Exegetical Paper

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Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion *

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EXEGESIS

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Religion

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Philippians 4:4-9 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Paul is writing to the Philippians to conclude the pervious letters he has written. He was writing to the people of the Philippian church because of the division that had happened and he was trying to deal with them by giving them abrupt commands. As a sermon would end with a command, Paul is concluding these letters with a command to them. Paul starts off in verse 4 with saying “Rejoice in the Lord always”, and then repeats it; rejoice. He is commanding them to find joy in the Lord but also to find joy in one another. “Joy derives from a conviction that, despite present circumstances, God is in control and will save those who belong to Christ. Joy derives from the Philippians’ union with Christ, the promise of the resurrection, and their partnership with one another” ( Gaebelein, 252). Verse 5 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all”. The word gentleness in word studies for this verse show up as moderation, which comes from the Greek root missing “to yield”. Paul is commanding them to yield to seeking revenge on each other and just to put us with each other. “Epieikes ( πιείκεια), Moderation, describes restraint of passions, soberness, or that of which is ἐ

suitable. It may mean a good disposition toward other men. The word is used with an adjective meaning “disinclined to fight.” (Howard, 347) Verse 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. In others translations it says be careful for nothing instead of do not be anxious. According to biblehub.com The Greek, word Μέριμνα translates to the words anxious and distracting care. Paul is command the Philippian church not to be careless or have anxiety about earthly things but to be free by giving all their worries and cares over to God. Verse 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. If the Philippian church does what Paul has command them in the previous verse then the peace of God will be on them. This verse starts out with a thankful prayer and the peace that Paul is talking about is the peace that of which God gives to others and that only He possesses. The peace that comes from God protects us and stands guard over us. “The peace of God is not simply what individuals might experience in their soul but something that should reign over the community. It keeps minds from becoming hardened, blinded, and outwitted by Satan so that every thought remains captive to Christ” ( Gaebelein, 253) Verse 8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  True - ληθ , - This truth only comes from God, not from what men believe or claim ἀ ῆ true. Paul want us to be able to make our own true and right judgment.

 Noble - σεμνά, - “Means what is dignified and above reproach”( Gaebelein, 254 ). We have to be above what is evil and make the right decisions.  Right - δίκαια, - For every situation we must be just and fair in our decisions and actions  Pure - γνά, - God’s holiness, being free from sin. ἁ  Lovely - προσφιλ , - Worthy of being loved, choosing love or hatred ῆ  Admirable - ε φημα, - Respect ὔ Paul end with the phase “ if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Paul ends this section with this verse because all of these actions are towards God in praise. Also to “think about such things” helps keep us account to ourselves knowing what is right in Gods eyes. Verse 9 “ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Paul is letting the Philippian church know that first of all what we have heard or seen in the Bible/Paul needs to be practiced. The bible is not written just so we can contemplate what is being said but we are to live it out in real life. Paul is telling them that he, himself lives out these commands. “He modeled them in his own life and provided a living example of what it means to be Christian and to have the mind of Christ” (Gaebelein, 254). Thought out this whole passage you can see the character of God here are some key verse that stick out about God’s character:

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