Philippians

Philippians

Greeting

From Paul and Timothy,

servants of the Anointed One, Jesus—

To all the set-apart ones in the Anointed One, Jesus, who are in Philippi,

together with the overseers and servants:

Grace and peace to you

from God our Father and the Master, Jesus the Anointed One.

Thanksgiving and Joy

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you,

I always pray with joy—

because of your partnership in the good news

from the first day until now.

Being confident of this:

that He who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion

until the day of the Anointed One, Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all,

because I have you in my heart

and, whether I am in chains

or defending and confirming the good news,

all of you share in God’s grace with me.

God is my witness

how I long for all of you

with the affection of the Anointed One, Jesus.

A Prayer for Love and Discernment

And this is my prayer:

that your love may abound more and more

in knowledge and depth of insight,

so that you may discern what is best

and be pure and blameless for the day of the Anointed One,

filled with the fruit of rightness

that comes through Jesus the Anointed One—

to the glory and praise of God.

Chains for the Anointed One

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,

that what has happened to me

has actually advanced the good news.

As a result,

it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard

and to everyone else

that I am in chains for the Anointed One.

Because of my chains,

most of the brothers and sisters

have become confident in the Master

and dare all the more to proclaim the word without fear.

It is true that some preach the Anointed One out of envy and rivalry,

but others out of goodwill.

The latter do so out of love,

knowing that I am put here

for the defense of the good news.

The former proclaim the Anointed One selfishly,

not sincerely,

supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

But what does it matter?

The important thing is that in every way—whether from false motives or true—

the Anointed One is proclaimed.

And in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers

and the help given by the Breath of Jesus the Anointed One,

what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

I eagerly expect and hope

that I will in no way be ashamed,

but will have full courage

so that now, as always,

the Anointed One will be honored in my body,

whether by life or by death.

To Live Is the Anointed One

For to me, to live is the Anointed One,

and to die is gain.

If I am to go on living in the body,

this will mean fruitful work for me.

Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

I am torn between the two:

I desire to depart and be with the Anointed One,

which is better by far;

but it is more necessary for you

that I remain in the body.

Convinced of this,

I know that I will remain,

and I will continue with all of you

for your progress and joy in the trust,

so that through my being with you again

your boasting in the Anointed One, Jesus,

will abound on account of me.

Live Worthy of the Good News

Whatever happens,

conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the good news of the Anointed One.

Then, whether I come and see you

or only hear about you in my absence,

I will know that you stand firm in one spirit,

contending as one for the trust of the good news—

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

This is a sign to them that they will be undone,

but that you will be rescued—

and that by God.

For it has been granted to you

on behalf of the Anointed One

not only to trust in Him,

but also to suffer for Him,

since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had,

and now hear that I still have.

———

United in Love and Purpose

If you have any encouragement

from being united with the Anointed One,

if any comfort from love,

if any fellowship with the Breath,

if any affection and compassion,

then make my joy complete

by being like-minded,

having the same love,

being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or pride,

but in humility

value others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

The Anointed One’s Humility

Let this mindset be in you,

which was also in the Anointed One, Jesus:

Who, though existing in the form of God,

did not count equality with God

something to be grasped or clung to,

but emptied Himself,

taking the form of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a stake.

Therefore God highly exalted Him

and gave Him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow—

in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

and every tongue confess

that Jesus the Anointed One is Master,

to the glory of God the Father.

Shine Like Lights

Therefore, my beloved,

just as you have always obeyed—

not only in my presence,

but now much more in my absence—

continue to work out your rescue

with awe and reverence,

for it is God who works in you,

both to will and to act

in order to fulfill His good purpose.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

so that you may become blameless and pure,

children of God without fault

in a warped and twisted generation.

Then you will shine among them

like lights in the world,

as you hold firmly to the word of life.

And then I will be able to boast on the day of the Anointed One

that I did not run or labor in vain.

But even if I am being poured out

like a drink offering

on the sacrifice and service coming from your trust,

I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

So you too should be glad

and rejoice with me.

Timothy’s Proven Character

I hope in the Master Jesus

to send Timothy to you soon,

so that I also may be encouraged

when I hear how you are doing.

I have no one else like him,

who will genuinely care for your well-being.

For everyone looks out for their own interests,

not those of Jesus the Anointed One.

But you know that Timothy has proven himself,

because as a son with his father

he has served with me in the work of the good news.

I hope, therefore, to send him

as soon as I see how things go with me.

And I am confident in the Master

that I myself will come soon.

Epaphroditus: A Brother, Soldier, and Messenger

But I think it is necessary

to send back to you Epaphroditus,

my brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier,

who is also your messenger,

whom you sent to take care of my needs.

For he longs for all of you

and is distressed because you heard he was ill.

Indeed he was sick,

and almost died.

But God had mercy on him—

and not only on him but also on me,

to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,

so that when you see him again

you may rejoice

and I may have less anxiety.

Welcome him in the Master with great joy,

and honor people like him,

because he almost died for the work of the Anointed One,

risking his life to make up

for the help you yourselves could not give me.

———

Rejoice and Beware

Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Master.

It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,

and it is a safeguard for you.

Watch out for the dogs,

those who do evil,

those who mutilate the flesh.

For it is we who are the true circumcision—

we who serve by the Breath of God,

who boast in the Anointed One, Jesus,

and who put no confidence in the flesh.

Paul’s Former Credentials

Though I myself could have confidence even in the flesh.

If anyone thinks they have reason to rely on the flesh,

I have more:

Circumcised on the eighth day,

of the people of Israel,

of the tribe of Benjamin,

a Hebrew of Hebrews;

with regard to the law, a Pharisee;

as for zeal, persecuting the gathering;

as for rightness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me,

I now count as loss for the sake of the Anointed One.

What is more,

I consider everything a loss

because of the surpassing worth

of knowing the Anointed One, Jesus my Master—

for whose sake I have lost all things.

I consider them garbage,

that I may gain the Anointed One

and be found in Him—

not having a rightness of my own that comes from the law,

but that which comes through trust in the Anointed One—

the rightness that comes from God on the basis of trust.

Knowing the Anointed One

I want to know Him—

to know the power of His resurrection

and participation in His sufferings,

becoming like Him in His death,

and so, somehow, to attain

to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

Not that I have already obtained all this,

or have already been made complete,

but I press on to take hold of that

for which the Anointed One, Jesus, took hold of me.

Brothers and sisters,

I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.

But one thing I do:

Forgetting what is behind

and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal

to win the prize for which God has called me upward

in the Anointed One, Jesus.

Mature Thinking and Walking Together

All of us, then, who are mature

should take such a view of things.

And if on some point you think differently,

that too God will make clear to you.

Only let us live up

to what we have already attained.

Brothers and sisters,

join together in following my example,

and keep your eyes on those who walk

according to the pattern we gave you.

Enemies of the Cross

For, as I have often told you before and now say again with tears:

Many live as enemies of the stake of the Anointed One.

Their end is destruction,

their god is their appetite,

and their glory is in their shame—

their minds are set on earthly things.

Citizens of Heaven

But our citizenship is in the heavens.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there—

the Master, Jesus the Anointed One—

who, by the power that enables Him

to bring everything under His control,

will transform our lowly bodies

so that they will be like His glorious body.

———

Stand Firm in the Master

Therefore, my brothers and sisters—

you whom I love and long for,

my joy and crown—

stand firm in the Master in this way, dear friends.

Unity and Support

I plead with Euodia

and I plead with Syntyche

to be of the same mind in the Master.

Yes, and I ask you, true companion,

help these women

who have contended at my side in the cause of the good news,

along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers,

whose names are in the Book of Life.

Rejoice and Be Gentle

Rejoice in the Master always.

I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all.

The Master is near.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds

in the Anointed One, Jesus.

Think on These Things

Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

Whatever you have learned or received

or heard from me, or seen in me—

put it into practice,

and the God of peace will be with you.

Content in All Circumstances

I rejoiced greatly in the Master

that at last you renewed your concern for me.

Indeed, you were concerned,

but you had no opportunity to show it.

I am not saying this because I am in need,

for I have learned to be content

whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to be in need,

and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content

in any and every situation—

whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in abundance or in lack.

I can do all things

through the One who strengthens me.

Their Gift and Paul’s Gratitude

Yet it was good of you

to share in my troubles.

Moreover, as you Philippians know,

in the early days of your partnership in the good news,

when I set out from Macedonia,

not one gathering shared with me

in the matter of giving and receiving,

except you only.

Even when I was in Thessalonica,

you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.

Not that I desire your gifts;

what I desire is that more may be credited to your account.

I have received full payment, and more.

I am amply supplied,

now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.

They are a fragrant offering,

an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

And my God will supply all your needs

according to His riches in glory in the Anointed One, Jesus.

To our God and Father

be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Final Greetings and Blessing

Greet all God’s set-apart people in the Anointed One, Jesus.

The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings.

All God’s people here send you greetings,

especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

The grace of the Master, Jesus the Anointed One,

be with your spirit.

Amen.