This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Philippians 1:1-2
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Ephesians 1:1-2
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be His own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who according to the flesh was a descendant of David, and who according to the spirit of holiness was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead-Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name. You, too, are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be holy. May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be yours!
Romans 1:1-7
The comparison between the opening portion of each of the above letters would be straight forward if it were not for Paul’s lengthy digressions in the 1st letter to the Corinthians and in his letter to the Romans. The standard elements are not remarkable when they are compared across all four letters. The main differences occur in the letter to the Corinthians regarding him calling the Corinthians holy or saints and to Romans where Paul has made two different expansions which related to two different subjects. I have given you the markers (*** and ###) to help you track them in order.
It helps to chart the comparisons to make our task easier.
Paul’s Letter to the Philippians compared with the letters to the Ephesians, Corinthians and Romans
Philippians | Ephesians | 1 Corinthians | Romans |
---|---|---|---|
This letter is from Paul and Timothy | This letter is from Paul | This letter is from Paul . . . and our brother Sosthenes | From Paul |
slaves of Christ Jesus | chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus | chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus | a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God . . . *** . . . ### Through Him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about the obedience of faith among the gentiles for the sake of his name. |
I am writing to all God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons | I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus | I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be His own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus , just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. | You too are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ . To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be holy. |
. . . *** which He promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who according to the flesh was a descendant of David, and who according to the spirit of holiness was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead – Jesus Christ our Lord. . . ### | |||
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. | May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. | May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. | May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. |
When we can follow Paul’s train of thought and weigh it all up we can see clearly what he was doing and why. His digressions or extensions of thought match the letters and purpose for which he was writing. In the Corinthian letter he spent some time on the fact that he called the Corinthian believers holy. It is a little strange given the nature of what was happening in Corinth, so Paul takes some time to expand on (or explain) why he calls them holy. The letter to the Roman body of believers is more doctrinal and explains the nature of the Gospel to a group of people whom Paul had not met prior to writing the letter. So his introductory comments are often theological side comments which expand on terms or ideas Paul develops further.
There are still some other elements of the text that are worthy of comment but I won’t address them unless you Gem readers raise the issues behind them. Rather I want to draw your attention to something that is obvious and yet curious. Look again at Paul’s opening comments to the Philippians, a group of people we already know he thought of fondly and with whom he had a special relationship. Has it struck you that the standard opening for the letter to a people Paul loves dearly seems rather bland and impersonal? Commentators have noted the absence of the expressions of appropriate feelings and emotions for such a group of Paul’s dearly loved friends.
To solve the problem simply read the next paragraph.
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favour of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Phil 1:3-11
We will turn our attention to this paragraph of Paul’s letter in the next Gem unless I receive questions or comments concerning the opening two verses. If I get no response or questions related to the first two verses of the Philippian letter, I will begin to investigate the more personal part of Paul’s letter above. I am delighted when you ask me questions. I had a friend ask me a question following a Gem recently, following which he made it clear to me I hadn’t answered the question he was actually asking, so he made the nature of his question clearer. I love that kind of persistence. I was full of questions from an early age and would drive my mother nuts. I see the same characteristic in my grandson. I love it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.