The Road Love Travels: Text: Philippians 1:1-11
Introduction: A Jailhouse Letter of Joy
We are beginning a study of the book of Philippians, which is, by any honest reckoning, one of the most joyful documents ever written. And it was written from a jail cell. The Apostle Paul, a prisoner of the Roman Empire, is writing to a church that he loves dearly, a church that was a true partner to him in his ministry. And the letter is saturated, soaked through, with joy, with thanksgiving, and with a deep, gut-level affection. In our therapeutic age, we think of joy as a fragile feeling, a delicate mood that must be protected from the harsh realities of life. Paul shows us that Christian joy is something else entirely. It is not a denial of suffering, but a defiance of it. It is a robust, steel-spined reality, grounded not in circumstances, but in the unshakeable truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The city of Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia, a little slice of Rome planted in northern Greece, populated by retired Roman soldiers and the like. It was the first church Paul planted on European soil, and his relationship with them was uniquely warm. They supported him financially when no one else did. They were all-in. This letter, then, is not a rebuke for doctrinal error, like Galatians, or a correction of carnal chaos, like Corinthians. This is a love letter. It is a thank-you note. And it is a profound theological treatise on the nature of Christian fellowship and the intellectual demands of Christian love.
But we must not mistake its warmth for weakness. This is not sentimental goo. Paul is writing to prepare these saints for suffering, to guard them against disunity, and to exhort them to a love that has a brain and a backbone. He wants their love to be intelligent. He wants it to have standards. He wants it to be discerning. In these first eleven verses, Paul lays the foundation for the entire letter. He models the very thing he prays for: a joyful, thankful, discerning love that is grounded in the gospel and aimed at the glory of God.
The Text
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:1-11 LSB)
Slaves, Saints, and Leadership (vv. 1-2)
We begin with Paul's standard, but potent, greeting.
"Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:1-2)
Paul begins by identifying himself and Timothy not as apostles or leaders, but as "slaves of Christ Jesus." This is his fundamental identity, and ours. We are not our own; we were bought with a price. Our freedom is found in this bondage. In a world obsessed with autonomy, the Christian declares his glorious slavery to the only master who is worthy of it.
Notice the order of the address. He writes "to all the saints," and then adds, almost as an aside, "with the overseers and deacons." This is a quiet but firm statement on the priesthood of all believers. The letter is for the whole church, for every last saint. The leadership is not a special class of intermediaries between God and the people. The overseers, or bishops, are among the saints, not over them in some hierarchical sense that grants them special access to God. It is also worth noting that he speaks of "overseers" in the plural for this one church, which was the consistent pattern in the New Testament. A plurality of elders guards the church from the dangers of one-man rule.
He wishes them "grace and peace." This is not just a pious pleasantry. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, the fountainhead of our salvation. Peace is the result of that grace. And both flow "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." I take it, following Jonathan Edwards, that this grace and peace is a way of speaking of the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Spirit is the grace and peace of God applied to our hearts.
Joyful Thanksgiving and Gospel Partnership (vv. 3-5)
Paul now moves to the heart of his affection for this church.
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3-5)
Every time the Philippians cross Paul's mind, his immediate response is thanksgiving to God. And his prayers for them are not a grim duty, but are offered with joy. This is a church that brings joy to the apostle's heart. Why? Verse 5 gives the reason: "because of your fellowship in the gospel."
The word for fellowship here is the rich Greek word, koinonia. In modern church parlance, "fellowship" has been tragically watered down to mean coffee and donuts in the church basement. But biblical koinonia is a deep, robust, mutual partaking. It means partnership. The Philippians were not just passive consumers of Paul's gospel preaching; they were active partners in it. They partook of his ministry. They supported him, prayed for him, and shared in his mission from the very "first day until now." This was not a flash in the pan. Their commitment was steadfast. This kind of partnership, this koinonia, is the basis for true Christian joy.
The Divine Guarantee (v. 6)
Paul's joy is rooted in his confidence in God's sovereign work.
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Genesis 1:6)
This is one of the clearest statements in all of Scripture on the doctrine of the perseverance, or better, the preservation of the saints. Paul's confidence is not in the Philippians' grit or determination. His confidence is in "He who began a good work." God is the one who initiates salvation, and our God is not the kind of God who starts a project and then abandons it halfway through. He finishes what He starts.
If God has begun the good work of regeneration in you, He will see it through to completion. He will "perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Your salvation does not depend on your white-knuckled grip on God, but on His unbreakable grip on you. This is the bedrock of our assurance. Our perseverance is the fruit of His preservation. He keeps us, and therefore we endure. This is why Paul can have such joy, even in prison. His confidence is not in men, but in the God who is faithful to His covenant promises.
Mutual Affection in the Gospel (vv. 7-8)
Paul's confidence in God's work is intertwined with his deep personal love for these believers.
"For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace... For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:7-8)
Paul's high theological confidence is not some detached, abstract doctrine. It is right for him to feel this way because of their shared life. They are in his heart. They are partakers with him in everything, in his chains, in his defense of the gospel. They are not fair-weather friends. They are in the foxhole with him. This is true koinonia.
He then calls God as his witness to the depth of his longing for them. He longs for them "with the affection of Christ Jesus." The King James Version has "in the bowels of Jesus Christ," which is a more literal, if jarring, rendering. The bowels were seen as the seat of the deepest emotions. This is not a polite, distant affection. This is a gut-churning, visceral love. And it is not his own love he is manufacturing; it is the very affection of Christ Jesus working through him. This is the kind of love that binds the true church together.
A Prayer for Intelligent Love (vv. 9-11)
This deep affection leads Paul to his central prayer for them, which is the roadmap for all Christian maturity.
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)
Paul does not pray that they would just feel more love. He prays that their love would abound, but in a particular direction. It must grow "in full knowledge and all discernment." Christian love is not a blind, sentimental slush. It has a brain. It has a backbone. It must be intelligent. Love without knowledge is dangerous; it doesn't know how to help. Love without discernment is foolish; it cannot distinguish between the precious and the worthless.
This intelligent love leads to a specific result: "so that you may approve the things that are excellent." A discerning love has standards. It is able to test things and approve what is genuinely best, not just what feels good or seems popular. This, in turn, produces character: "in order to be sincere and without fault." Sincere means without hypocrisy. Without fault means not causing others to stumble. This is the path of integrity.
And the final outcome is fruitfulness. A discerning, sincere love results in a life "filled with the fruit of righteousness." This is not a righteousness we produce on our own; it is the fruit "which comes through Jesus Christ." It is all of grace. And the ultimate goal of it all? It is not our self-esteem or personal fulfillment. It is all "to the glory and praise of God." God's glory is the end for which all things exist, and a church characterized by this kind of intelligent, discerning, fruitful love is a church that brings Him great glory.
Conclusion
This opening to Philippians is a portrait of a healthy Christian life, both individually and corporately. It is a life marked by joy in the midst of hardship, grounded in a robust confidence in the sovereignty of God. It is a life of true partnership, of koinonia, where believers are bound together in a deep, Christ-centered affection, sharing in both the sufferings and the triumphs of the gospel.
And it is a life of growth. We are not to remain stagnant. Our love is to abound, but it must be a love that thinks, a love that discerns, a love that chooses excellence over mediocrity. This is the road love travels. It begins with the grace of God, it is sustained by the preservation of God, and it culminates in a life of fruitful righteousness for the glory of God. This is the pattern for the Philippians, and it is the pattern for us.