New Testament
Philippians
Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison, and yet the word that keeps surfacing is joy. It is a warm thank-you letter about contentment, humility and a peace that guards the heart whatever the circumstances.
Philippians 1
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
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- Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:
Discussed in: - Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Discussed in: - Philippians 1:13
so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,
Discussed in: - Philippians 1:19-24
For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose. But I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.
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Philippians 2
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
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- Philippians 2:3-4
doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
Discussed in: - Philippians 2:5-8
Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.
Discussed in: - Philippians 2:12-13
So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Discussed in: - Philippians 2:15
that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, amongst whom you are seen as lights in the world,
Discussed in: - Philippians 2:25-30
But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need, since he longed for you all, and was very troubled because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow. I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such people in honour, because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service towards me.
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Philippians 3
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
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- Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Discussed in: - Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Discussed in: - Philippians 3:20
For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,
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Philippians 4
Don't Worry About Anything
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Philippians 4:7The Peace Of God Will Guard You
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:13I Can Do All Things Through Christ
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
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- Philippians 4:2-3
I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord. Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they laboured with me in the Good News with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:6
In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Read the passage article - Philippians 4:6-7
In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Read the passage article - Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honourable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:10-18
But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learnt in whatever state I am, to be content in it. I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learnt the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. However you did well that you shared in my affliction. You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need. Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increases to your account. But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:11-12
Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learnt in whatever state I am, to be content in it. I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learnt the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:12
I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learnt the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Read the passage article - Philippians 4:14-16
However you did well that you shared in my affliction. You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need.
Discussed in: - Philippians 4:19
My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
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More about Philippians
Philippians is a thank-you letter, and a remarkably happy one given the circumstances. Paul wrote it from prison, very likely facing the real possibility of execution, to a church he loved dearly and that had sent him a gift to support him. You might expect such a letter to be heavy with complaint. Instead, the word that keeps rising to the surface is joy. Paul rejoices over the Philippians, urges them to rejoice in the Lord always, and seems genuinely content even in chains. That contrast, joy from a prison cell, is what makes the letter so striking and so trustworthy. This is not cheerfulness from someone who has had an easy life.
Much of the warmth comes from the friendship behind it. The Philippians were among Paul's favourite people, partners with him in the gospel from the very first day, and you can hear the affection in nearly every line. He thanks them for their generosity, reassures them about his situation, and gently encourages them to stay united and humble. At the heart of the letter he points them to the humility of Christ, who did not cling to his glory but emptied himself and became a servant, even to death on a cross. The whole letter, really, is a lesson in finding joy by looking away from yourself and towards Christ and others.
Two of its verses have travelled far beyond the page and into countless lives. The first is Paul's antidote to worry: do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and thanksgiving, bring your requests to God (4:6). What follows is the promise that a peace beyond understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ. It is one of the most quoted prescriptions for anxiety in all of scripture, and it is gentle and practical rather than scolding. Paul does not tell the worried simply to stop worrying. He tells them where to take the worry instead.
The second is even more famous, and often misunderstood. Paul writes that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him (4:13). Read in context, it is not a slogan for athletic victory or career success. He has just said he has learned to be content whether he has plenty or goes hungry, whether he is well off or in need. The strength he means is the strength to be content in any circumstance, good or bad. That is a quieter and harder kind of power than the verse is often made to carry. If you are facing a thin season, Paul has been there, in a cell, and he found that Christ was enough. So can you.
Questions about Philippians
- Where was Paul when he wrote Philippians?
- Paul wrote Philippians from prison, most likely during an imprisonment in Rome, while facing the genuine possibility that he might be put to death. That setting is part of what makes the letter so remarkable. From a cell, with his future uncertain, Paul writes one of the most joyful books in the Bible. He wrote to thank the Philippian church for a gift they had sent to support him, and to reassure them that he was at peace whatever happened. Knowing where he wrote from changes how we read it. His talk of joy and contentment is not naive; it comes from a hard place.
- What does Philippians 4:13 really mean?
- Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and it is often quoted as a promise of success in sport or work. But Paul's meaning is quieter and deeper. In the verses just before it he explains that he has learned to be content in any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether he has plenty or little. So the strength he is describing is the strength to be content and faithful in every circumstance, good or bad. It is not a guarantee that we will win or achieve whatever we set our minds to. It is the promise that Christ will sustain us through anything.
- How does Philippians help with anxiety?
- Philippians 4:6 offers one of the Bible's most practical responses to worry. Paul says do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The verse that follows promises that God's peace, which surpasses understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ. Notice that Paul does not simply tell anxious people to stop being anxious. He gives them somewhere to take it. The instruction is to turn worry into prayer, and to do so with thankfulness, trusting that God hears. Many of us have found real comfort in treating it as exactly that: a gentle, doable practice for hard days.
Topics in Philippians
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