In our time together last week, we came to the very heart of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, looking in detail at just that first phrase of chapter 1 verse 27, which says, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” This, as we have said, is the thesis of the Book of Philippians. After the Apostle Paul celebrates the fellowship that he shares with the Philippians in Christ and in the ministry of the Gospel of Christ, thanking them (and the Lord) for their ministry to him— and, after providing a ministry report of sorts, informing them of his circumstances as he is under house-arrest at Rome and waiting for his trial before Nero— he comes to finally address the Philippians themselves.
And this command to, literally, “carry out their duties as citizens” worthy of the Gospel of Christ—the first command in the epistle—acts as a rubric—an umbrella—under which fall all of his exhortations and instructions throughout the remainder of the letter. It is a sort of introduction to the rest of the letter; all of his admonitions and exhortations are simply the exposition of this command to let their manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ...
