About Philippians Study

This is a delightful short study examining Paul's letter to the Philippians. It encompasses deep truths about salvation and eternity and teaches how we can be people whose lives are marked by joy.

Paul's letter to the Philippians is known as one of his prison epistles because it was written while he was in prison. The other prison epistles are Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon. Paul was incarcerated at least three times: in Caesarea from 59-60 A.D., in Rome under house arrest in 62 and again in Rome in 68 where he was beheaded. The Biblical scholars disagree about when he wrote the prison epistles, but it seems to me that the strongest case is for Rome in 62 A.D. because of the mention of the Praetorian (Palace) Guard, an elite group of soldiers who may have guarded Paul while he was under house arrest in Rome in 62. If that is correct the letter to the Philippians was written about 10 years after the church at Philippi was founded.

Philippians is basically a thank you note. Paul is writing to express his appreciation for the generosity of the Philippians who sent an offering to support him while in prison. Unlike most of the other epistles of Paul where he writes to bring correction, this epistle is full of praise and affection. The composition is very informal, it reads like a personal note jotted off to loved ones to bring encouragement and affirmation…and joy.

Joy is the theme of Philippians. The words joy and rejoice are found 17 times in these four short chapters. Paul rejoices because he personally knows the God of the universe who is in control of all the details of his life. The joy of the Lord that Paul knew is not dependent upon happy circumstances but upon this knowledge of God.