That Jesus Christ Be Honored

THAT JESUS CHRIST BE HONORED

An Exposition of Philippians 1:18a-21

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   March 11, 2018

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

In Philippians 1:10 the apostle Paul prayed that the Philippians would “approve what is excellent” – that with a tenderhearted and thoughtful love they would lay hold of the best things and live accordingly. How beautiful that when a man ponders his present life, he immediately thinks about the highest good! Not trifles or trivialities, not acceptable or average things, but the highest good! How wonderful that when a man ponders his impending death, his thoughts travel upward to the delightful prospect of being with most excellent One of all!

How beautiful and how wonderful indeed – and how rare! One of our Christian hymns begins with this stanza: 

“Rise up, O men of God!

Have done with lesser things.

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

to serve the King of kings.”[1]

But how many people there are – tragically – who are not yet “done with lesser things”! Their whole life is about “lesser things”! They scarcely know what is good, let alone what is excellent. They want to live comfortably and leisurely, not sacrificially. They want to protect and preserve their assets, not pour out themselves and their resources in service to others. They want to enjoy serenity for themselves individually, but they do not want to be part of a church community that is suffering for the sake of the gospel. They want to go to heaven when they die, because quiet waters sound better than a fiery lake, and that’s where they suppose their loved ones will be. But whether Christ will be there makes no difference to them!

These folks who are enslaved to “lesser things” are happy to have God be a part of their life, but just a part, as long as they have their hands on the wheel and God is only a useful passenger in the back seat. They want a gospel on the cheap! Don Carson captured this mindset in his book on Philippians:

“I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please.

"Not too much–just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.

"I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate coveteousness and lust.

"I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.

"I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. 

"I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races–especially if they smell.

"I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.

"I would like about three dollars worth of the gospel, please.”[2]

Then we meet the apostle Paul. The great desire of his heart is to know Christ, proclaim Christ, and care for Christ’s Church. He has been imprisoned for preaching the gospel, but he is full of joy because his imprisonment is actually serving to advance the gospel: Paul is sharing the gospel with the prison guards, and Paul’s fellow Christians have become more courageous evangelists. The gospel is ‘on the move’! Some preachers are even preaching the gospel will ill-will toward Paul, seeking to exalt themselves at Paul’s expense, but Paul rejoices anyway because “Christ is proclaimed” (Philippians 1:18). And Christ is Paul’s highest love! Paul wants nothing more than for Christ to be known and honored by others, even as he himself wants to know Christ and honor Christ in everything that he does.

As we turn our attention to Philippians 1:18b-21, we will notice the theme of deep and profound joy in the Lord Jesus Christ. This supreme joy is not meant to be the possession of a select few, but the common possession of “all the saints” (Philippians 1:1), even of you and me who have been claimed by Christ. 

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

With these things in mind, let me read today’s passage, beginning in the latter part of verse 18 and going through verse 21. Holy Scripture says:

“Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

(Philippians 1:18b-21)

AN OVERVIEW OF VERSES 18b-21

In these verses we encounter the central focus of Paul’s entire life. Since there is a lot packed in here, let me attempt to summarize it so that you get a sense of the big picture before we dig deeper into the various phrases.

First, Paul declares his resolve to rejoice (v. 18b): “Yes, and I will rejoice.”

Second, Paul tells us the reason for his joy (v. 19): “for I know that… this will turn out for my deliverance.” What he means is that his imprisonment – his suffering “for Christ” (Philippians 1:13) which he had just been talking about in verses 12-18a – his imprisonment will advance his salvation.

Third, Paul describes his salvation in terms of honoring Christ and of not being put to shame (v. 20): “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Paul’s knowledge that his suffering will advance his salvation (v. 19) runs parallel to his “expectation and hope” “that… Christ will be honored in [his body].” Whether he lives, suffers, or dies, Paul’s central aim is to honor Christ.

Fourth, Paul declares the reason why he cares so deeply about honoring Christ (v. 21): “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The reason Paul wants to honor Christ is because Christ means everything to him. Nothing else – no one else – can compare with Christ our Savior.

Last, but not least, I return to verse 19 and highlight the phrase that I skipped over until now: “through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Here is the power that turns suffering to our advantage, enables us to honor Christ, and fills our cup with ever-increasing joy. This power is the power of Christ, who works in us through His Spirit and through the prayers of His people.

WE OUGHT TO FOLLOW PAUL’S EXAMPLE

Before we zoom in on these things, we do well to remember that we should follow Paul’s example. In Philippians 4:9 Paul writes, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” So, if we want our earthly pilgrimage to be attended with God’s peace, then we ought to pay careful attention to Paul’s life and teaching, and then put what we learn into everyday practice. In other words, the central focus of Paul’s entire life should also be the central focus of our entire life.

Although I usually move forward through the text, I think it will be helpful in the present case to move backward through the text. The final verse – verse 21 – functions as the anchor and provides the basis for everything else. So let’s start there and then work back.

PAUL LOVED JESUS SUPREMELY

In verse 21 Paul says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This is a remarkable statement! Notice that Paul doesn’t say that a part of his life is about Christ. He doesn’t say that his religious activity or missionary work is about Christ, or that his morning devotions or evening prayers are about Christ, or that attending a worship service or Bible study is about Christ. Of course, all these things are most certainly about Christ, but the point is that Paul doesn’t say that a portion of his life is oriented toward Christ. Instead he says that all of his life is oriented to Christ: “For to me to live is Christ.” Paul is living a Christ-saturated life. Christ is not part of Paul’s life; Christ is Paul’s life. Do you understand the difference?

Christ means everything to Paul! Whether waking or resting, eating or drinking, spending time with others or being alone, evangelizing pagans or edifying the church, prospering or suffering, traveling or imprisoned, receiving encouragements or facing disappointments – through it all, in it all, and over it all – no matter what – Paul cherished the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul loved Jesus supremely! In so doing, Paul was living in accordance with the first and greatest commandment, to love the Lord with your whole being.

And why shouldn’t Paul love Jesus supremely? Jesus is Yahweh in human flesh. All things in heaven and on earth were created through Him and for Him. In Him is life, and apart from Him there is no life. If you have life, you owe everything to Him!

Jesus upholds the universe and holds everything together in accordance with His wisdom and strength. If you haven’t fallen apart to the point of ruin, you owe everything to His sustaining power!

Although human beings made a shipwreck of the world through folly and sin, He set out on a great rescue mission: the Lord of heavenly glory became a Man of sorrows upon the earth, and He carried our impurities and blemishes to the cross and then died a shameful death as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Then He rose from the grave on the third day as a sign of victory over all of God’s enemies. All the angelic and demonic hosts of the spiritual world have been made subject to the authority of the risen Christ! Everyone who believes in Him is forgiven of sin, is made part of God’s forever family, and becomes a fellowship partner with Christ in the administration of His everlasting kingdom.

What grace! We were perishing in a world of death, but He has become our life! We were straying in a world of foolishness, but He has become our wisdom! We were unclean in a world of sin, but He has become our righteousness! We were previously without God and without hope in this world, but He is our Immanuel – God with us – and He is, as the apostle says elsewhere, “Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). 

Since these things are so, why would you make anyone or anything else your life? How many would have to confess: ‘For to me to live is career and money’ or ‘fun and entertainment’ or ‘youthful ambition and pleasure’ or ‘family and friends.’ I suppose that some would have to confess that there really is no central focus that saturates all of life, except the idol called self: ‘For to me to live is me’! How is that for a life theme – to live is me, and everything else must get in line! But Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate… his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) This is not the hate of self-loathing, but rather means that we so love the Lord Jesus that we willingly place ourselves – our whole life – under His authoritative direction. “… not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42) is the proper mindset. In Philippians 3 Paul speaks of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord“ and then adds that his central ambition is to know Christ more and more (Philippians 3:8, 10). Paul savors the greatness of Christ as the greatest treasure of his heart: “For to me to live is Christ.”

But of course that’s only half the verse, as Paul immediately adds “and to die is gain.” I am doubtful that I will ever be able to ponder this powerful phrase without thinking back to the insight I received from Pastor John Piper some fifteen or more years ago.[3] But it is difficult to improve on his explanation that the only way you can truly embrace death as gain is if what you gain by death is more precious to you than what you lose by death – and death means the loss of many things. Death means you must say a temporary goodbye to all your Christian loved ones who remain alive on earth – that might include your spouse, your children, extended family and friends, and a number of Christian brothers and sisters. I say ‘temporary’ because in due course all believers will be reunited at the last day. Death means you must say a permanent goodbye to all non-Christian loved ones. Death also means you must say goodbye to your house and possessions, your financial assets, your Smartphone, your entertainment system, and a whole slew of earthly responsibilities, pleasures, hobbies, and comforts. And if your response is, ‘Great, I’m feeling burdened and bored with all this anyway and would be happy to move on,’ be careful that you don’t miss Paul’s point.

Paul’s point is not that things have gotten so wearisome or uninteresting down here that he might as well take his leave for compulsory comfort on the celestial clouds. That is not what is going on here. Paul is deeply engaged in the eternally significant work of gospel ministry, and though he is suffering affliction for Christ, he is full of joy in the progress of that work and he has a profound love for his fellow Christians. So what does Paul mean when he says that “to die is gain”? The heart of the answer comes in verse 23b: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:23) Being with Christ is far better, not because there will be no more opposition, no more imprisonment, no more suffering, and no more restless nights. To be sure, these benefits get thrown in, but don’t think for a moment that these benefits are the main attraction. They are not. And the reason this is so important to understand is because this world is full of hundreds of millions of people who would love to go to heaven so that they can have no more poverty, no more sickness, no more anxiety, no more danger, no more relational friction, and so that they can reconnect with family and friends – and to be perfectly honest, they really don’t care if Christ is there, because they don’t love Christ. They just don’t want to have cancer anymore. Our heart should go out to these folks, because they are woefully deceived. Paul told the Corinthians, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (2 Corinthians 16:22) – in other words, let him be damned. Those who die without love for Christ will not find death a tonic for their troubles, but they will rather be thrown into the greatest trouble of all. Because if you do not love the Son of God, then “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31; see Hebrews 10:26-31 for the context of verse 31)

But if you do love Him, then it is a wonderful thing to be called home. And Paul most certainly loves Christ, and it is the nature of love to desire close fellowship with the beloved. Therefore Paul feels within his heart a deep desire “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” And precisely because it is far better, it is gain – it is advancement into the very presence of Christ – it is faith becoming sight and thus beholding with clear vision the excellence of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is Paul’s life, and shall always be so. 

Paul Intended to Honor Christ Completely

Now moving from verse 21 back to verse 20, we see that because Paul loved Christ supremely he intended to honor Christ completely. This intention wasn’t a superficial wish for something that may or may not happen, but was rather an intention accompanied with full confidence that it would happen: “Christ will be honored”! Look at verse 20: “… it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Paul is brimming with confidence – with “eager expectation and hope” – but what exactly is he confident about? Well, he is confident of two things. First, he is confident that he “will not be at all ashamed” – in other words, that he will not be put to shame. What is he talking about? He must not be talking about his public image in the eyes of men at the present time, for in that case he had challenges to being without shame. For starters, he was imprisoned. Then there some preachers with ill-motives who sought to afflict Paul in his imprisonment. And as Paul was imprisoned awaiting his trial, there was some uncertainty as to the outcome of that trial, whether it would result in his release or in his death. There were also the Jewish religious leaders who opposed Paul. So from a human perspective, Paul was put to shame by the Jewish religious leaders, the Roman governing authorities, and even the ill-willed preachers inside the Christian community. But Paul isn’t thinking about shame on a horizontal, social level; Paul isn’t thinking about popular esteem or public image; and Paul isn’t thinking about deliverance and vindication in the court of the Roman emperor. Which means I need to go back to verse 19, where Paul expresses confidence that “this will turn out for my deliverance”. What kind of deliverance or salvation is Paul referring to here?

Some people might think that when Paul speaks of deliverance here, he is referring to being released from his imprisonment. The word “deliverance” allows for this interpretation, and one argument for it is Paul’s expectation in Philippians 1:26 and 2:24 that he will be released and thus able to visit the Philippians again. However, I think it is unlikely that “deliverance” in Philippians 1:19 refers to release from prison. Let me give you three reasons why:

• First, as soon as Paul express certainty about his deliverance, he immediately expresses uncertainty about whether he will be released or put to death. Why does he say “whether by life or by death”? Why does he tell us that “to die is gain”? The issue here isn’t Paul’s age or physical health, it is his imprisonment. Will he be released or sentenced to death? In terms of verses 19-23, he is unsure. But he is sure of this: that whether he lives or dies, Christ will be honored in his body – which means that “he will not be at all ashamed” regardless of the emperor’s verdict.

• Second, there is a similar line of thought at the end of chapter 1. Paul says that if the Philippians, who are engaged in spiritual conflict and facing opposition and suffering for Jesus’ sake, if they stand firm and stay unified and “strive… for the faith of the gospel” and are “not frightened… by [their] opponents, then this is a “sign to [their opponents]” of the salvation that they (the Philippians) have received from God. Suffering well for Christ signifies the reality of the salvation you have in Christ. The word rendered “salvation” in verse 28 is part of the same word-group that is rendered “deliverance” in verse 19.

• Third, there are actually a number of passages in the New Testament that connect our suffering for Christ to our advancement in the salvation of Christ. If Philippians 1:19 was the only passage that suggested this, we might have reason to doubt. But in reality there are many passages, including Romans 8:17 which says that we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Suffering is the pathway to glory. Suffering is also preparation for glory, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our “momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.” 

Thus there are good reasons for understanding “deliverance” as the fullness of salvation in Christ. With this understanding in mind, then the phrase “not be at all ashamed” (v. 20) takes us right into one of the wonderful promises of salvation, namely, that everyone who trusts in the Lord will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3, Romans 10:11). This has nothing to do with human assessment at the present time, but everything to do with God’s assessment. The pagan world can scoff at us; the government can put us in jail; the media can write up a bad report about us; unbelievers can assume that we are off our rocker. But so what? If we put our confidence in the Lord and walk in His ways, then we can keep our heads up – not because we are proud, but because we know that we belong to Him and that He is powerfully at work in our lives.

Paul is confident “that [he] will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage” – he will live with courage! He may be imprisoned, he may feel weak, he may be pressed on all sides, and he may be concerned about the health of the various congregations, but he will not live as if he has been abandoned. Because he hasn’t been! Christ is his life, and Christ is near! The grace of the gospel is his firm foundation! The God of peace is with him! The Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping him! The people of God are praying for him! And under the wise decree of his heavenly Father, everything is conspiring for his spiritual advantage. Therefore, with Christ’s commission in his hand, he will continue to testify of God’s grace to everyone he meets; with Christ’s affection in his heart, he will continue to love his fellow Christians and strengthen them in the faith; and with Christ’s peace guarding his mind, he will exhibit peace and charity to others, even to his detractors and his captors. And all this “with full courage.”

But note well that the aim of this confident and courageous walk is the honor of Christ. If the first point of confidence was that Paul will not be ashamed, the second point of confidence is that Christ will be honored. Paul says: “… that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Here we see a beautiful correlation between Paul not being ashamed and Christ being honored. For the true believer who loves Jesus supremely and wants to honor Christ completely, the real scandal would be what? The real scandal would be not honoring Christ. Those who dishonor Christ will of course be put to shame. But those who honor Christ by trusting Him and loving Him and following Him “with full courage” will be full of joy that Christ has been honored in their life, and they will never be put to shame.

Let me briefly mention two other details that relate to verse 20:

• First, it is worth noting that Paul calls attention to his bodily life: “Christ will be honored in my body.” Elsewhere Paul told the Christians to glorify God in their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). The point to be learned here is that it is inadequate to honor Christ with our best thoughts only, but that we must proceed to embody these thoughts in all of life – so that in all the going of our feet, in all the serving of our hands, in all the speaking of our mouths, in the countenance that we exhibit in all our relationships and responsibilities, and especially in the way that we carry ourselves in the midst of suffering or persecution, so that in all these things Christ will be honored in our bodies.

• Second, it is worth connecting what it means for Christ to be honored by our death (v. 20) with what it means to feel the precious reality that death is gain (v. 21). If you know deep in your heart that death is gain on account of going home to be with Jesus, then you will experience and exhibit peace and joy in your final hours – even if a rogue state or militant group is about to chop your head off because you are a Christian. And that fearlessness and joy in the face of death will honor Christ – it will be a way of saying that the steadfast love of Christ is better than life (Psalm 63:3).

 If we love Jesus supremely, then we will want to honor Him completely – in every dimension of our living and our dying. And if Christ is always honored in your life because you followed Him in faith and full courage, then you never be put to shame. Though the world reject you, you will abide in the grace and peace of God, and His fatherly love will rest upon you, and you will be go deeper into the salvation that comes through Jesus. 

SUFFERING FOR CHRIST ADVANCES OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST

This brings us to the beautiful truth of verse 19, that suffering for Christ advances our salvation in Christ. Paul says: “for I know that… this [Paul’s suffering and imprisonment] will turn out for my deliverance [salvation].” We don’t typically think of suffering as something that advances our salvation, but that’s because we have a truncated view of salvation. 

In reality, there are three dimensions to salvation. There is salvation past – our conversion, regeneration, and justification. Therefore we say: we have been saved. Then there is salvation present – our ongoing sanctification, spiritual growth, and participation in Christ. Therefore we say: we are being saved. Finally, there is salvation future – our resurrection, vindication, and glorification with Christ. Therefore we say: we will be saved. We should think of all of this as our salvation in Christ.

To be clear, suffering for Christ does not advance our justification and regeneration. But suffering does result in growth in our ongoing sanctification and our present participation in Christ, and suffering also ripens us for resurrection and glorification in the future. There is obviously not time for a full-blown exposition of this theme in the remainder of this sermon. But for our purposes I think the simplest way to explain this suffering-turned-to-salvation concept is to take us to Philippians 3:10-12. Some months from now we will have the opportunity to ponder these three verses at greater length, but for now let me set them before us as explanatory of Philippians 1:19. In Philippians 3 Paul writes as a man who has already been forgiven and justified by God and who has a deep love for the Lord Jesus. Then in verses 10-12 he reveals once again the central focus of his life: 

“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:10-12)

Do you see what is going on here? Paul’s view of salvation is not static. He doesn’t say: I have been saved, so now I’ll coast through life with a peaceful conscience, and afterward it will be nice to go to heaven. He doesn’t say that. He couldn’t say that, because that’s not how the New Testament presents salvation. Instead, Paul tells us that his ambition is to be conformed to the pattern of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection: he wants to share the sufferings of Christ; he wants to become like Christ in His death; and in that experience of suffering and dying, he wants to experience the power of Christ’s resurrection at work in the midst of his weakness. Then after all that, on the far side of death, he wants to be raised from the dead (Philippians 3:11) and have his lowly body transformed to be like Christ’s glorious body (Philippians 3:21). This conformity of the believer to the pattern of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is God’s will for all of His people, and we ought to embrace it, we ought to “press on to make it [our] own.” And if this is our heartbeat, as it ought to be, then we will welcome suffering – all suffering, really, but especially suffering and persecution on account of the gospel – because suffering does what? Suffering propels us more deeply into Christ and into the sufferings of Christ and into the power of Christ and into the eager anticipation of our full participation in Christ’s resurrection on the last day. If we resent our suffering, then what we are saying is that we want comfort, not Christ. But if we love Christ supremely and want to honor Him completely, then we will welcome suffering, because through suffering we will know Christ better and become a better reflection of Him. 

It is no wonder, then, that Paul will rejoice in the midst of his suffering. His suffering is pushing him more deeply into Christ and His saving purposes, and this same suffering is affording Paul fresh opportunities to honor Christ in his life and perhaps also in his death, and all this makes Paul really happy because Christ is the One he loves more than anyone or anything else.

In all this, Paul has no need to manufacture or manage his circumstances to make them do something for him, because he is not in charge. This is God’s work, God’s design. Thus Paul is consciously dependent on Christ’s power at work through the Spirit and the Church: “… through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.” Which means that Christ, not Paul, is carrying the work.  

APPLICATION

The main application to each and every one of us is to follow Paul’s example. Love Christ supremely. Honor Christ completely. Welcome suffering, and trust God to take that suffering and turn it for your progress in His salvation, namely, that you be conformed more fully to the likeness of Christ. Don’t force things, but rely on the help of the Holy Spirit as you wait for these things to unfold.

But there is a second important application that comes from verse 19: pray for one another. God works through our prayers, not because He needs them but because He wants to involve us in His work. Therefore, pray for your suffering brothers and sisters, that they would have the grace to walk with Christ and grow in Christ and honor Christ in the midst of their suffering. What will South Paris Baptist Church look like in a year or in five years or in ten years if we prayed in this manner – if we prayed not so much that others would get relief from their suffering, but rather that the suffering itself would cause our fellow Christians to “grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). What would happen if all of us, in and through suffering, became more faithful reflections of Jesus to one another and to the world around us? 

Let us pray.

ENDNOTES

[1] Merrill, William P. “Rise Up, O Men of God.”

[2] Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 12-13.

[3] I don’t have any particular John Piper resource in mind for this specific insight. I have read much of his written material and listened to much of his audio-visual material over the years. To get a flavor of his thought, one may read or listen to the John Piper sermon referred to in the Bibliography. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NOTE: My inclusion of a bibliography reflects my interaction with other teachers in the preparation of my sermon. While the main part of my preparation involves my direct interaction with the biblical text, I find it helpful to invite other “discussion partners” into my preparation process. My mention of these teachers (writers, speakers, etc.) does not imply any particular level of agreement with them, nor does it constitute an endorsement of their work. That said, I am appreciative of those – past and present – who are seeking to faithfully teach God’s Word, and I am happy to benefit from their labor.

Boice, James Montgomery. Philippians: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996.

Calvin, John. Calvin’s Bible Commentaries: Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Translated by John King. Forgotten Books: 2007 (orig. 16^th century).

Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. 

Hellerman, Joseph H. Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why It Matters Today. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2013.

Piper, John. “John Piper’s Candidating Sermon at Bethlehem Baptist.” A Sermon on Philippians 1:12-14, 19-26. Preached on January 27, 1980. Available online: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/john-pipers-candidating-sermon-at-bethlehem-baptist.   

Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.