Philippians: Paul’s Theme Unpacked
The basic idea of the epistle [letter] is joy. This idea of rejoicing or ‘keeping our chin up,” or better yet, jumping for joy… is found 16 times. This idea, appearing in both noun and verb form throughout – with ample conclusion from Paul as to why someone would have such joy as a Christian.
Examples include:
- Joy in suffering, for in our suffering, God accomplishes good (1:12-14)
- Joy in the sacrificial giving of one’s time and energy (2:17-18), and of one’s goods (4:18), to meet the needs of others and to do God’s will, thus following Christ’s example (2:4-11)
- Joy in knowing Christ and experiencing His resurrection (3:8-10)
- Joy when agreement happens with other believers and people in general (2:4; 4:2-5)
- Joy over the sufficiency of Christ (4:13, 19), which produces satisfaction for every situation
The Apostle Paul was an interesting character. I say interesting, because one should take a genuine interest in why he was so devoted to Christ and strong in his faith. Such an interest [with this letter/book] should invoke some thoughts as to why we Christians (who by and large in the States) don’t suffer as the early Christians did for believing what we claim to believe – and yet we don’t measure to the joy and faith of those going through such “physical” persecution and confusion. One would also have to pay homage to our brothers and sisters in other countries – who are suffering such persecution to this day.
To be understanding of Christ’s sacrifice and submissive to God’s will is to realize that all things gained in this world will never match up and will always fall short of the Glory of God – practically and spiritually.
If you’re looking for reasons to find joy in your faith and solid examples to support those reasons – look to this letter and find comfort knowing you have all you need in Christ.
Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
