Of all people, Paul had plenty of reasons to be full of confidence in his own heritage and achievements. But that is not where he puts his faith. In this passage, he lists out his accomplishments.

You can see the list in Philippians 3:4b-6:

Paul’s Jewish heritage and testimony were impeccable. His resume, so to speak, was spotless, and had all anyone could every wish for… from a worldly point of view. But Paul’s emphasis here is that our own achievements, or our own heritage, is not worth placing our trust in. There is something more.

And, if anyone had the right to place their trust in themselves, Paul did. In this passage, he lists seven characteristics of his life and accomplishments. The first four represent his birth and background. The final three represent his accomplishments.

Let’s look at each in turn:

Paul abruptly shifts his tone in this third chapter of Philippians. The reason why isn’t clear, but his message is very much so.

You can see this passage in Philippians 3:2-4a:

Paul’s change in tone is very abrupt here, but not completely unusual for Paul. However, this is more abrupt than any other occurrence. The reason for his change in tone is unclear. Perhaps he was made aware of this as a new problem as he was dictating this letter.

Up until this point in his letter to the Philippians, Paul has dealt with internal problems the church in Philippi was facing. This one seems to be a threat from the outside. It is clear that this threat is Jewish in its origination, and Paul deals with it with certainty.

In this brief passage, Paul uses three very descriptive negative terms about those who are threatening the church, and then four positive descriptors of the believers.

Chapter three of Philippians begins with an abrupt shift in tone. New topics are addressed with no warning, but Paul begins with an instruction concerning joy.

Take a look at it for yourself in Philippians 3:1:

Paul shifts gears so abruptly with the transition to chapter three that many have wondered if a separate piece of Paul’s writings has been inserted. Moving from the first verse of this chapter to 4:4 is very smooth, and the intervening passages could almost be left out, and it would flow very smoothly.

But many of Paul’s writing have similar abrupt shifts. One such example is found in Ephesians 3, where Paul changes direction in mid-sentence. We must keep in mind that Paul is writing a personal letter here, to people he is close to. He is not writing a theological discourse, such as Romans, where his thoughts must be more precise.

And, the content of this next section still fits the overall structure and subject matter of the rest of the letter, even if it takes an unexpected turn. So that leads to no positive conclusion that this wasn’t a part of the original letter. We are left to presume that it was there all along.

As Paul begins this section, he draws a solid conclusion to all that has come before. What the NIV translates as “Finally,” could probably more likely be translated as “And so…”

As Paul closes out the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians, he concludes his thoughts on his coworker Epaphroditus.

You can see his comments in Philippians 2:29-30:

In spite of the fact that Paul was sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi, apparently without fulfilling his task of service to Paul, he commends this coworker to the church in Philippi.

As he returned home, the church there was to welcome him in the Lord, and with great joy. His efforts were satisfactory, given the circumstances, and the church in Philippi was to show their love and care for him as he returned. And again, Paul tells them to be joyful as they do so. After all, Epaphroditus could have died in his service, but did not, and is now being restored to the Philippians.

Such men require honor. He risked his life. The Greek phrase here is a gambling term. Epaphroditus staked his life on his service to Christ, and to Paul. He gave no thought to his own personal comfort or safety and served the sake of the Gospel with everything he had, almost to the point of dying. This is self-sacrifice to the uttermost!

This was an effort that the Philippians themselves could not give, since they were such a long distance away, and Epaphroditus was working on their behalf in his efforts. His efforts are to be commended.

Paul continues his thoughts about Epaphroditus in this week’s passage. He was sick, almost to the point of death, and Paul rejoices that God chose to spare his life.

You can see why in Philippians 2:27-28:

Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippian church to assist Paul. This may have been intended to be a permanent situation, or at least a long term one. But his illness prevented that from happening, and Paul sends this brother and co-worker back to Philippi.

The illness Epaphroditus contracted was a serious one, leading almost to his death. The Philippian believers may not have know just how serious it was, even though they had received news that he was ill. Paul reinforces just how close to death Epaphroditus came before he recovered.

Paul attributes that recovery directly to the mercy of God, both for Epaphroditus and for Paul himself. For Epaphroditus, his recovery meant that he was now able to resume his efforts for the gospel. For Paul, this mercy took the form of saving him from the grief and sorrow of losing such a valuable coworker and friend. Paul already is suffering enough, being in prison, and the additional sorrow would be devastating.

Because of this, Paul is all the more eager and willing to send Epaphroditus home. And this results in his glowing praises offered in these verses. If Epaphroditus was supposed to stay and assist Paul, his return without completing that service would probably result in criticism from the church in Philippi.

Along with Timothy, Paul decides to send Epaphroditus back to the church in Philippi. He is the messenger that they sent, and Paul desires to send him home to continue the work there.

You can see his thoughts on this in Philippians 2:25-26:

Epaphroditus is from Philippi. And the church there sent him to Paul, to care for his needs, and to probably bring along the financial gift that they had gathered for him. This is all that we know of Epaphroditus. Along with 4:18, this is the only mention of his name, and we are left to guess just how helpful he was to Paul.

Apparently, Paul thinks highly of this man. He pays Epaphroditus a series of five compliments in this one verse alone, so his value to Paul was great. It may have been his intent to become Paul’s permanent helper, but his sickness prohibited it. That has been conjectured by many theologians, but there is simply no way of knowing for certain.

However, if that is the case, Paul’s glowing commendation of him would go a long way to eliminating any criticism of his return home instead of staying with Paul in Rome.

Paul gives five positive comments about Epaphroditus. Three of these give insight to his relationship to Paul, and the other two show his connection to the church.

Paul is sending Timothy to the Philippians, and soon. His desires, however, and even his expectation, is that he himself will be able to go to them as well.

You can see his desire in Philippians 2:23-24:

Paul is sending Timothy to the church in Philippi. Timothy is concerned for the believers in Philippi. His efforts for the gospel are first-rate. He is the logical choice to send.

And, in fact, Paul expects to do just that, as soon he sees how things will go with him. Just what he means by this is uncertain.

The most obvious conclusion is that Paul’s legal problems are being referred to, and that may well be the case. He is in prison, and needs the help that an outsider, such as Timothy, could give. And with his trial looming in the uncertain future, it may be expedient to only send Timothy once things in that area have been nailed down. The added benefit to this is that Timothy would be able to bring the Philippians news of Paul’s continued imprisonment or imminent release.

Another consideration, though, is that Paul may have been referring to personal needs, or a concern for the church. It may surprise many that at this point, Paul is probably in his 70s or even 80s. And prison is no easy thing for anyone, even without the frailties of age. Granted, Paul’s imprisonment in Rome may have been more of a “house arrest,” but he still would have needed the assistance Timothy could give, and he may not have had anyone else that he could depend upon.