Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 1:5

"for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now;" — Philippians 1:5 (ASV)

What caused Paul the deepest satisfaction was the Philippians’ “partnership [GK 3126] in the gospel.” This term denotes participation or fellowship and expresses a two-sided relation. It includes the believer’s participation in the life of God (1 Corinthians 1:9) and also the sharing of a common faith. Thus it assumes the existence of a brotherly relationship among believers (2 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 2:9). Their partnership certainly involved the Philippians’ recent gift, but that was only one expression of it. Paul was filled with joy over the frequent evidences of their sharing in the work of the Gospel. These had been shown to him “from the first day” he had preached the Gospel in Philippi about ten years before. At that time he had experienced the hospitality of Lydia (Acts 16:15) and the jailer and his family (Acts 16:33–34). Later he had received gifts sent to him at Thessalonica and at Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:9), as well as the more recent one brought by Epaphroditus.