The Greetings (Philippians 1:1-2)

​A long time had passed since Paul and Timothy had seen the Philippians and yet we can see from the letter that there was a very strong bond between them, which is a reminder that the passing of time is not always a barrier to brotherly love. Moreover, there was a large distance between where they were – Paul and Timothy were in Rome, which was a long way from Philippi. Yet the geographical distance was not a barrier to the expression of brotherly love. In addition, the change in circumstances had not brought about a loss of brotherly love. When he was in Philippi, Paul had been taken out of prison because he was a Roman citizen. Now he was in prison in Rome because he had used his privilege as a Roman citizen to be tried there. Still, the Philippians expressed their love for him.

No one knows if the original members of the Philippian church – Lydia, the jailer and the demon-possessed woman – were still alive. Maybe Lydia had moved elsewhere with her business and perhaps the jailer had gone to heaven (jailers were usually retired soldiers, so he could have died). Still the church was continuing a good witness to the gospel and this letter reflects that reality. It was not a perfect church, but it was a good church.

Paul, as we know, usually begins his letters with a word of greeting followed by a description of what he is praying about concerning the recipients of his letters. His greetings reveal some important details and since they are part of God’s Word we should not skip over them as if they had little to say to us. As we consider this greeting, we can explore it through three simple headings: (1) What Paul and Timothy thought of themselves, (2) What Paul and Timothy thought of the Philippians, and (3) What Paul and Timothy thought of God and of Jesus.

What Paul and Timothy thought of themselves

We are told very clearly in verse 1 how they did so – they regarded themselves as slaves of Jesus Christ. The word translated ‘servants’ is the plural of the well-known term doulos which means a slave. What ideas come to mind when we think of this word?

Perhaps the obvious idea that we see in the term is that of submission, which leads us to ask when they began this response and why they began it. They began it at conversion when they responded to the revelation of Jesus Christ, when they understood for the first time who he was and what he had done. Although Paul and Timothy were Jews, they were not the same kind of people. Paul had been a forthright individual whereas Timothy had been shy and nervous. Paul had been trained for great things whereas we are not told about any plans that Timothy may have had. Yet whatever their differences, they both discovered that Jesus was the Saviour that all sinners need. They also discovered that Jesus, although he had once died, was now the Lord of all. Both those aspects of Jesus – what he did on the cross and where he now sits at God’s right hand – led both Paul and Timothy to submit to Jesus. They did so because they were grateful to him as the Saviour and they did so because they realised that he is the only Lord.

A second idea that can be seen in their self-description is one that we can regard as appropriate pride. After all, in those days it was not unusual to be a slave. What often mattered was the person who was the master. If one was a slave of a very rich man, it would mean more than to be the slave of one who was less wealthy. We can imagine slaves competing for which of them belonged to the better master. When it comes to the heavenly Master, we know that he is the best one to have. Paul and Timothy are not ashamed to say that they were the slaves of Jesus Christ. It is remarkable that Paul would want to speak about himself in this way because he had never been a literal slave. He had the privilege of being a Roman citizen, but he much preferred to be recognised as a slave of Jesus Christ. And it is the same today. The status of being a slave of Jesus is far higher than any position that this world can give.

A third idea found in the use of the word ‘slave’ is that Paul and Timothy, even although they had been born as Jews and possessed an accurate knowledge of God’s ways, knew that before becoming slaves of Jesus they had been the slaves of a terrible master, the devil. That previous slavery had included being led captive by the devil as he blinded their thinking, led them astray as to their behaviour, and was trying to take them as far from God as possible. That slavery had been nothing to boast about, it was the opposite of the slavery they now delighted in.

What Paul and Silas thought of the Philippians
We can see that they regarded the Philippians as saints. The term ‘saint’ is misunderstood in society because it does not mean the same thing when religious groups and others use it. Normally it describes someone who has been dead for years and who is given this status by a committee of some kind. In the Bible, every believer is a saint, and they are so from their conversions.

What does it mean to be a saint? We can think of two details. The first refers to the position that God has given to them, which is that they have been set apart to God as his special people. They are regarded as holy, separated from the world and belonging to God. He had brought this about – they had not volunteered to be saints. This is a reminder that believers are meant to be different in a positive way from everyone who is not a saint.

The second detail refers to the Person that God has given to them and he is the Holy Spirit who comes to live within them, in their inner lives, from the moment of conversion. A saint is someone who has the Holy Spirit working within them to make him or her like Jesus. The presence of the Spirit in the lives of God’s people has many aspects and it is good to think about them. Yet we should not lose the wonder of having him present in our sinful lives, with the aim of making us like Jesus.

A second way they regarded the Philippians is seen in the description ‘in Christ Jesus’. This is the way that the New Testament summarises the reality of union with Christ. Of course, this union is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Still, the description is a way of acknowledging that every believer is in contact with Jesus, even although he is now ascended in heaven. However far away heaven may be, the fact is that when a believer thinks about Jesus he crosses that distance and has real contact with the King of heaven. This is a precious way to regard another believer – he or she is in touch with Jesus.

Paul and Timothy regarded the Philippians in a third way and that is that they recognised the Philippian church was a well-structured church. This is the only greeting that mentions the existence of elders and deacons in a church and it is likely that they are mentioned because Paul and Timothy were aware that everyone in the congregation was fulfilling their roles and helping things to happen in an efficient way. It is very important for a church to have a good structure, otherwise it may topple down when difficulties arise.

What Paul and Timothy thought of God and Jesus
They described them as the source of spiritual blessings summarised here as grace and peace. I suppose we could say that grace covers the range of the divine provision and peace is the consequence or outcome of the divine provision. Yet we could also say that we need peace in order to enjoy and appreciate the divine provision, whatever it may be.

Here Paul and Timothy remind us that these blessings are family blessings given to the children of God. They are the privileges to which they have been given a right because they have been adopted by the heavenly Father and have Jesus as their elder Brother. The doctrine of adoption is one of the sweetest in the Bible. What privileges do they have? In answer to that question, numerous details could be given. Here are some and we can think about others later on today.

They have access to the Father’s presence where they can remind him reverently of the many precious promises he has given to them throughout the Bible. They have the blueprint given to them of the world to come and they can think about the incredible glory that they are going to have when Jesus returns and brings into existence the world of glory. They can confess their sins to the Father and know that they will be forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross – this confession occurs numerous times every day.

They can dine on rich spiritual food connected to the salvation that Jesus has provided – he is the bread of life who sustains their souls with himself. They can expect to receive answers from heaven to their prayers – sometimes the answers come easily whereas at other times they have to wrestle for them. They can have fellowship with God and with one another whenever they meet together. They can give to the furtherance of God’s kingdom, which was one of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter – he wrote it to thank the Philippians for a gift they had sent to him through the travels of Epaphroditus.

There are many other blessings that they have because they belong to the family of God. Clearly Paul and Timothy would have thought of God as very kind.

What did they think of Jesus from the title that they gave to him here? He is ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’. The title ‘Christ’ is a declaration that he is the promised Saviour, the Messiah who would bring salvation, the One in whom they and the Philippians believed for salvation. At the same time, they regarded him as the Lord, the one that the Philippians should obey day by day. If the Philippians were to be serious about their discipleship they would have to obey the commands of Jesus. He is not only the external Lord reigning in heaven; he is also the internal Lord reigning in their hearts.