Going to Jesus

Philippians

Philippians 1

¶1. Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and ministers:

2.Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

¶3. I give thanks to my God upon every remembrance of you,

4.always in every prayer of mine making supplication for all of you with joy

5.because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

6.confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

7. And it is only right for me to think this about you all because you keep me in mind, all of you being partakers of my grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

8. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the feelings of Jesus Christ.

9. And this I pray, that your love might abound more and more, with sure knowledge and all discernment,

10.that you might put things that differ to the test so that you will be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

11.filled with fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¶12. Now, brothers, I want you to know that the things which have befallen me have actually resulted in the furtherance of the gospel,

13.inasmuch as my imprisonment for Christ has become well-known throughout the Praetorium,^[1] and to everyone else,

14.and most of the brothers in the Lord, persuaded by my bonds, have become much more courageous to speak the word fearlessly.

15. Some, to be sure, preach Christ through envy and strife, but then, some do so through good will;

16.the former proclaim Christ out of strife, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds,

17.but the latter do so out of love, knowing I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

18. What of it? In any case, in every way, whether with false motives or true, Christ is being publicized, and in this, I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.

19. For I know that this will lead to deliverance for me, through your prayer and the aid of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20.according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing will I be put to shame, but with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

21. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

¶22. If I choose to live in the flesh, that will mean fruit from labor for me; and yet, I do not know what I shall choose.

23. I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better,

24.but to remain here in the flesh is more needful for you.

25. And convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

26.so that by my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus with me may abound.

27. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I might hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind pressing onward together in the faith of the gospel

28.(and in no way intimidated by your opponents), which^[2] is a sure sign of damnation to them, but of salvation to you – and that of God,

29.for it is given to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him,

30.engaging in the same struggle that you saw I had, and now you hear that I have.

Philippians 2

Back to Top

¶1. If, then, there be any comfort in Christ, if any solace of love, if any fellowship in spirit, if any tender affections and mercies,

2.make my joy complete, that you think the same thing, having the same love, as united souls, thinking one thing,

3.doing nothing through strife or vanity, but with humility, regarding one another as more important than yourselves.

4. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but each one also to the interests of others.

5. Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus,

6.who, although existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped after.

7. Instead, he divested himself, taking on the form of a slave, made in the likeness of men.

8. And being found as a man in appearance, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death—the death of a cross.

9. Wherefore, also, God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him a name that is above every name,

10.that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of heavenly beings, and of earthly beings, and of those under the earth,

11.and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¶12. So then, my dearly beloved, as you have always been obedient, not only when I am present, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

13.for it is God who is working within you, both to desire and to do according to His good pleasure.

14. Do all things without grumblings and disputes

15.so that you may be faultless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

16.as you hold fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ, I may boast that I neither ran in vain nor labored in vain.

17. But even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and I rejoice with all of you;

18.likewise, you rejoice, too. Yea, rejoice with me.

¶19. Now, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your state.

20. For I have no such kindred soul who will genuinely care about your welfare.

21. They all seek their own interests, not the things of Christ Jesus.

22. But you know his proven character, that as a son with a father, he has labored with me for the gospel.

23. Indeed, I hope to send him at once, as soon as I ascertain how things will go with me,

24.but I trust in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.

25. I thought it necessary to send you my fellow laborer and soldier, Brother Epaphraditus, your apostle, and a minister to my needs,

26.inasmuch as he has been longing for you all and was distressed because you heard that he was sick.

27. (Indeed, he was sick to the point of death; however, God showed him mercy – and not just him, but me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.)

28. Therefore, I am sending him with special urgency, so that seeing him again, you might rejoice, and I might be less sorrowful.

29. Welcome him, therefore, in the Lord with all joy, and acknowledge such precious men,

30.because for the work of Christ, he came close to death, disregarding his life so that he might make up for what was lacking in your ministry to me.

Philippians 3

Back to Top

¶1. As to the rest, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not at all troublesome to me, and for you it is safe.

2. Beware of dogs; beware of evil workers; beware of circum-mutilation,

3.for we are the circumcision who serve God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh –

4.although I do have a good reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has reason to trust in the flesh, I have more:

5.circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel; of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

6.concerning zeal, persecuting the Assembly of God, being blameless according to the righteousness that is in the law.

7. However, what things were gain to me, these I have counted as loss for Christ.

8. But more than that, I consider all things but loss for the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of everything. But I consider it all garbage, that I might gain Christ,

9.and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God, based on faith,

10.that I might know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings – changed by his death to be with him –

11.if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.

12. Not that I have already obtained it or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may obtain that for which I also am obtained by Christ Jesus.

13. Brothers, I do not reckon myself to have taken possession of it, but one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind and reaching toward the things that are ahead,

14.I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15. Let us, therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way, and if you think any other way, God will reveal even this to you.

16. Nevertheless, to the extent we have reached it, let us continue in the same standard, thinking the same thing.

¶17. Brothers, be followers together of me, and mark those who walk by the example you have in us.

18. For many (of whom I have told you often, and say again now with tears) live as enemies of the cross of Christ,

19.whose end is damnation, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

20. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we earnestly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

21.who will transform our lowly body into the likeness of his glorious body by the operation of the power by which he is able to subdue all things to himself.

Philippians 4

Back to Top

1. And so, my dearly loved and longed-for brothers, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord, beloved, just as you are.

¶2. I appeal to Euodia, and I appeal to Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

3. Yes, I also entreat you, loyal Syzygus,^[3] to help these women who for the gospel have struggled along with me, and with Clement, and the rest of my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

¶4. Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice!

5. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

¶8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasant, whatever is well spoken of, if there is anything virtuous, or anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things.

9. The things you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things put into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.

¶10. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now, at length, you have revived your care for me (of course, you were concerned, but lacked opportunity),

11.not that I am speaking as if in need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.

12. I certainly know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all circumstances, I have learned the secret, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.

13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

14. Still, you did well to share your goods with me in my distress.

15. And you yourselves also know, O Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not one Assembly had a part with me, as regards giving and receiving, but you alone,

16.for even in Thessalonika, once and again, you sent me aid to meet the need –

17.not that I seek the gift; I seek only the gain that increases your account.

18. But I have received full payment, and I have more than enough. I am full, having received from Epaphraditus the things you sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

19. And my God will supply your every need, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

20. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

¶21. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings to you.

22. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

¶23. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

---

Footnotes

^[1] The Praetorium served as quarters for the Praetorian Guard in Rome.

^[2] The “which” here is feminine, which means that the antecedent is for it is “faith”, not “gospel”, which is neuter.

^[3] Or “yoke-fellow”.