The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 8

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 be unto you, and peaoe. (cnmp. I Cor. vii. H) does not necessarily This combine.tion of the Greek and Hebrew inrnl'"°e the actual existenoe of that inner salutations is the common form in St. Po.ul's holiness of bee.rt " without which no man earlier Epistles : in the pastoral Epistles shall see the Lord." But it does imply the " mercy II is added. Grace is the favour of bounden duty of striving after that spiritual God, free and sovereign, whioh rests on the holiness. "Ye e.re the temple of the living faithful (?hri~tian, and brings the gin of God," _St. Paul says to the ~rinthie.ns (2 peaoe: wh1oh IB, first,reconcilintion with God· Cor. n. 16), "for God bath said, I will dwell aud, scoondly, the childlike confidence and in them, e.nd. walk in them; and I will be trustful hope whioh result from faith in their God, and they shall be my people ... Christ's atonement. From God our Father therefore ..• let us cleanse ourselves from and from the Lord Jes11S Christ. God th~ all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfect- Father is the first Author of our salvation • ing holiness in the fear of God." The Greek God the &>u, the Word made flesh, brought word &-y,os (in our translation sometimes the message of pe~ce from heaven and re- "holy," sometimes •·saint") is the usual conciled us to God. ' rendering for the Hebrew i:--nR. The pri- Ver. 3.-I thank my God upon ever, re- mary idea of the Hebrew word seems to be membranoe of you. All St. Paul's Epistles, that of separation-separation from all that except. those t~ th~ Galatians, I Timothy, defileth. God is "of pnrer eyes than to an_d Ti~s, begin with a thanksgiving. In behold eril;" those who are dedicated to this Epistle the thanksgiving is especially Lim must strive by bis grace to purify warm and earnest ; no cloud of doubt themsd "l"CS even as he is pure. " Bo ye darkened the apostle's confidence in the holy, for I am holy." In <JhrW. Jesus. Philippians; be pours forth .his gratitude to They are saints in "l'irtue of their rele.tion to God for their spiritual gifts fervently and Christ. They were once" haptized into one withont reserve. My God. The pronoun body"-tbe mystical body of Christ. Holi- expresses the inner consciousness of personal ness of dedication can issue in holiness of relations with God: it reminds us of Acts heart and life only by abiding in him ( comp. :u:vii. 23, "God, whose I am, and whom I John xv. 4--6). All saints e.re one body serve." Upon all my remembrance of you in Christ; they are knit together into one (e.s R.Y.) is the more exact rendering. oommunion and fellowship by their pereon.e.l 'fhe remembrance (not mention) was cou- union with the one Lord. With the bishops tinuons; he " had them in his heart," and and deaOOIIB. In the New Testament the that unbroken remembrance resulted in un- word br,u1<01ros is synonymous with ,rp,ufJo- broken thanksgiving. • .,.,pos (comp. Acts xx.. 17; l Pet. v. l, 2; I Ver. 4.-Always in ever, prayer of miD:e Tim. iii. 1-7; Titus L 5-7). St. Paul is for you all making request. with joy. Per- addressing the eldera of tbe Church at haps the first part of this verse is better Philippi, not bishops in our sense of the joined with ver. 3, "I thank my God ... word. It is possible that Epaphroditns may always in efJery prayei· of mine for you all;" have been the presiding bishop of the Church so Bishop Lightfoot. The Greek word for (see notes on eh.. iL 25 and iv. 3). If so, we "prayer II nnd" req ueet" is the same, ~•110-«, see a reason whv the second and third order11 better rendered "my supplication," as in of the ministry ·ouly Ille mentioned, as Epa- the R.V.; it implies not m~rcly a lifting- up phroditue wae the bearer of the Epistle. of the heart to God, but an earnest entreaty But diocesan episcopacy does not seem to for a necessary gift. We meet now for the have become general till the last quart.er of first time w\th th~t "joy" which is the key- tb'.l first century. We know that Paul and note of this Epistle. "Summa epistolm Be.rnabae "ordained elders in every Church" Gaudeo: gaudote;" so Bonge!, who con'. in tbeir fir,;t missionary journey ; we need tinues, "'l'IJis Epistle of joy well follows not, therefore, Le surprised at the mention th1<t to the Ephesians, where love rei.,ua. of these official desiguntious in this Epistle, 'The fruitofthe Spirit is luve,joy.' Joy give1 which wae written seventeen or eighteen life to prayer." years lnlkr. St. Paul's address to the elders Ver. 5.-For your fellowship in the gospel of tht GJ,urch at Ephesus shows the impor- from the first day until now; rather, a~ R.V. tanct: whieh he attached to the office and to for your fellowship in fwrtherance of the goa'. tL.6 foitLful performance of its duties. Per- pel. This verso should be taken in connec- 1aps " the biBhops and dee.cons" are spe- tion with ver. 3. St. ;F11,ul tlianks God for cu,lly menlioni,d htre as Laving collected their hc·Ip, their co-operation towards the tht contributions B0nt to fit. Paul ; so Chry- work of tile gospel. 'l'hey helped forwnnl llU8U.W &Dd lrkytr. On th0 wLole sul,jtct, the work by lheir prayers, their lul;ours, Oil, I, 1-30,] 'l'llE EPISTLE 'l'O THE P.HILIPPJANS. 3