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Overviews and Outlines --
Bible Studies: Whole Book -- Part of Book -- Thematic --
Sermons -- Bibliographies
If I were to try to sum up this letter in a single thought it would be as the epistle of humility. Paul, the greatest missionary and theologian of the Christian faith, stands before the Philippian church not as a proto-Pope but as a loving father figure. He describes a Christ who "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped." He describes a Christian life that turns from all selfish ambitions and toward a focus upon the cross. That's the epistle of humility.
Left: Salvador Dali's Corpus Hypercubus
The Bare Facts
Who: Paul gives co-credit to Timothy in 1:1. Even the bulk of
the liberal scholars admit that this letter is a genuine work of Paul's hand.
Where: Taking Paul at his word, we know that he wrote this from
prison, but Paul spent time in more than one prison. Some have suggested
Ephesus or Caesarea as locations, but the available evidence confirms the
long-held belief that Paul wrote Philippians while in prison in Rome.
When: Paul's first stay in the Roman jail came between A.D. 59
and 61. Splitting the difference, we can date this letter at A.D. 60.
What: Paul sends this letter as a thank you note to the
Philippians after their generous giving to the Jewish saints. In covering
a number of topics, he works around a central theme of putting aside selfishness
and replacing it with rejoicing over God's provision, including his provision of
salvation.
Memorable Passages
2:5-11
The Kenosis Hymn. Christ emptied himself.
3:7-11
Whatever was profit I now consider loss.
4:8-9
Whatever is true, noble, etc.
Overviews and Outlines
- Philippians:
Introduction, Argument, and Outline
- A load of introductory information from Daniel Wallace.
- Bible Basics
- A very brief list of facts, but it includes a wav file pronouncing the
book's title.
- The Letter to the
Philippians
- An introduction by Barry Smith
- Easton Bible Dictionary:
Philippians, Epistle to
- The article from M.G. Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
- Catholic
Encyclopedia: Philippians
- The appropriate entry from the public domain edition of this venerable
reference work.
- Columbia
Encyclopedia: Philippians
- A brief article from the 2001 edition of this reference work.
- Bible Explained
- This is a commentary by an energetic fellow named Ted Wade. He
provides brief notes on each chapter and most verses for the entire Bible.
- Luther Productions
- A very brief overview including key verses.
- The Blue
Letter Bible
- An excellent source for text, cross-references, concordance, language
helps, commentaries, and more.
Bible Studies: Whole Book
- Philippians: Blessings and Burdens
of Discipleship
- A Tune My Heart Exclusive. Forty-nine devotions from summer 2005.
- Philippians: The
Unconquerable Gospel
- A 16-lesson study by Greg Herrick.
- Philippians: Earthly
Conduct of Heavenly Citizens
- A study by Dwight Edwards.
- Teaching Outlines
for the Book of Philippians
- A 13-lesson study course by Greg Herrick
- To Live Is Christ:
A Study of the Book of Philippians
- A 13-lesson study course by Bob Deffinbaugh.
- Philippians:
Shared Secrets of a Happy Fellowship
- A lengthy, verse-level commentary and set of notes by David Griffiths, a
native of Wales who has ministered for many years in the United States through
the Assemblies of God.
- The
Philippians Project
- An academic project from Houston Graduate School of Theology.
Includes dictionary, bibliography, maps, and more.
- Love the Lord
Bible Studies: Philippians
- A 6-lesson study with questions from an Arkansas-based ministry.
They seem orthodox enough, although the statement of faith makes me wonder if
they're not into prosperity gospel teachings.
- Talks for Growing
Christians
- A nifty study, which includes a brief sermon, question, and answers.
A project from Talks for Growing Christians.
- Philippians--A Study Guide
- One of Mark Copeland's Executable Outlines series.
- The Epistle to the
Philippians
- Apparently a chapter from a book, originally in German, by Ferdinand
Christian Baur.
- John
Calvin's Commentary
- The commentary of the 16th-century French
reformer.
- Geneva Notes
- In 1599, English Puritans, working in Geneva, published the first study
Bible. These are the notes from that edition.
- Coffman's
Commentary
- A verse-by-verse commentary by Dr. James Burton Coffman, a leading Church
of Christ scholar.
- Matthew Henry's
Commentary
- The chapter-by-chapter 1712 commentary by the great English Puritan writer..
- John Wesley Notes
- Over his career, the founder of Methodism maintained notes on the entire
Bible.
- JFB Commentary
- The comments of Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown from Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871).
- Clarke's
Commentary
- The first chapter for this book from Adam Clarke's nineteenth-century
commentary.
- John Gill's Exposition of the
Entire Bible
- The commentary of the 17th century Baptist theologian and preacher.
- Scofield
Reference Notes
- The notes from the 1917 edition of the great study Bible. From a
dispensationalist viewpoint.
- Treasury
of Scripture Knowledge
- A combination brief commentary and thorough cross-reference.
Developed by R.A. Torrey.
- Barne's Notes on the
New Testament
- Educated at Princeton seminary, Albert Barnes was a dedicated student of the
Bible. Though passed over by the biographical sketches of influential
theological writers, his notes on the New Testament continue to be quite popular
even today.
- John S. C. Abbott and
Jacob Abbott Illustrated New Testament
- Well known throughout the late 1800's for their
prolific writings on various subjects, John and Jacob Abbott decided to put to
paper their personal study and translation of the original Greek New Testament.
Included are 50 woodcut illustrations from the original printing.
- John Darby's Synopsis
of the New Testament
- These synopses were originally written and
published in French and introduced book-by-book. Only the New Testament is
available.
- Introductory Lectures on the Epistles of Paul
- A chapter by chapter commentary by William Kelly.
- Philippians: The Epistle of Christian Experience
- A commentary by F.B. Hole.
- Comments on Philippians
- Commentary by Leslie M. Grant.
- Epistles to the
Philippians
- An essay by W.C. Van Manen. It covers two epistles, the canonical
one of Paul and the non-canonical one of Polycarp.
- David Guzik's Commentaries on the Bible
- David Guzik, a former senior pastor at Clavary Chapel Simi Valley in
California, provides a verse-by-verse commentary. Currently Guzik directs the
Calvary Chapel Bible College in Siegen, Germany.
- The Jerome Bible
Commentary
- A commentary by a Catholic doctor, Jerome Dominguez, M.D. Is English
isn't perfect, but you have to admire his energy. Although Catholic in
orientation, this source has some good material for study.
Bible Studies: Part of Book
- Joy in Jesus Christ (ch.
1)
- A study by Michael Morrison from the Worldwide Church of God, a
denomination with a checkered past but an exciting present.
- Does Philippians 1:6
Guarantee Progressive Sanctification
- A study by John F. Hart.
- Love Must Mature (1:9-11)
- A study by Greg Herrick.
- He and He Alone
(1:21)
- A sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
- Morning and Evening (1:21)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- Morning and Evening (1:27)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- Christ is
Best: or, St. Paul's Strait
- A lengthy study by Richard Sibbes, a Puritan writer.
- The Example of Jesus
(ch. 2)
- A study by Michael Morrison from the Worldwide Church of God, a
denomination with a checkered past but an exciting present.
- Martin Luther--Sermon on Threefold Righteousness (ch. 2)
- A 1519 sermon by the initiator of the Reformation.
- Philippians 2:1-4: A Structural Diagram
- A somewhat technical look at the Greek.
- The Spirit of Christ
(2:1-13)
- A portion of Bob Deffinbaugh's series The Coming of Christ.
- Implications of the
Incarnation (Part 2) (2:1-18)
- A portion of Bob Deffinbaugh's series The Coming of Christ.
- The Empty God (2:5-8)
- A study refuting the doctrine of kenosis by Charles T. Buntin.
- The Poured-Out Life
(2:5-11)
- An article about the " Kenosis Hymn" by Dennis Bratcher.
- Philippians 2:5-11:
The Kenosis
- An article by Rodney Decker of Baptist Bible Seminary.
- Implications of the
Incarnation (Part 1) (2:5-18)
- A portion of Bob Deffinbaugh's series The Coming of Christ.
Curiously, part 1 comes after part 2, at least in biblical terms.
- The Meaning of
Harpagmos in Philippians 2:6
- An academic paper subtitled "An Overlooked Datum for Functional Inequality
within the Godhead." By Dennis Burk.
- The Background of
the Philippians Hymn (2:6-11)
- An article by David Seeley.
- Morning and Evening (2:8)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- Two Powers
and Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism (2:9-11)
- An article from the Journal of Biblical Studies by James McGrath
and Jerry Truex.
- Working Out Our
Own Salvation (2:12-13)
- A sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
- On
Working Out Our Own Salvation (2:12-13)
- A sermon by John Wesley.
- Morning and Evening (2:15)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- In the Apostle's
Absence (2:19-30)
- An article from Kerux by David VanDrunen.
- Starting Right and
Finishing Well (ch. 3)
- A study by Michael Morrison from the Worldwide Church of God, a
denomination with a checkered past but an exciting present.
- Philippians Expository Outline (ch. 3-4)
- An in-depth outline by Hamilton Smith.
- Our Citizenship
is in Heaven (3:1-21)
- An article from Kerux by Laurence Semel.
- Morning and Evening (3:8)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- The
Power of Christ's Resurrection (3:10)
- A sermon by George Whitefield.
- Morning and Evening (3:10)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- Knowing Diamonds or
Loving Diamonds: Which Is It? (3:10-11)
- A sermon(?) by Greg Herrick.
- Christian Perfection (3:12)
- A sermon by John Wesley.
- Enemies of the
Cross of Christ (3:17-21)
- A sermon by Martin Luther.
- Think on Good Things
(ch. 4)
- A study by Michael Morrison from the Worldwide Church of God, a
denomination with a checkered past but an exciting present.
- The Answer
to Anxiety (4:6-7)
- A meditation by Will Hanson
- Morning and Evening (4:11)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
- The Art of Divine Contentment (Philippians 4:11)
- A lengthy study by Thomas Watson.
- Morning and Evening (4:12)
- One of C.H.
Spurgeon's devotions.
Sermons
- The Message of
Philippians
- The appropriate sermon from Ray C. Stedman's Adventuring through the Bible series.
- Lincoln Berean Church
- Links to sermons from this church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Ken
Gehrels
- Links to 8 sermons. Scroll down a bit to find the appropriate entries.
- David Legge:
The Epistle of Joy
- A 24-sermon series by a Northern Ireland pastor.
- St. John Chrysostom
- An "Introductory Discourse" and 15 homilies on the book by the Greek preacher.
- C.H. Spurgeon
- A listing of sermons, some of which are available online, by the great British Baptist.
- Sermon
Outlines
- Links to sermon outlines from SermonLinks.
Articles, Books, and Bibliographies
- Christ and the Church: The Ministry of the Baptized
- An article by Wendell Debner from Word and World.
- Encouragement in
Distress
- An article by Chuck Missler.
- Military Images in Philippians 1-2
- A feminist article by Joseph Marchal.
- Confessing Jesus as Lord
- An article from Word and World by David Fredrickson.
- Two-Age Bibliography
- A list of recommended sources, mostly scholarly in nature, provided by a
website devoted to the "Redemptive Historical" school of theology.
Memorable Passages