The last chapter of Philippians gathers up everything the letter has been saying and puts it into the plainest words. Two faithful women are asked to agree. A whole church is told to rejoice always, to stop worrying and start praying, and to fill its mind with whatever is true and pure and lovely. And a prisoner who has lost almost everything says he has learned the secret of being content, thanks his friends for their gift, and promises them that his God will supply every need they have.
A study in Philippians 4 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 25 min read
Whose Names Are In The Book Of Life
“Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”
Philippians 4:1-3
Paul could hardly have said it more tenderly: “dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown.” The “crown” is the victor’s wreath, the prize of chapter 3. When Paul stands before Christ, these people will be his reward.
Then, for the first time, he names names. Euodias and Syntyche were not troublemakers on the edge of the church. They had “laboured with me in the gospel” — the word pictures athletes contending side by side. The church at Philippi began with women at a place of prayer, and women were still among its leading workers. But these two had fallen out, and the whole letter has been building to this appeal. “Be of the same mind” is exactly the phrase of 2:2, and the mind Paul has in view is the mind of Christ (2:5). He does not take sides. He asks a trusted friend, his “true yokefellow,” to help them make peace.
And he reminds everyone of something bigger than their quarrel: the names of these workers are “in the book of life.” That record is not a figure of speech.
“The book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered the service of God. Jesus bade His disciples: ‘Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’ Luke 10:20. Paul speaks of his faithful fellow workers, ‘whose names are in the book of life.’ Philippians 4:3. Daniel, looking down to ‘a time of trouble, such as never was,’ declares that God’s people shall be delivered, ‘everyone that shall be found written in the book.’”
Ellen G. White · The Great Controversy, p. 480
Two women whose names are written together in heaven should be able to work together on earth. Their disagreement was real, but it was small beside what they shared.
Rejoice In The Lord Alway
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
Philippians 4:4-5
Here is the theme of the whole letter in one command. Paul says it twice, as if he knows someone will object: “Always? Even now?” Yes, “again I say, Rejoice.” This is not a cheerful temperament or a denial of pain. Paul wrote it in chains, with his life in the balance. The joy is “in the Lord,” and so it does not depend on circumstances that change.
“Though he was a prisoner, Paul was not discouraged. Instead, a note of triumph rings through the letters that he wrote from Rome to the churches. ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway,’ he wrote to the Philippians, ‘and again I say, Rejoice.’”
Ellen G. White · The Acts of the Apostles, p. 484
“Truly spoke God’s servant Nehemiah: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’ Nehemiah 8:10. And Paul says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.’ ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Such are the fruits of Bible conversion and sanctification.”
Ellen G. White · The Great Controversy, p. 477
“Moderation” translates a word that is hard to capture in English: gentleness, graciousness, a willingness not to insist on one’s own rights. It is the mind of Christ again, turned outward “unto all men.” And the reason is given in four words: “The Lord is at hand.” He is near to His people now, and His coming is near. People who live in the light of His return do not need to fight for every advantage.
The Peace Of God, Which Passeth All Understanding
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
“Be careful for nothing” means “do not be anxious about anything” — “careful” in the old sense of “full of cares.” Paul does not tell the Philippians to pretend their troubles are not there. He tells them what to do with them: turn every one into a prayer. “In every thing” — nothing is too small to bring to God, and nothing is too large.
“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. … Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe.”
Ellen G. White · Steps to Christ, p. 100
Notice the words “with thanksgiving.” Paul’s prayers in chapter 1 began with thanks, and so should ours. Thanksgiving remembers what God has already done, and that memory is what makes it possible to trust Him with what we cannot yet see.
The promise that follows is not that every request will be granted as we ask. It is something better: “the peace of God.” And that peace “shall keep” our hearts and minds. The word is a military one. It means to guard, as a garrison guards a city. Paul was writing within sight of the soldiers who guarded him. The Philippians lived in a colony settled by veterans of the Roman army. Both knew what a guard looked like. God’s peace stands sentry over the heart.
“They are not to weary themselves with busy anxieties and needless cares. Let them work on from day to day, accomplishing faithfully the task that God’s providence assigns, and He will care for them. He says: ‘In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’”
Ellen G. White · The Ministry of Healing, p. 199
Think On These Things
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
Peace guards the mind; but the mind also has to be fed. What we dwell on shapes who we become. Paul gives a list of eight qualities to fill the thoughts — truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, good report, virtue, praise — and every one of them describes Christ Himself. Then he adds that thinking is not enough: “do.” The God “of peace” is not only the Giver of peace (verse 7); He comes and stays with those who put these things into practice.
“Those who would not fall a prey to Satan’s devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind should not be left to wander at random upon every subject that the adversary of souls may suggest. … Says Paul, ‘Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ Philippians 4:8. This will require earnest prayer and unceasing watchfulness. We must be aided by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it to dwell on pure and holy things.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 460
Those words were written long before screens, but they have never been more practical. Every day, countless voices compete for our attention. Paul’s list is a filter. Before we let something into the mind, we can ask: Is it true? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Would Christ be at home in it?
I Have Learned To Be Content
“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Philippians 4:10-13
Paul’s thank-you note is careful. He is deeply grateful for the Philippians’ gift, but he does not want them to think he was complaining. He has “learned” contentment — it did not come naturally. And the word “instructed” in verse 12 was used for being initiated into a secret. Paul has been let in on the secret of being at peace whether the table is full or empty. He had known both: the comfort of being a respected Pharisee, and the hunger, cold and shipwreck of a missionary (2 Corinthians 11:25-27).
What is the secret? Verse 13 gives it. This verse is often lifted out of its setting and used as a promise that we can achieve anything we set our minds to. In context, it means something deeper. Whatever God allows — plenty or poverty, freedom or chains — Paul can face it, because Christ gives the strength. The “all things” are the circumstances of verse 12, and the power is not Paul’s but Christ’s.
“Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who otherwise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13.”
Ellen G. White · Education, p. 256
“Paul also in his manifold labors was upheld by the sustaining power of His presence. ‘I can do all things,’ he said, ‘through Christ which strengtheneth me.’”
Ellen G. White · Education, p. 69
My God Shall Supply All Your Need
“Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”
Philippians 4:14-17
The Philippians had been generous from the very start. When Paul was run out of their city and moved on to Thessalonica, they sent him help more than once. Paul had supported himself there by his own labor too, so that no one could accuse him of preaching for money.
“Paul was not wholly dependent upon the labor of his hands for support while at Thessalonica. Referring later to his experiences in that city, he wrote to the Philippian believers in acknowledgment of the gifts he had received from them while there, saying, ‘Even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.’ Philippians 4:16. Notwithstanding the fact that he received this help he was careful to set before the Thessalonians an example of diligence, so that none could rightfully accuse him of covetousness.”
Ellen G. White · The Acts of the Apostles, p. 348
And Paul, ever the bookkeeper, uses the language of accounts again. What he wants is not their money but the “fruit” that is credited “to your account” in heaven. Giving to God’s work is never a loss. It is a deposit.
“But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:18-20
A gift to a missionary in prison becomes, in Paul’s eyes, an offering on God’s altar, rising to heaven like the fragrance of the sacrifices in the sanctuary. And then comes one of the richest promises in the Bible. The Philippians had supplied Paul’s need; now Paul’s God will supply theirs. Notice the measure: not “out of” His riches, as a wealthy man might give a small gift from a large fortune, but “according to” His riches — in proportion to all the wealth of heaven. And notice the word “need,” not every want. God knows the difference, and He will not fail.
“He who has given his life to God in ministry to His children is linked with Him who has all the resources of the universe at His command. His life is bound up by the golden chain of the immutable promises with the life of God. The Lord will not fail him in the hour of suffering and need. ‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:19.”
Ellen G. White · Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 24
“Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Philippians 4:21-23
The last greeting carries a quiet surprise. Among the believers sending their love are “they that are of Caesar’s household” — servants and officials in Nero’s own palace, won to Christ through the prisoner’s chains (see the study of chapter 1). The letter that began with Paul’s bonds “manifest in all the palace” ends with the palace itself sending greetings to Philippi.
That is the whole of Philippians. It was written by a man who had every earthly reason for despair: imprisoned, facing possible execution, opposed by rivals, far from the people he loved. And it is the most joyful letter he ever wrote. Its secret is not hidden. For Paul, to live was Christ, and to die was gain. He had the mind of Christ, who emptied Himself and was exalted. He had counted everything else as loss, and was pressing toward the prize. And so he could rejoice in the Lord always, bring every care to God in prayer, rest in a peace that passes understanding, and be content in whatever state he was in — because Christ was his strength, and his God would supply all his need.
