Philippians, Rightly Divided, Verse-by-Verse

Session 11 | Phillippians 2:28-3:4

Philippians 2:19-30 | Timothy and Epaphroditus

• Verses 19-27 -- see session 10

• Verse 28 -- Black

  • Paul's desire is the joy of the Philippians, and sending Epaphroditus, now healthy, back to them will make Paul less sorrowful. He is less sorrowful because the sickness was one sorrow, the concern of the Philippians another, thus Paul literally says“that sorrow upon sorrow I might not have" (YLT).

    
    

• Verse 29 -- Green

  • While we cannot receive him...in the Lord, we can hold such in reputation. The Body of Christ has an obligation to value the things that are honoring to the Lord. If our value system was proper, then local churches would be healthy, and evangelism would be strong. Unfortunately, we have valued things that are not helpful (entertainment, political correctness, etc.) and the church has suffered.

    
    

• Verse 30 -- Black

  • While the last phrase concerning the Philippians lack of service sounds disrespectful, Paul simply means that they are unable to be there with him, but Epaphroditus filled that service.

    
    

    Philippians 3:1-3 | A New Dispensational Confidence

    
    

• Verse 1 -- Blue

  • The word finally“separator" word and not a conclusion word. Paul is moving into a section of exhortation that will continue through Philippians 4:9, which will be followed by some concluding words. His exhortation can be summarized in four words: rejoice in the Lord. Indeed, he is going to share dispensational truth that is worthy of doing just that.

  • When Paul gives the apologetic note about writing the same things to you, it does not appear that he is repeating anything from this epistle but referring to other writing which he has given them.

    
    He writes these things so that they would be safe, using the word ἀσφαλής [asphales], from which we get the word asphalt“stay on the road!"
    

• Verse 2 -- Blue

  • “bewares": the dogs, the evil workers, and the concision“are these the same people?" The second is, “who are they?"

  • His reference to dogs is clearly speaking in metaphor. The reference to dogs is found 24 times in the Bible, always negatively. Psalm 22:16 speaks of the dogs that crucified Jesus.

  • The evil workers category is less metaphor, and still broad. Compare 2 Corinthians 11:13 for a similar warning.

    
    The term the concisionκατατομή [katatome] is only used here. In the Septuagint it is found in Leviticus 21:5 and 1 Kings 18:28, where it is used of mutilations, similar to Paul's words in Galatians 5:12. This group, it appears, are like the Judaizers, requiring a circumcision of the law for those who are not under the law (compare Rom. 2:25).
    

• Verse 3 -- Blue

  • Outside of the Pauline dispensation, these words would be impossible. To have no confidence in the flesh“commonplace" under grace. His teaching here matches Colossians 2:11.

  • The body of Christ, unlike the Jewish nation, needs not circumcision of the flesh in order to be complete (Col. 2:10). The verb of Colossians 2:11 translated ye are circumcised is in the passive tense, because it is not an action we perform in the flesh. It is part of the gift of salvation. The phrases putting off the body and circumcision of Christ (Col. 2:11) are in the dative tense, describing the *means by which the* circumcision without hands*** *

    
    

    Philippians 3:4-14 | Paul's Journey

    
    

• Verse 4 -- Black

• This verse begins a section in which Paul recounts his Judaism. It is dispensationally important because it displays that by this time Paul places no credibility in his Jewish qualifications. When Paul recounts Judaism before Agrippa in Acts 26:4-8 (recounting events of 25 years earlier) he gives no hint of not trusting his Judaism.