Philippians: Paul’s Advice to the Church at Philippi
Philippians 1:27-30 - Christ grants us His grace and He also grants us suffering in His name.
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
Philippians 1:27-30 NASB1995
After Paul explains his circumstances and how he is torn between two possibilities for his near-term destiny, he addresses the saints at Philippi, who are pictured above in another AI image that Steve created. He tells them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Let’s do a word study! Conduct is from the Greek verb πολιτεύομαι or politeúoma (Strong’s G4176), with the following Biblical usages:
to be a citizen
to administer civil affairs, manage the state
to make or create a citizen
to be a citizen
to behave as a citizen
to avail one's self of or recognise the laws
to conduct one's self as pledged to some law of life
Most of the time in scripture, the word peripateo is used to describe the walk that believers should take. In this case, Paul is writing to believers who live in a thriving Roman colony in this region of Macedonia. Here is what the Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible (POSB) says about this usage, as quoted in Precept Austin:
Usually, when the New Testament refers to behavior or conduct, it uses a word meaning how a person should walk about day by day (peripateo). But Paul switches the word in writing to the Philippians. Why? The reason is significant. As stated in the introductory material, Philippi was a proud Roman colony. In fact, it was famous as a miniature Rome.
A city became a Roman colony by one of two ways: At first Rome founded colonies throughout the outer reaches of the Empire to keep the peace and to guard against invasions from barbaric hordes. Veteran soldiers, ready for retirement, were usually granted citizenship if they would go out and settle these colonies. Later on, however, a city was granted the distinctive title or a Roman Colony for loyalty and service to the Empire. The distinctive thing about these colonies was their fanatic loyalty to Rome. The citizens kept all their Roman ties: the Roman language, titles, customs, affairs, and dress. They refused to allow any infiltration of local influence whatsoever. They totally rejected the influence of the world around them. They were Roman colonists within an alien environment.
This is the reason Paul uses the word politeuesthe. It means conduct and behavior, but more accurately it means the conduct and behavior of citizenship, of a person who is the citizen of a great nation. The Philippian church knew exactly what Paul was saying: they were citizens of heaven. Therefore, they must …
• keep their close ties with heaven
• speak the clean and pure language of heaven
• bear the title of heaven, Christian, and do so proudly
• bear witness to the customs of heaven
• carry on the affairs of heaven
• dress as a citizen of heaven
• allow no infiltration of worldly influence whatsoever
• live and conduct themselves as a heavenly colony within a polluted and dying environment
Whether Paul comes and sees them or remains absent, he wants to hear of them standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel and to not be alarmed by their opponents. This unity of spirit and mind is what he believes the saints at Philippi should strive for. This seems ironic, considering the post I did recently that showed the tossed spaghetti flowchart of all of the different Christian denominations and offshoots since the Book of Acts was written. Unity of spirit and mind is sadly lacking, I’m afraid.
And what does this really mean for the believer? It doesn’t mean lallygagging your way to church maybe once a week and considering it good enough. It doesn’t mean cracking open a Bible when you think about it, then putting it away again when you reach scripture like Leviticus or 1 or 2 Chronicles. Precept Austin talks about the teamwork that is required that means that we are all soldiers and athletes in creating this unity:
Remember you’re in a battle. What sort of images come to mind when you think of a Christian? Someone who spends all day in a library? Someone removed from society like a monk in a desert? Do you think of a celebrity? Notice what Paul thinks about: soldiers of the King and determined athletes. He uses images that denote warfare, perseverance, teamwork, and tenacity. He uses such metaphors often (cf. 2 Tim 2:3-5). We need to remember that this is the nature of the Christian life. You’re an athlete. You’re a soldier.
Why do athletes practice multiple times a day and go on disciplined diets? Why do soldiers put themselves through difficult training? Because the prize or the goal is worth it. We must engage in the war and contend faithfully because Christ is worth it. Paul tells Timothy that the aim of a good soldier is to “please the recruiter” (2 Tim 2:4). He goes on to tell him, “Keep your attention on Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:8). Remember Him when you go on those mission trips filled with unidentifiable bites, parasites, and sleepless nights. Remember Him as you go with that church-planting team to the urban core. Remember He is worth it when you keep serving and counseling that wayward brother or sister. He is worth it, and He is enough.
Realize that we don’t engage in this battle on our own. There’s nothing like being part of a local church on mission together; no group, no team, no organization is like the church, the fellowship of the gospel. Don’t be a secret agent, a little ninja running off by yourself! Be part of the unit! Be part of the team! Pray, give, go, encourage, invest, and support. Be a soldier. And do so in Christ’s power.
We don’t suffer any serious persecution as believers in this country (yet), but there is an active opposition to the words of Christ that is growing every day. There are many other places in the world where the opposition to Christianity is immediately violent and murderous. In this passage, Paul links together belief and suffering and tells the saints at Philippi that they will also experience the same conflict that he has experienced (torn between this world and the next). Let’s look at the last two verses of this passage again:
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
Paul says that we have been granted, for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake. I don’t know about you, but I’m struggling to remember a sermon in my life where the second part of this gracious grant from the Lord has been discussed. Do you think that would be a popular topic? Let’s do a word study on granted:
Granted comes from the Greek verb χαρίζομαι or charízomai (Strong’s G5483) with the following Biblical usages:
to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favour to, gratify
to show one's self gracious, kind, benevolent
to grant forgiveness, to pardon
to give graciously, give freely, bestow
to forgive
graciously to restore one to another
to preserve for one a person in peril
Suffering for Christ is a spiritual gift and a privilege of our faith. It’s not listed as a fruit of the Spirit, but those fruits will help us bear the suffering. Grace comes from grief, as noted in this great commentary by Brian Bill, quoted on Precept Austin:
There are a number of purposes behind suffering. We could call this the grace that comes from grief or the promises that come from our problems:
Suffering matures us. James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Suffering weans us from self-reliance. 2 Corinthians 1:9: “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
Suffering is an evangelistic tool. Philippians 1:12: “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
Suffering increases our eternal reward. Matthew 5:12: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Suffering helps us minister to others. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Suffering helps keep down pride. 2 Corinthians 12:7: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”
Suffering shows we belong to Christ. Phil 3:10: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
THREE ILLUSTRATIONS OF SUFFERING:
E Stanley Jones, who has been called “Missionary Extraordinary,” ministered on multiple continents and knew how to impact cultures. I love his perspective on how we should respond to our increasing non-Christian culture: “The early Christians did not say in dismay: ‘Look what the world has come to,’ but in delight, ‘Look what has come to the world.’ They saw not merely the ruin, but the resources for the reconstruction of that ruin. They saw not merely the sin that did abound, but that grace did much more abound. On that assurance the pivot of history swung from blank despair, loss of moral fervor, and fatalism, to faith and confidence that at last sin had met its match, that something new had come into the world…” (“Abundant Living,” Page 183).
Before missionary Karen Watson went to Iraq, she counted the cost. She left a letter with her pastor that said: “You’re only reading this if I died.” She was martyred a little over a year ago. Her letter included gracious words to family and friends and this simple summary of what it means to follow Christ: “To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward.”
John Wesley was riding on his horse once when it dawned on him that he had not been persecuted for three days. He got off his horse, got down on his knees and said,“Maybe I’ve sinned or been disobedient.” Just then a man on the other side of the road recognized him and heaved a rock at him. It bounced off the road, just missing Wesley’s head. He then leapt to his feet and shouted, “Thanks be to God! Everything’s all right. I still have God’s presence with me.”
The anecdote about John Wesley was somewhat amusing. I’m a bit of a coward and don’t want to suffer, but perhaps there has been suffering in my life. I’ve lost many family members and friends over the years, I’ve been afflicted with auto-immune diseases that cause daily issues and occasionally bigger medical problems, I went through difficult and challenging situations when I was working that required stamina and self-control (things that I didn’t necessarily possess), I made bad decisions earlier in my life that have caused deep regret and a sense of suffering now. This is not suffering on the scale of Christians in Nero’s Rome by any stretch of the imagination. But during many of those years, I was also not under God’s grace, so that was a form of the worst kind of suffering and my redemption from that state did result in a state of grace and a tool for evangelization!
Paul continues his exhortation to the saints in Philippi in my next devotional, which examines Philippians 2:1-4.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to not just embrace Your love and grace, but also embrace a desire to suffer for Your sake. I am torn between two places, but Your word makes these final years of my life as I get older seem like a joy, not a burden. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 07/05/2025 to review the lexicon for conduct and for granted.
Precept Austin was accessed on 07/05/2025 to review commentary for Philippians 1:27-30.