An Introduction to

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the

Philippians

The book of Philippians was written by the apostle around 62-64 A.D. during his imprisonment in Rome (mentioned in Acts 28).

Philippi (named after the father of Alexander the Great—Philip of Macedonia) means “a lover of horses.” It was a Roman military colony in Macedonia about nine miles from the Aegean Sea. There were mostly Gentiles in this city. No Jewish synagogues are said to be there.

Paul’s acquaintance with Philippi came during his second missionary journey with Silas. When the Lord didn’t allow them to go North or East, and after he had a vision from someone in Macedonia asking them to “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9); they left Troas and went West to Philippi.

His first encounter with Christians was “by a river side” where they had prayer on the Sabbath day. It was there they had their first convert, Lydia. It was out of this initial meeting that the church of Philippi was established.

It was in Philippi that Paul and Silas were arrested and put in jail for preaching the gospel. While Paul and Silas sang praises to the Lord, there was an earthquake and all of the prisoners were suddenly loosed. The jailor as a result of their testimony and the power of the Lord was converted and no doubt added to this church.

After Paul left Philippi, they ministered to his needs, but when Paul was imprisoned in Rome they lost contact with him for a few years. When they found out where he was they sent Epaphroditus with an offering.

The following articles were written by our Pastor Dr. David E. Walker. Some were written specifically for this website. Some were written sermons that Pastor Walker preached here at Calvary Baptist. And others were written for the local newspaper here in Monticello Florida. These articles cover a variety of subjects. Some are inspirational and devotional, while others are polemic and doctrinal. We hope you receive a blessing from the biblical teachings presented in these articles.

Paul writes this letter from prison, sending it by the hand of Epaphroditus. He does not try to correct their doctrine (like he did with the Galatians), nor does he reprove them for bad conduct (like he did the church at Corinth). The only “problem” the church had was a small disagreement between two women (4:2), but Paul doesn’t seem to treat it as too severe.

The theme of Philippians has to do with the Christian experience. It is a very practical book dealing with the heart of true Christian devotion. It teaches us that happiness is not found in circumstances, but in Jesus Christ. The key words are “joy” (6 times) and “rejoice” (10 times). When Paul wrote about his joy, he was in prison and suffering for Christ. He admonished the Philippians to “rejoice evermore” even though they would be called upon to “suffer for his sake.” (Phil. 1:29).

He also affirms the doctrines of: eternal security (1:6); the Christians life after death (1:20-23); the deity of Christ (1:6-11); the righteousness of God (3:9); the perfection of the believer (3:11-15); the rapture (3:20,21); rewards for service (3:1); answers to prayer (4:6,7); giving and receiving (4:14,15) and many more practical teachings.