1Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God whenever I remember you, 4always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy, 5for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now; 6being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.
9This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, 11being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
12Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News, 13so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ, 14and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. 15Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will. 16The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains; 17but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.
18What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice. 19For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20according 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. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose. 23But I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake. 25Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.
27Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News; 28and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf, 30having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
This is by far Paul’s most personal epistle. No serious argument has been brought against Pauline authorship. Historically, virtually all of the early church fathers considered this epistle written by Paul. Moreover, Paul identifies himself and Timothy as the senders of this letter. Finally, Paul founded the church at Philippi during his second missionary journey ca. A.D. 51. While there are disputes as to where Paul penned this letter, if he wrote it while in house arrest in Rome, and setting aside arguments from distance, there would be plenty of opportunities for Paul to visit Philippi.
Furthermore, Paul urged an unnamed “true companion” to “help” two women that were in some sort of disagreement. While speculative, this unnamed helper is either Timothy, Silas, Epaphroditus or some other friend of Paul’s. Thus, when Paul calls the person commissioned with the task of delivering the letter to the Philippians, he uses the hey term “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier”. This certainly does sound like Timothy. Regardless of his identity, this unnamed “fellow worker” delivered the Philippian’s gift to Paul.
Paul’s love for this body of believers is quite apparent, and as said earlier, it is a very intimate letter. Paul’s attitude is one of joy and care for his flock, regardless of his current circumstances. Apparently, as said before, there was a disagreement between two leading women at the Philippian church. Thus, when he speaks of unity, including having the attitude of servant hood and humility—as seen in Christ (Phil. 2:1-11), Paul pleads for this church body to be “like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (2:2).
This personal and caring tone is not as evident in his other letters. Paul also urges them to avoid legalism and to appreciate the finalization of the finished salvific work of Christ. The Philippian believers also had a deep love for Paul. This church was one of the few churches that supported Paul while in missionary travel. Paul expressed his gratitude by calling their stewardship a “sweet-smelling aroma, ?an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” Thus, it is clear, that the Philippian believers recognized Paul’s apostleship and divine calling.