Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 1:19

"For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ," — Philippians 1:19 (ASV)

Paul moves to the second encouraging aspect of his present situation in Rome —the prospect for his “deliverance” (GK 5401). Is this a reference to deliverance from his present imprisonment? It is true that Paul expressed confidence of release (1:25; 2:24), but the immediate context puts the “deliverance” as somewhat apart from physical life or death (1:21), and the inner struggle described in 1:22–24 makes it questionable whether he would have stated the anticipated result of his Roman trial with this sort of certainty. Thus “deliverance” has the sense of spiritual salvation. Paul viewed salvation as having several aspects—past (Ephesians 2:8), present , and future (Romans 13:11). Here the present and future aspects are fused into one as the apostle looks to the unfolding of his Christian life and his ultimate hope of standing unashamed both before human judges and before his Lord (cf. v.20). He viewed his salvation as being accomplished by two means: the effective prayers of the Philippians on his behalf, and the support furnished by the Holy Spirit (“the Spirit of Jesus Christ”). These two are interrelated, inasmuch as Paul would have regarded the Philippians’ prayers as being answered by the Spirit’s increased activity on his behalf.