Philippians 1:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

NIV: filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

NASB: having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

CSB: filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

NLT: May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

KJV: Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

NKJV: being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul ends this section of encouragement with a particular goal. He wants to see the Philippian believers overflowing with the results of a Christ-filled life. For as generous and giving as they had been (Philippians 1:5), there were even greater levels of blessing available to them. These are not blessings "paid for" by good works, but the personal, spiritual benefits associated with Godly living. Paul will mention "righteousness" three more times in this letter (Philippians 3:6, 9). True righteousness comes not from works, but from God, and depends on faith (Philippians 3:9). Paul gives greater details on these, as fruits of the Spirit, in Galatians 5:22–23.

Looking at verses 10 and 11 together shows Paul's emphasis on preaching Jesus as God. The end of verse 10 mentions Jesus and God the Father, together, as equal yet distinct Persons. Paul portrays Jesus as the Messiah who has existed in eternity past (Colossians 1:16–17) and will reign in the future (Philippians 1:6, 10). As a result, glory and praise could be given to God, a fitting conclusion to his comments on prayer.

Philippians 1:3–11 is Paul's expression of thanks and gratitude for the believers of Philippi. Not only have they been generous in their support of Paul, they have been faithful even when he was imprisoned. Paul claims to thank God for these Christians in all of his prayers. At the same time, Paul has high hopes that the church of Philippi will continue to mature and strengthen their relationship with Christ.

In chapter 1, Paul thanks the Philippian believers for supporting his ministry. Even when Paul was jailed, or persecuted, they had been generous and loyal. Paul encourages these Christians by explaining that all of his suffering has been for a good cause. Even better, these attempts to persecute Paul have actually caused the gospel to spread. For this, Paul is grateful. He fully expects to be released, and to see the believers of Philippi again.

Chapter 1 introduces the major themes of Paul's letter. A large proportion of the passage is given to thanking the Philippian church for their loyal support of Paul. Paul also encourages them with a reminder that, good or bad, anything a Christian experiences can be used for the glory of God. This sets the tone for the rest of the letter, where Paul will continue to stress the importance of living out the Christian life. This, he says, starts with having a proper attitude and approach.

Philippians is Paul's discussion of living the Christian life. In this letter to the church of Philippi, Paul highlights themes such as joy and glory. He also puts great emphasis on how a Christian's thinking—their attitude—affects the way they live out their faith. Paul is very thankful for the support of the Philippian church, but is also concerned about the influence of various false teachers. This letter is less theological than most of his other writings, and more practical.