Philippians Summary: What Did We Learn?
The key to your life as a believer is to rejoice, always, in the Lord!
I have now finished examining the epistle of Philippians. I really enjoyed digging into this wonderful letter from Paul to the saints at Philippi. My summary will have a list of things we should have learned from each chapter. First, though, I wanted to share this diagram from Precept Austin from Jensen’s survey of the New Testament (it was used with permission on their site and I refer back to Precept Austin for that permission):
The key verse listed above (Philippians 1:21) is: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
This is an excellent block diagram of what you can learn from Philippians. Christ is our LIFE, our PATTERN, our GOAL, and our SUFFICIENCY. In every way, we should rejoice!
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
Lessons from Philippians 1:
We are bondservants of Christ and those who have repented and believed are His saints!
The epistle of Philippians is all about the joy we find in our relationship with our Saviour.
Maximizing joy comes from doing His will.
God’s gift of free grace justifies us, provides us access to God, gives us intimacy with the Creator, disciplines and trains us, grants us spiritual riches, and helps us in our needs.
Our love for each other abounds when we have real knowledge and discernment and approve the things that are excellent.
Our prayers are not complete if we only dwell on material issues and physical health concerns. We should also pray for spiritual welfare.
God can use us in any circumstance to spread the Good News.
The history of Christianity points to a tendency to put a “spin” on the Gospel message to distinguish one denomination (and one preacher) from another. Remember the “spaghetti chart” of denominations and be wise and discerning in choosing a place to call a church home.
Our circumstances are temporary, whether they are good or bad. Life with Christ is eternal and good.
Do you live for Christ and believe that to die is to gain? Fill in the blanks for yourself: To live is _________ and to die is __________. Do you add riders to the things to live for?
Stand firm in one spirit and in one mind as a body of believers.
Suffering for Christ is a spiritual gift and a privilege of our faith.
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
Lessons from Philippians 2:
If there is any encouragement in Christ, consolation in love, fellowship of the spirit, and affection and compassion, then those things will make our joy complete.
Do nothing from empty conceit and selfishness! Selfishness is the root of all sinful behaviors.
Esteem others over yourself and have a humility of mind.
The Creator of the universe humbled Himself unto physical death on a cross, conquered death, and is now exalted above all other names.
Our justification and sanctification can be compared to Newton’s three Laws of Motion (a body at rest or in motion remains in that position until acted upon; a body’s momentum changes over time; for every action there is an opposite action).
Do ALL things without grumbling or disputing.
Pray for your enemies and the lost rather than dispute them.
Are you one of the five types of complainers? Are you a whiner, martyr, cynic, perfectionist or crusader?
Work with the Holy Spirit to develop an attitude of positivity.
Encourage others and be encouraged by the saints in your church community.
Are you a FRIEND to other believers? Are you faithful, real, invested, encouraging, [recognizing] needs, dependable?
Our trials and sicknesses make us long for the other world and help us be grateful to our Savior.
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
Lessons from Philippians 3:
Be wary of the legalisms and the false teachers and be wary of “religion” in general! Think of the thief on the cross - he was not baptized, he did not graduate from confirmation classes, he didn’t give any money to the church, he didn’t sing a single hymn, yet he is in heaven.
We must be careful of what we worship. Anything other than Christ Jesus can distract us from Him. We get out of our worship practices what we put into them.
Advice for younger generations: Accept Jesus as your savior and avoid collections of useless trinkets and stuff in this life.
Jesus is all we need. He is a refiner, a washer, a clothier, a chain-breaker, a sovereign king, a shepherd, a door, a vital food. (Credit to Charles Spurgeon).
Our race for the prize begins with our salvation.
Jesus lays hold of us to be obedient servants to His will.
Follow Paul’s example on how to imitate Christ (read and study his epistles and his actions in the Book of Acts).
Be wary of the enemies of the Cross of Christ, who live for the things of this world.
Our citizenship is in heaven. We should act like it when interacting with the world.
Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you will get neither. - C.S. Lewis.
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
Lessons from Philippians 4:
Live in harmony with one another: Separate convictions from opinions, be willing to ask forgiveness, look for opportunities to show kindness in small ways, pray for the success of the other person, ask God to remove bitterness from your heart, ask a friend to hold you accountable in this area.
Disagreements between saints or even between denominations are often over things that don’t matter.
Rejoice in the Lord! It is commanded!
Rejoice in the Lord and bless others with this commandment!
Let your gentle spirit be seen.
Worry is a sin because it displaces God in your life and you think you can solve all of your problems.
If you begin and end your day obsessing about something, then you are well into worrying.
Bring everything to God in prayer, with gratitude and supplication. If it is on your mind He can help you with the concern.
The peace of God must be experienced, because it is beyond comprehension and description.
Think about whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise. Drive contrary thoughts from your mind through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Learn to be content in all circumstances. This contentment comes through the strength that comes to us from Christ.
Work on your Eternal Retirement Account and you will receive infinite riches from Him for your needs.
My next devotional will be an introduction to Psalm 34. This psalm was written by David under difficult circumstances.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer;
Dear Lord - Thank you so much for guiding me through Philippians. There is a lifetime of things to be learned from this epistle, especially that we are to rejoice in You at all times and under all circumstances! 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
Precept Austin was accessed on 08/11/2025 to review summaries of the book of Philippians.