(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Greetings and Thanks from Paul and Timothy
- Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus the Anointed, to all the saints in Jesus the Anointed who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons,
- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Anointed Lord Jesus.
- I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
- (always in every prayer of mine for all of you) making the prayer with joy
- on account of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now;
- *convinced of this very thing: that the One who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus the Anointed.
- Accordingly, it’s right for me to feel this concerning all of you, because I have you in my heart. All of you are fellow partakers of grace with me, in both my bonds and in the verbal defense and confirmation of the gospel.
- For God is my witness of how I long for all of you in the affection of Jesus the Anointed.
- And I pray this: that your ^love might overflow still more and more in true knowledge and all discernment,
- for you to test and prove genuine the excellent things so you might be sincerely pure1“sincerely pure” is one word in Greek. It comes from two other Greek words, the first meaning the shining of the sun, the second to judge. Together, it means to be judged righteous or pure and sincere after being see in the full light, with the implication of being thoroughly examined and still found pure. and blameless until the day of the Anointed,
- being *filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus the Anointed, to God’s glory and praise.
Advancing the Gospel
- But brothers, I want you to know that the things which happened to me have come about for more advancement of the gospel,
- for my bonds in the Anointed to become obvious in the whole Praetorium,2“Praetorium” could refer to either the governor’s residence or the camp of the Roman military. Sometimes it is applied the military men who guard the governor’s residence, and in this sense could be translated “palace guard”. and to all the rest.
- And *trusting in the Lord because of my bonds, most of the brothers more abundantly dare to speak the word [of God] fearlessly.
- And indeed, some proclaim the Anointed because of envy and strife, but also some because of goodwill.
- Indeed, the men of goodwill proclaim out of ^love, *knowing that I’m appointed to the verbal defense of the gospel.
- But the other men proclaim the Anointed out of selfish ambition; not out of pure motives, but expecting to raise the affliction of my bonds.
- For why does that matter? Except that in every way – whether because of pretext or truth – the Anointed is proclaimed, and I rejoice in this; yes, and I will rejoice!
- For I have known that this will result in my deliverance through your prayer and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus the Anointed,
- according to the eager expectation and my sure hope that I will be ashamed in nothing. But in all boldness – as always and also now – the Anointed will be magnified in my body; whether through life or through death.
- For to me, to live is the Anointed and to die is gain.
- But if I’m to live in flesh, this allows my fruitful work. And which will I choose? I don’t know.
- And I’m hard-pressed by the two, having a longing to depart and be with the Anointed, for that’s very much better.
- But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
- And being *confident of this, I have known that I will remain and stay with all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith,
- so your boast in me might overflow in Jesus the Anointed through my coming to you again.
- Only behave as heavenly citizens3“behave as… …citizens” is one word in Greek, which means to behave like a citizen ought to by obeying the laws and conducting yourself accordingly. worthy of the gospel of the Anointed, so whether having come and having seen you or being absent, I might hear about you; that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together as one soul in the faith of the gospel,
- and without being terrified in anything by the men opposing you, which is a sign of their destruction but is salvation to you. And this is from God,
- because for the sake of the Anointed, you were granted not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
- having the same struggle such as you saw in me, and now hear of in me.
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