been that he is a citizen …
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my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." It woul,l seem that, ~t this point, the apostle con- templated bringing the Epistle to a close. He intimates that, in addition to what he has already said, he ha.s only this further to say. He falls back on what has already been noticed as the key-note of the Epistle, AddressinA them …
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no resl symbolism connect.ed with it, as when the Mosa.ic economy had Divine eanctlon. 'l'bcy were cutters of the body, _a.s the pri~ of Baal in Elijah's time, who, with loud crying, cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out uPon them. They had no more reaS?n for continuing…
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Hebrew of Hebrews." Among the many Jews who were scattered abroad thne ,·:ere not e. few who, while conforming to the Jewish religion, did not conform to the Hehre'.v language and customs. These were properly Hellenists. He was born at Tars,rn, h" t he bad been as strictly brought up as if he had been born in ,Jndrea. …
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for se.l"rnt.i0n. 8. His past action passi'fl!J into his present reckoning. "For whom I sufferecl t.he l0_ss of all things, ~d do <:°u~t them but dung, that I may gain Christ." The reference 1s to the great cnS1s of his hfe. It showed him to be no mere theorist, Be carried his judgment out into practice, though it e…
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righteousness of hie own, i.e. a righteousness wrought out from his own resources, of which he was the efficient cause, and to which, therefore, he could lay meritorious claim, of which he could boast. In another aspect it was a righteousness which was of the Law, i.e. which proceeded from its commands being followed. …
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'l'Li~ poinu us_~ the fall ma~i~estati?n of the power of Christ's resnrrcction. It w«ll,s the obta1~mg of the cond1t1011:, Vlz. the reunion of soul and bod_,·, npon which ~ur pl'rfected existence depends. ~t 1s_ pu~ ti_ng the crow_n, once and for ever, upon our hfe. 'lbe apostle feels that the obJect 1s d1fticult of…
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And, grasping that, then he knew that the great President of the game~, seater] high in heaven, would, in God's Name, call him forth to receive the immortal prize, to crown him with tho unfading laurel. VII. THREEFOLD EXHORTATION. 1. Let us aspire after higher attainment in the future. "Let us therefore, as many as be…
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by Paul is that we are to mark those who have, in their walk, the oommon Christian featur<.'s. TI. WHOM TO TAKE WAR~'"ING FROM. There were others who walked differently. We arc appnr<.'ntly to think of them as nominal Oh,·istians--owniua the cross of Christ in their profession, disowning it in their practi.ce. 1. F…
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III. THE CIIRISTIAN ooM.MoNWEALTH. 1. Its seat. "For our citizenship is in heaven." More exactly it is the state in connection with which we have citizenship. We properly belong to a heavenly order of things. And this points to the possession of higher privileges. (1) Right of access to the sovereign. This is very rare…
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Vel'li. 1-3.-ReJoicing, eichewing, and imitating. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord," etc. These verses present three subjects for reflection-the Being to rejoice in, the men to avoid, the worship to imitate. I. THE BEING TO JlEJOICE IN. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." - "The Lord" means undoubte…
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Vers. 8-11.-Pliases of Christ. "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Paul presents Christ in four a~pects. I. As A PRIZE. "That I may win Christ." What is it to win Christ"! !,t :.,; some- thing more than to bocome acquainted with his biography, sometning m,.1re t…
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the prize of the high calling of God In Christ Jeeue." The prize of the Grecian racer was o garland of olive, or laurel, or pine, or apple. What is the moral prize? Mornl perfection. To this all men are divinely called in Christ. In the true moral race men 1ue to reach forth, not arter happiness BB an end, but4 after h…
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whom I har-c toJ..i ):0u oft<'o, and n~w tell you_ even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cr_0ss of_ Chnst: whose e:r:id is destruct.ion, whose god is their belly, o.nd whose glN_,- is 1? ~-heir shame, ~-~o mmd earthly thrngs." The apostle here refers to those who had Joined ~be ~hrist.ian Church, but whose …
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VcrE. 20, 21.-Tl"' blesaednesa of the (J]vri,tly. "For our converpation [citizenship] b iri Lr,im,n; from whi,nce also we look for the [a] Saviour, tho Lord Jesus Christ: whc., Ehli char,g,, c,ur vile body, that it may be fasLion0d like unto his glorioua body, CII, 111, 1-21.) 'l'IIE EPISTLE TO THE PlllLIPPIA;-;s. 117…
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Vera 2, 3.-Itlentity not to be/ound in continuity of form, but in ha1·mony of fM ,m,n spin:t. I. UsELESS'.KESS OF OUTWARD FORMS WHEN TBEIR SPIRIT RAS PASSED OUT 0r THEM. T~e Judaizing party clung to the~ circumcision as H it were their title to 11ccc']'tance mth God. St, Paul shows that, smce the substance, of which…
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Ven. 12-14.-The Christian race: conditions of victory. 1. The recognition that we are not yet conquerors, and that every effort on our part is necessary if we would secure the prize. 2. The knowledge that we are not running the race in our own strength, but that we are seeking to seize upon a victory already designed f…
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Vers. 7, 8.-.All lossfor Christ u; gain. No one of the early Christians was favoured with richer religious endowments or with higher rank than those enjoyed by St. Paul, and no one was called to make more heavy social and ecclesiastical sacrifices in entering the Church. Yet the apostle regarded his former wealth of pr…
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Ver. 13.-Forward. Like the runner who will lose the prize if he mistake any point short or I lio goal for the end, or if he waste his time in looking back on the course traversed, the Christian must press forward with his face tow11rus Christ, unresting till tho great race is won. I. \VE HUST NOT CONSIDER ANY PRESENT …
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Ver. 17.-Imitaeion. When a man invites others to become imitators of himself he must be either possessed by an absurd self-admiration or almost entirely devoid of self- regarding feelings. The latter was tbe case with St. Paul. He saw the plain fact that there were points in which it was desirable for the Philippians t…
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II. THE rKFLUENCE OF THIS FACT. If it be a truth that Christians arc cltfacns of hea,·~n. it n!ust be a most import.ant truth. Yet many men who consider themselves C'brrst1ans h,e as t~oug~ tl.iey had not the faintest conception of the significance of ~h,'1r lwa~·en_ly relat10nsh1p. Oth_ers have taken the opposite cou…
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EXPOSITION. Ver. 2.-I beseech Enodias, e.nd l>egecch OIIAPTEil IV. Syntyche, that thf;y be of thij same mind in Ver. l,_.:.Thorofore, my brethren doarly tho Lord; rather, Euodia. It is plain from beloved and longed for, my joy and crown. the m,xt verse that both are female names. The apostle here, o.s in l Cor. xv. …
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C'-Onjecture. The omillBion or the name itself with less tb&n its due, and shrinb implies tbnt the pen!On addressed was in e. from insisting on its strict rights. There la ,..,,..nspieunus position, IIO that there WIii! no no joy in a nurow eelfishneBS; joy involves dan~er of mi~takee. An importa.nt duty is an open he…
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in its widest meaning; while 6l11rm is a to close his Epistle, bnt cannot at once birl special act of snpplication for some farewell to his beloved Philippiane. He particular objeot of need (see Trench, urges them to fill their thoughts with things • Synonyms of the New Testament,' sect. Ii.). good nnd holy. Christ is …
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moti,c-~. The nf'"•1k implies that we have circumstances in which I nm." Dut the the- l"'""cr 0f 1son'rning our thoughts, and eenee is the s!\me. St. Pnnl is spc>1tking of 8 0 art' rt'sp0mihle for them. If the thoughts his present condition: he is con lent witl1 it, :1r0 r,r,kred well, the outward life will t?~ugh it. …
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gifts; ho could hnve done without the gifts, God, He uses nn0ther mct~phnr: in ver. 17 but they were precious 11e B proof of love. the gift was fruit, n0w it is a s:1c1"ifice : given Vor. 15.-Now yo Philippiana know also, to the servant of God, it is in truth offcre,t that in the beginning of the gospel, when I to God…
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"in Christ Jaime," mRy be taken with muoh more should the Phillpplllna do 10." "l'&lute," Min Rom. xvi. 22 and 1 Cor. xvi. Some of them me.y hRve been known to the 19. It i@ a Christian eRlatation, an aoknow• Philippilln Christiane. The term familia Jerlgmcnt of spiritual J'C'lRtionship; or better, or domm OR!saris …
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Vers. 4-7.-The lcey-note of the Epistle: holy joy, with its blessed results. I. THE DUTY OF REJOICING. 1. The Christian should learn to rejoice always. The word "always·• is emphatic. 'l'here lies the difficulty, there too lies the blessedness, of rejoicing in the Lord. It is easy to rejoice in moments of excitement, b…
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Cbrii,t enc?urAges ue to ~on:ie to him with al~ ou~ wants. "All things whatsoevei· ye shall nsk rn prayer, behenng, ye shall receive. (3) But to be able to pray in times of <listress and _crushing sorrow, when_ prayer is most needful and most helpful, we must leArn to pray ~. health and pro~penty; we ~ust pray in ev…
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Tho devil is II liar nnd the father of lies. He said to Eve," Ye shall not surely die;" it was the first wicked falsehood. The world is false with its cheating pleasures; it passeth away nnd the lusts thereof. 2. " Whatsoever things are l,onest." Whatsoever things nre deep and earnest, honourable and reverend. The Chri…
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instruct<.'d;" "I have learned the secret." This Christie.n eelf-sufficiency comes from the teeching of God the Holy Ghost; it is a secret which he alone can tee.eh. "'l'he secret of the Lord is with th~m that fear him." The soul in its converse with God learns many myi;te:ies of spiritual experience, myste,;es of g…
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it. Their bounty is eet down to their account in the treasury of heaven, and this thought is full of sweetness to the apostle's soul. 2. His C<Yn,te,ntment. He needed nothing more, he Bllid; Epaphroditus had brought all he wanted, and more than he wanted. Mark the unworldliness of the apostle. We are never satisfied; w…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-TM duty of steadfastness. The apostle grounds this duty upon the heavenly citizenship and the hope of the coming Saviour. Mark- L His E!."DEARING ADDRESS. "My brethren beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast, beloved." The accumulation of epithets marks the inten…
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qf a sort calculated to mar their influence and to shake the faith of converts. The differences were less probably in the way of religious opinion than of methods of reli- gious work, Perhaps e. difference of temperament may have put them out of sympathy with each other, and a spirit of rivalry may have led to unseemly…
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Vel'II. 6, 7.-..4. cure for eare. The apotitle forbids harassing anxiety and enjoins prayerfulness as the sure way to pea.oe. "Be anxious for nothing." Mark- I. THE WISE COUNSEL OF THE APOSTLE. 1. This does not mean that we are not to be amcwus about duty. We ought to have a deep concern for every interest of God's…
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wings will I rejoice." (4) It !Ba slrong guard again,t IJffl. The religiously peaceful are the morally strong, Duty 1s pleasant, obedience is sweet, because the spiritual mind is in harmony with God's mind. Sin is rejected because it threatens to undermine the peaoe. 3. The nbiding source of this peace. "In Christ Jesu…
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Yers. 10-13.-The secret of contentment. The apostle now turns to his personal rcbtions with the Philippians, and commends them for their considerate and timely liberality in the times of ilis distress. 1. 'l'HE APOeTLE's JOY DI TREIB LIBERALITY. "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that a.t length ye revived your i…
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we receive of hill fulness, grace for grace. That union is the guarantee of a full supply for all our needs. V. TRB DOXOLOGY APPROPRIATE TO SUCH A THOUGHT. Cl Now to God oven our Father be the glory forever an~ ever. Amen.'' 'l'his ~ticipatorydoxology is suggested by the pregnant thought of this passage. The glory …
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mlr~h there may be an undertone of celestial joy. Man is called to joy, not to trouble. 'l'he o.rt is in going straight to Jesus the infinite Fountain, and in avoiding the broken cisterns that line our way. III. CF:LESTIAL 0ITIZENBBIP BEBPEAKB MODERATION. (Ver. 5.) It ill befits a citizen of heaven to be ostontatious …
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made him independent. It is tlie humble spirit which trusts the omnipotent Saviour "·hich pr()res to be really the independent spirit. It is humility and indepcndenoe "·h1rh nlrniys go together. When we control our desires, minimize our wants, we oan n-nrh independence more really the.n by acquiring vut ,eetate. The…
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strange destiny by which the names of these women have been handed down from generation to geuemtion in God's Book, in connection with a difference which existed between them. It is well that our differences are soon forgotten, as even our names will be after we ~re gone. And yet the record is kept of our difference…
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which point.I! to t~e maximum of deliberation,., Again I will eay, Rejoice." All wlah to rejoice, b~t mistakes are made ey-~n by Chrletiana as t.o the object. According to the teachmg hero, we are ~ reJolce m the Lord. Or, as Christ says, bringing us back to the pure fonnt of Joy, "Howbeit in this rejoice not that t…
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We ore to supplicote to be relieved from core, or to be strengthened under care. And while we thus supplicate for relief or strengthening, we are to be thankful for our freedom fr?m other cares, for the number of our mercies, for the special mercy that i8 mingled with our care, In our supplication we are to have speci…
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the eternnl order of tliin_gs, _while a lio, bo~ver glossed over, is an Infringement of that order. But our whole hfe 1s to be founded m truth. If it is to be founded in the work of Christ, yet is it in the work of Christ, M wrought out in sccordance with eternal principles, and in that work 1\8 giving, relatively t…
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who, Btnndlng upon our enrth, sni<l, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myBelf." And the things which are lovely aro to be in us. It is true of virtue as a whole thnt it is lovely. Cicero says, "There is nothin" more lovely than virtue, nothing which more allures to loving." But the thin…
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l<;'nf: sinN' they had oo~e out of he11th_enism. And the apostle refers them to euch simple n1les ns 11(' had laid down for their conduct, of which there aro oxnmplcs in other Epist.les. 2. Interpret<,tfon qf his example. "And heard and saw in rue." 'l'hcy heard wlll'll he was absent and saw when be was present. It …
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tliligcnco are required thereto. Here it is an art which we may oh~crvc r~w no rn•irh study, o.nd of the students thereof few are great proficients; so that 'Qut fit, Mccrenas •J• Homco'.ll question, 'How comes it to pass that nobody liveth content with the k,t o.ssigned by God?' wanted not sufficient ground. However, …
1,115 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.