By Ronald W. Leigh
Appendix A1 - Sample Results - Book Study - Philippians
The book chosen for this study is the Book of Philippians. You should not read this appendix until after you begin your own study of Philippians. This appendix is not designed to present a full study of the book; rather, it merely illustrates various parts of the study procedure. Thus, only selected portions from only four of the eight steps in the procedure are included. If you merely read this appendix without doing your own study of Philippians, you will receive a distorted picture of the correct book study procedure. You will profit much more if you carefully work through each step given in Chapter 17 on your own. Then, after you complete each step, refer to this appendix and compare your results with whatever results are included here.
It is not important that your results be identical to the results given here. It is important, however, that you do your own work by carefully following the procedures given in Chapter 17.
Step 1 — Pray ————————————————
Step 2 — Survey
The first survey readings of Philippians leave several general impressions, such as: (1) the book is actually a personal letter which focuses often on the author's close relationship with the Philippians; (2) the book repeatedly mentions continuance and growth in the Christian life; and (3) the book seems to be very positive, mentioning joy many times.
Additional survey readings indicate the following:
1. Writer, origin, and date. The first verse in the book reveals that it was from both Paul and Timothy. However, the first person singular pronoun (I, me, my) is used throughout the letter, and Timothy is discussed in the third person (he, him, his) in 2:19-23. Thus, it can be inferred that Paul was the one who was most directly responsible for the content of the letter, of course, under inspiration. It is clear that Paul was writing from prison (1:7,13,16-19), perhaps in Rome (1:13; 4:22). The book of Philippians itself does not give the precise date of writing. It would be necessary to study Acts and other historical sources in order to determine the dates of Paul's Roman imprisonments.
2. Recipients and destination. The recipients were "all the saints . . . including the overseers and deacons" (1:1), although one portion is addressed to an individual, the "true comrade" (4:3). The place of destination is the city of Philippi (1:1; 4:15), and this letter may have been carried to the Philippians by Epaphroditus (compare 2:25 with 2:19).
3. Date of events. None of the events mentioned in the letter are clearly linked with any key historical events.
4. Occasion and purpose. Paul's previous experiences in Philippi are found easily by looking up "Philippi" in a concordance. Acts 16 supplies the main narrative. At the time of writing, Paul was in prison and had recently received a gift which Epaphroditus brought from the Philippians (4:10-19; 2:25). Paul did not expressly state any singular purpose for writing. However, the content of the letter suggests that he probably wrote in order to express his appreciation for their gift, to encourage them personally in their spiritual lives, and to exhort them regarding unity and false righteousness.
5. Literature. The Book of Philippians is a letter -- a very personal letter. Paul's feelings are stated quite frequently throughout the letter, and they are mostly positive -- although there are occasional references to negative feelings.
6. Main thrusts. Paul does not explicitly label any particular idea as his basic message or central theme. However, he does include extended sections on the subjects of unity and false righteousness. Also, he encourages the Philippians throughout the letter, repeatedly emphasizing continued growth and the advance of the gospel.
7. Major divisions. See Step 3 below.
It is helpful at this point to find out more about the city of Philippi. The book of Philippians itself does not give any information about Philippi. However, several facts about the city and its people are found by looking up all the other references to Philippi in the New Testament, especially Acts 16. Also, a number of helpful additional facts about Philippi and its inhabitants are discovered by reading about the city in Bible dictionaries and Bible encyclopedias.
Step 3 — Divide
Longer books of the Bible might have major divisions, subdivisions, and ICUs. Philippians, however, divides most naturally into just seven ICUs. Also, in contrast to many other Bible books, this personal letter has no single unique, overriding theme (no theme around which the entire letter is organized and no theme which is not also contained in the other letters in the New Testament). Thus, no attempt is made to force a theme onto the book by giving an arbitrary title to the seven ICUs. See the chart of Philippians below.
The Book of Philippians ____________________________________________ | 1:1-2 Greeting | _______|____________________________________________|_______ | 1:3-11 Affection and Prayer | | __________________________________________| | 1:12-26 Imprisonment for Christ | | | | __________________________________________| | 1:27 to 2:18 Exhortations regarding | | Oneness and Witness | | | | | | | | __________________________________________| | 2:19-30 Sending Timothy and Epaphroditus | | | | __________________________________________| | 3:1 to 4:1 Beware False Righteousness | | | | | | | | | | | | __________________________________________| | 4:2-9 Miscellaneous Exhortations | | __________________________________________| | 4:10-20 Your Gift | |____________________________________________________________| | 4:21-23 Close | |____________________________________________|It is frequently said that the theme of Philippians is joy. While it is true that Paul mentions joy many times, joy is certainly not the organizing theme of the letter. There are no extended sections dealing expressly with the subject of joy. Also, each mention of joy is incidental to the subject being discussed in the ICU, rather than being a mention of joy for the purpose of discussing joy itself.
Step 4 — Scrutinize Philippians 1:3-11
Rather than attempting to illustrate the results from all twelve of the operations described in chapter 17, only the respaced text, outline, paraphrase, and condensation of Philippians 1:3-11 are given here. Then selected observations, interpretations, and applications are given in order to illustrate the use of the form shown in chapter 17. Of course, such observations are made as you carry out the twelve operations, and different people might make the same observation while carrying out different operations.
2. Re-space the text
3. Outline the ICU
Affection and Prayer (1:3-11)
A. Paul's personal, affectionate relationship
with the Philippians (3-8)
1. His
thankfulness and joy because of the Philippians' help (3-5)
2. His
confidence regarding God's continuing work in the Philippians (6)
3. His
underlying affection and common bond with the Philippians (7-8)
B. Paul's prayer for the Philippians' spiritual
growth (9-11)
9. Paraphrase the ICU
3 Whenever I remember you Philippians, I always thank
God
4 and always pray with real happiness
5 because you have always been faithful in sharing
in the spread of the gospel.
6 I am sure that God will not stop working in you
now, but will continue working until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 I have good reason to feel this way because of
the personal bond we have as corecipients of God's grace -- in my imprisonment
as well as in explaining and proving the gospel.
8 God knows how deeply I care for all of you, a feeling
prompted by Jesus Christ.
9 I pray for your love to expand with more and more
insight
10 in order for you to properly evaluate the true character
and value of things. Then you will be able to be pure and upright
until the day of Christ,
11 having a life which grows out of our righteousness from
Jesus Christ, and which magnifies God.
11. Condense the ICU
Beloved Philippians, I joyfully thank God because of your participation
in the gospel, assured by our mutual experience of God's grace that God
will continue working in you. I pray for your continuing growth in
spiritual insight and righteous living.
| Sample Observations, Interpretations, Applications
Reference Philippians 1:3-11 Title Affection and Prayer . Translation NASB . |
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3
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1. Paul thanks God, not the Philippians | |||
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4,7,7,8
(cf. v. 1) |
2. Repeatedly says "you all" | |||
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4,7,8
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3. This ICU contains 3 statements of emotion, all of which are positive affections ("joy," "I have you in my heart," and "I long for you with all the affection of Christ Jesus"). Furthermore, each statement of affection is grammatically linked with a "you all." | (Based on obs. 2, 3, and 4) Paul feels a close, personal affection for, and a mutual bond, not with merely a few select Philippian believers, but with all of them. No doubt this includes Euodia and Syntyche, two women who needed correction (see 4:2). | We should not interact only with those in our select clique. Rather, we should identify with all believers and express our affection for all believers. | |
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5,7
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4. Mutual sharing between Paul and the Philippians is mentioned twice ("your participation in the gospel," and "partakers of grace with me"). Again, both are grammatically linked with a "you all." | |||
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3-4
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5. Paul claims that when he remembers the Philippians he is always thankful; and when he prays for them he is always joyful. | (Based on obs. 5 and 6) A thankful and joyful spirit could easily be present without it necessarily showing up in the wording of the prayer; so verses 3-4 may refer to the spirit rather than the actual wording of Paul's prayer for the Philippians. --OR-- Perhaps Paul does in fact express thankfulness and joy whenever he prays for them, but his "sample" prayer in verses 9-11 represents only part of his complete prayers for them. | Our prayers for other believers should be thankful and joyful, and we should pray for their spiritual growth. | |
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9-11
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6. (Compare obs. 5) Paul's prayer for the Philippians' growth in verses 9-11 is neither thankful nor joyful (at least not explicitly so). | |||
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3,6,8,11,
6,8,10,11 |
7. "God" (and "He") is mentioned 4 times and "Christ" is mentioned 4 times. However, there is no mention of the Holy Spirit in this ICU. (The same absence exists in 1:1-2) | Does "God" always mean just "God our Father" or does "God" include all three members of the trinity? Why is the Holy Spirit not mentioned in this ICU? Why is he mentioned so infrequently in the entire letter? | ||
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6,9
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8. The Philippians are spoken of as changing and improving over time ("He who began . . . will perfect it," "that you love may abound still more and more") (compare 1:25) | Christian maturity appears to be something which believers grow toward gradually rather than something they can attain instantaneously. | Beware of easy formulas promising quick maturity. | |
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6,10
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9. The phrase "until the day of Christ" appears twice, first in connection with God perfecting his work and second in connection with the Philippians' sincerity and blamelessness (compare 2:16) | What, and when, is the day of Christ?
-- a day of judgment? -- at the return of Christ? -- does it relate to 3:20-21? |
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6,9-10
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10. The Philippians' growth is spoken of as both God's doing and their doing. "He who began . . . will perfect it" and "Your love . . . so that you may approve." (compare 2:12-13) | Christian growth involves both God's action and the individual's action. | We cannot expect to grow if we are passive. We must faithfully carry out our responsibilities. | |
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6,11
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11. Singular: "good work" (not works), and "fruit of righteousness" (not fruits) (compare Galatians 5:22) | |||
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6
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12. Note the wording of verse 6. Paul is "confident," (not merely hopeful) that "He" (God, not the Philippians) would perfect what was started. | Would Paul also have been confident that the Philippians
would continue? If God perfects his work in the Philippians, can
they do anything but continue? (Was it impossible for the Philippians
to stop growing, or backslide?)
-- Perhaps this was possible, but God would faithfully continue doing his part anyhow(?) |
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9-11
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13. Note the prerequisite relationships established by the words "so that" and "in order." | (Based on obs. 13 and 14) Love and knowledge are vitally linked in these verses. Knowledge is basic to proper values (approving the things that are excellent) and to a life that is sincere and blameless. Yet, knowledge is not an end in itself, for Paul prays for their love to increase. | We should seek all the knowledge and discernment we can get, but our reason should be in order to enlarge our love. | |
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9
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14. Paul prays that their "love may abound still more and more" (not merely that their knowledge may abound) | |||
Notice that some observations do not have written interpretations. Notice also that no applications are stated when the interpretation column contains a question or is uncertain.
Step 5 — Examine Topics
There are many topics which deserve your close attention in the book of Philippians. One which Paul speaks about repeatedly is the subject of unity and disunity. In fact, this subject comes very close to being a theme for the book. It is especially important, when studying the topic of unity and disunity in Philippians, to examine how each mention of the topic relates to the developing thought in the immediate context.
Step 6 — Synthesize
The following four-sentence capsule summarizes the heart of the book of Philippians:
Paul, to the Philippian Christians:
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I love and rejoice in you and in your repeated generosity, and I pray for you constantly. My imprisonment has actually advanced the gospel, yet I hope to be released and see you soon (in the meantime I am sending Epaphroditus and Timothy). I exhort you to live and witness in united harmony as you view each other with Jesus' humble, servant attitude. Remember to place your trust for righteousness only in the Lord Jesus, and also keep growing in, living for, and rejoicing in him.
Step 7 — Compare
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Step 8 — Apply
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