Matthew Henry Commentary Philippians 1

The highest honour of the most eminent ministers is to be servants of Christ. And those who are not truly saints on earth will never be saints in heaven. Apart from Christ, the best saints are sinners and unable to stand before God. There is no peace without grace.

Inward peace springs from a sense of Divine favour. And there is no grace and peace but from God our Father, the fountain and origin of all blessings. At Philippi the apostle was mistreated and saw little fruit of his labour; yet he remembers Philippi with joy. We must thank our God for the graces and comforts, gifts, and usefulness of others, since we receive the benefit and God receives the glory.

The work of grace will never be perfected until the day of Jesus Christ, the day of his appearance. But we may always be confident God will perform his good work in every soul in which he has truly begun it by regeneration; though we must not trust in outward appearances, nor in anything but a new creation to holiness. People are dear to their ministers when they receive benefit by their ministry.

Fellow-sufferers in the cause of God should be dear to one another.

Should we not pity and love those souls whom Christ loves and pities? Those who abound in any grace need to abound more.

Test things which differ, that we may approve the things which are excellent. The truths and laws of Christ are excellent; and they recommend themselves as such to any attentive mind. Sincerity is the quality that should characterize our conduct in the world, and it is the glory of all our graces.

Christians should not be quick to take offense, and should be very careful not to offend God or their fellow believers. The things which most honor God will most benefit us.

Let us not leave it doubtful whether any good fruit is found in us or not. A small measure of Christian love, knowledge, and fruitfulness should not satisfy anyone.

The apostle was a prisoner at Rome; and to counteract the offence of the cross, he shows the wisdom and goodness of God in his sufferings. These things made him known where he would never have otherwise been known, and led some to inquire about the gospel. He suffered from false friends, as well as from enemies.

How wretched the temper of those who preached Christ out of envy and contention, and to add affliction to the bonds that oppressed this best of men! The apostle remained calm in the midst of it all. Since our troubles may contribute to the good of many, we should rejoice.

Whatever contributes to our salvation is through the Spirit of Christ, and prayer is the appointed means of seeking it. Our earnest expectation and hope should not be to be honoured by people, or to escape the cross, but to be upheld amidst temptation, contempt, and affliction. Let us leave it to Christ how he will make us serviceable to his glory, whether by labour or suffering, by diligence or patience, by living to his honour in working for him, or dying to his honour in suffering for him.

Death is a great loss to a carnal, worldly man, for he loses all his earthly comforts and all his hopes; but to a true believer it is gain, for it is the end of all his weakness and misery. It delivers him from all the evils of life, and brings him to possess the chief good.

The apostle's difficulty was not between living in this world and living in heaven; between these two there is no comparison; but between serving Christ in this world and enjoying him in another. Not between two evil things, but between two good things; living to Christ and being with him. See the power of faith and of Divine grace; it can make us willing to die.

In this world we are surrounded by sin; but when with Christ, we shall escape sin and temptation, sorrow and death, forever. But those who have most reason to desire to depart should be willing to remain in the world as long as God has any work for them to do. And the more unexpected mercies are before they come, the more of God will be seen in them.

Those who profess the gospel of Christ should live as befits those who believe gospel truths, submit to gospel laws, and depend upon gospel promises. The original word “conversation” denotes the conduct of citizens who seek the credit, safety, peace, and prosperity of their city. There is that in the faith of the gospel which is worth striving for; there is much opposition, and there is a need for striving.

A person may sleep and go to hell; but anyone who would go to heaven must be watchful and diligent. There may be oneness of heart and affection among Christians, where there is diversity of judgment about many things. Faith is God's gift on behalf of Christ; the ability and disposition to believe are from God.

And if we suffer reproach and loss for Christ, we are to count them as a gift, and prize them accordingly. Yet salvation must not be ascribed to bodily afflictions, as if afflictions and worldly persecutions deserved it; but salvation is from God alone: faith and patience are his gifts.