Read Philippians 1:1-2.

Introduction⤒🔗

After supper one evening at your grandparents’ home, you sit down before the T.V. set and join them in watching their favorite game show. The host is just about to introduce the contestants for tonight’s show.

He turns to the first team, consisting of a petite brunette and a well-dressed young man. The host says to the brunette, “Tell us who you are and a little about yourself.” She replies, “I’m Wanda Jones. I’m single and I work for a consulting firm in Barrington, IL.”

“It’s very nice to have you on the show this evening,” says the host as he turns to her partner and asks, “Would you tell us your name and something about yourself?”

“I’m Randy Brewer and I come from Bridgeport, CT. I work in the field of advertising.”

“Fascinating,” responds the game show host, “that must be very interesting work.”

Then he comes to the second team of contestants and asks the same questions of them.

The first one responds, “My name is Paul and this is my young friend, Timothy. We are servants of Christ Jesus and saints in Christ Jesus.”

The host is stunned for a moment. Then he says something about them being very religious and how he used to go to Sunday School as a kid. Then, feeling rather awkward, he hurriedly gets the focus back on the game.

Following the game show, you stay tuned in to the next program: Interviews with Real Life People.

Tonight, they will be interviewing Senator Thomas Strong, the chairman of the most powerful committee in the Federal government, commanding a staff of over one hundred people and exercising a great deal of political control over national policy. They also will be interviewing Ricky Young, the famous Hollywood movie star, as he tells of his most recent affair following the break-up of his second marriage.

As you listen to the interviews, your mind goes back to those two men on the game show: “I’m Paul and this is Timothy; we are servants of Christ Jesus and saints in Christ Jesus.”

It strikes you that there is a radical contrast between their identity and that of the two men presently being interviewed on Interviews with Real People. Then you become aware that their identity is radically different from that of all the characters you are going to see on T.V. this evening! Then it dawns on you: as a Christian, this is your identity, too; and it is radically different from what you see in the world and what is promoted by the world.

Because we, as Christians, have been called to new life in Christ, let us be faithful to live out our radical Christian identity.

You Must Live Out Your Radical Identity as a “Servant of Christ Jesus”←⤒🔗

The term the Apostle Paul uses (δουλοs) translated, “servant,” may more accurately be rendered, “bond servant” or “slave.” The bond servant was owned by his master and was completely devoted to the service of his master, as we learn from Luke 17:7-8, “Suppose one of you had a servant [δουοs] plowing or tending the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, Come...and sit down and eat? 'Would he not rather say, Prepare my supper...and serve me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?”

When it is servitude to the Lord, the identification, “a servant of Christ Jesus,” is a sacred and honorable and blessed identity. Consider the opposite as described in Romans 6:20-22,

When you were slaves [δουλοι] to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? Those things result in death! ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become servants [δουλωθεντεs] of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

It is important to recognize that this is the title by which Paul chooses to identify himself. The Epistle to the Philippians is a highly personal epistle; Paul does not need to defend his apostleship, he does not need to employ his apostolic authority to defend the faith or the life of the church. In Philippians, Paul is free to be himself, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and to speak from his heart. Thus, the title he uses to identify himself, “a servant of Christ Jesus,” is most revealing. It shows that first and foremost, Paul regarded himself as a bond servant of Christ the Lord. He gives this description of himself in Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle.” Paul recognized himself to be a servant of Christ Jesus who happened to be called to serve his Lord in the capacity of being an apostle.

From the very moment of his conversion, Paul consciously recognized himself to be a servant of Christ. At the time he met Christ as he was on his way to Damascus, Paul immediately acknowledged Christ’s divine lordship and willingly submitted to it: “I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ '’Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting, he replied.’ ¹⁰And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’” (Acts 22:7-8,10) That consciousness of Christ’s lordship would be the controlling factor in Paul’s life and ministry, as he testifies in Acts 27:23, “Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me.”

Paul refused to use his relationship to Christ and the calling he received from Christ as a means of exalting himself and asserting his own will. Referring to the trial in which he presently found himself, Paul declares, “This is in keeping with my heartfelt expectation and hope that in no circumstance will I be put to shame; on the contrary, I have all confidence that as always, so now also, Christ shall be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death, because for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20-21).

This title, “servant of Christ Jesus,” does not apply to Paul alone; it occurs in the plural, it is equally applied to Timothy; “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” Timothy, by his lifestyle and ministry, demonstrated that it was a true description of his identity. Consider Paul’s testimony concerning Timothy:

I have no one else with a heart like him; he will have a genuine concern for your welfare. ²¹All the others seek their own interests, not the interests of Jesus Christ. ²²But you know his proven worth, that he served with me for the gospel as a son serves his father.Phil. 2:20-22

This identity, “servant of Christ Jesus,” belongs not only to Paul and Timothy, but also to each believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the titles by which Scripture identifies Christ’s people. Revelation 1:1 announces, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place.” Then, in Revelation 22:16 there comes the Lord’s word to the Apostle John, the one to whom Christ communicated the revelation, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.”

This identity, “servant of Christ Jesus,” is one of the titles by which Scripture identifies the Christian’s relationship to Christ: “You do not belong to yourself; ^2O you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19b-20). Again, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “he died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Christian, you must recognize your identity as “a servant of Christ Jesus,” and live out that radical identify in your everyday life. As Christians, we are instructed and commanded to imitate the mind of Christ: “Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus... ⁷he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:5-7). As Christians, we are instructed to exhibit the mind (or, attitude) of Christ towards one another:

• Doing so by caring for one another’s needs: “Let each one be concerned not only about his own interests, but also about the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
   
• Doing so by promoting the welfare of Christ’s body, the church, the fellowship of believers: You were called for freedom, brothers, only do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the sinful nature [to express itself]; rather, serve one another with love; ¹⁴for the whole law is fulfilled in one commandment, [namely] this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:13-14)
   
• Doing so, when necessary, by yielding our rights and privileges for the good of our brethren as our Savior Himself did: “Each one of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up; ³for Christ also did not please himself” (Rom. 15:2-3a).

You Must Live Out Your Radical Identity as a “Saint in Christ Jesus”←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul addresses the Christians in Philippi as “saints in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated, “saints,” has the meaning, “holy ones,” or, “those who are consecrated.”

When the Bible identifies the Christian as being “a saint,” how are we to understand this? As it is used in Scripture, the term has a two-fold meaning: First, as a Christian, you have been set apart to belong to God, to be His own unique, exclusive, cherished possession:

You also [were allotted] to him, having heard the word of truth, [that is], the gospel by which you are saved, and having believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. ¹⁴He is a 'deposit' guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of [God’s] possession, to the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:13-14

[Christ] gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people for his own possession, [a people] zealous for good works.Titus 2:14

Note: “Christ gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us...for himself.”

...you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession.Deut. 7:6

Second, as a Christian, you have been set apart to be like God, to possess and reflect His holy character:

[Christ] gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for herself a people for his own possession, a people zealous for good works. Titus 2:14

...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people [appointed to be God’s own] possession, so that you might display the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.1 Pet. 2:9

The Christian is identified as a saint “in Christ Jesus.” It is by virtue of our relationship to Jesus Christ that we are set apart for God to be His cherished possession and set apart to possess and radiate the glory of His holy character. We have this new relation to God because of our spiritual union with Christ. Colossians 3:3-4 is a passage that reflects upon the Christian’s union with Christ: “you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” By means of our faith in Christ, we are united to Him in His death and, subsequently, also united with Him in His resurrection life.

Furthermore, as Christians, we are not only identified as being a saint in Christ Jesus, we are also instructed to be a saint, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2).

Spiritually, our sanctification, (i.e. our being separated unto God and made like God), is an accomplished fact: “you were washed...you were sanctified...you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11).

Experientially, our sanctification is an activity presently being accomplished in our lives as we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit: “let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Through faith in Christ, we have been made a new creation, we have been given a new heart and a new identity. Now this new identity must increasingly become a new reality in our lives, exerting itself and manifesting itself in our behavior, attitudes and thinking. We may say that the Lord Jesus has pulled us out of the mud of sin; now, in reliance upon the Holy Spirit, we must clean off the mud that covers us.

Christian, you must recognize your identity as “a saint in Christ Jesus,” and live out that radical identify in your everyday life. In reliance upon the Holy Spirit, we must seek to bring our lives into conformity with our new Christian identity:

Put to death...sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry; ⁶because of these things, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator... ¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Col. 3:5-10,12-14)

We must carry out this process of moral change called sanctification by relying upon the Holy Spirit: “if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you shall live” (Rom. 8:13). As the LORD informs us through the prophet Zechariah, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Remember the two men who appeared as contestants on the game show mentioned in the Introduction: “My name is Paul and this is my friend, Timothy. We are servants of Christ Jesus and saints in Christ Jesus.”

Realize how radically different those two men are from all the other characters you see on T.V. or meet in everyday life. Recognize that as a fellow Christian with them, you share in that same radical new identity, you, too, are a servant of Christ Jesus and a saint in Christ Jesus.

May the Holy Spirit make us ever more consciously aware of our radical Christian identity, and may He help us to live ever more consistently with that identity unto the glory of God our Father and Christ our Savior.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How does the Apostle Paul define the Philippian Christian’s identity (cf. Phil. 1:1b)? As a Christian, in what two ways are you a “saint” (i.e. someone who had been set apart from the world)? Note 1 Pet. 1:15-16 and Eph. 1:13-14. In what ways does the world try to separate you from your Christian identity and fashion your thinking to conform with its identity?

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, together with the elders and deacons... Phil. 1:1

But just as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.' 1 Pet. 1:15-16

...having heard the word of truth, [that is], the gospel by which you are saved, and having believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. ¹⁴He is a 'deposit' guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of [God’s] possession, to the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:13-14

2. The city of Philippi prided itself on its Roman citizenship and its allegiance to the emperor; what challenge would the Philippians’ Christian confession pose to the Roman emperor (cf. Rom. 10:9); what might the Christian community expect to encounter on account of their allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ? As present-day society increasingly gives it allegiance to secular humanism, what must we as Christians expect to encounter? What does a secular society and government expect us to confession? What do they expect us to support?

...if you shall confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved... Rom. 10:9

This public profession would be in direct conflict with the public profession that was expected of its citizens by the Imperial Roman Government.

3. Contrast the way Paul introduced himself to the Corinthian church (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1-2a) and the Galatian churches (cf. Gal. 1:1-2), with the way he introduces himself to the Philippian church (cf. Phil. 1:1a). Why was it necessary for Paul to produce his apostolic credentials when writing to the Corinthians? Note 1 Cor. 5:1. Why was it necessary that he do so when writing to the Galatians? Note Gal. 1:6-7a. But when writing to a church that had no such issues, how does Paul introduce himself? What does this tell us about the way he viewed himself in relation to Christ and to fellow Christians? If you are in a leadership position in the church, are you overly enamored with your God-given authority, or do you acknowledge yourself to be a humble servant of Christ alongside all other believers?

¹Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, ^2ato the church of God that is in Corinth... 1 Cor. 1:1-2a

¹Paul, an apostle, not sent by men nor through [any] man, but sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, ²and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia... Gal. 1:1-2

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, together with the elders and deacons... Phil. 1:1

¹It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and the kind of fornication that does not even exist among the Gentiles, [namely], that someone has his father’s wife. ²And you are arrogant! Should you not rather be grieved, so that he who has done this thing might be removed from your fellowship? ³Though I am not present physically, yet being present by the Spirit, I have already judged him who has done this thing, just as though I were present [with you]. ⁴When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, [I exhort you], by the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus. 1 Cor. 5:1-5

I am astonished that you are so quickly turning away from the one who called you by grace, [and are turning] to a different gospel, ⁷that is not another [gospel]. Certain men are troubling you and seeking to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach a gospel other than the gospel we preached to you, let him be accursed! Gal. 1:6-8

4. In addition to the congregation as a whole, who else does Paul address (cf. Phil. 1:1c)? Do you respect the elders and deacons ordained to exercise oversight and ministry in your congregation? Note Heb. 13:17. If you are an elder or deacon, are you conducting yourself and faithfully carrying out your ministry in a manner that is worthy of respect? Note Heb. 13:7; 1 Pet. 5:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:8-9,

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, together with the elders and deacons... Phil. 1:1

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Heb. 13:17

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Heb. 13:7

¹I exhort the elders among you, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also one who has a share in the glory that is going to be revealed, ²shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Do not exercise oversight [merely] because you must do so, but [do so] willingly for God. [Do not do so] for material gain, but with a willingness [to serve]. ³Do not lord yourselves over those who are under your care; on the contrary, be examples for the flock. 1 Pet. 5:1-3

Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, ⁹holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.1 Tim. 3:8-9

5. What benediction does the Apostle Paul pronounce upon the Philippian church (cf. Phil. 1:2)? What is the opposite of grace? See Eph. 2:8-9. From whom do we as Christians receive this unmerited favor (cf. Phil. 1:2a), and how is He defined? See Rom. 11:36. In conjunction with the Father, from whom else do we receive this unmerited favor (cf. Phil. 1:2b), and what position does He occupy? See Acts 2:36. What wonderful assurance does this provide for us? See Rom. 8:31. Is this unmerited favor dispensed to us sparingly? See Jn. 1:16 When shall we experience the full measure of this grace? See Eph. 2:7,

...grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:2

It is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹it is not of works, therefore, no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

For of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.Rom. 11:36

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Acts 2:36

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8:31

From his fullness we all received, grace upon grace. Jn. 1:16

...even when we were dead in transgressions [God] made us alive with Christ, (by grace you have been saved), ⁶and he raised us with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms, in Christ Jesus. ⁷[He did so] in order that in the coming ages [of eternity] he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace [expressed] in kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:5-7