Philippians 1:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

NIV: I thank my God every time I remember you.

NASB: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

CSB: I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,

NLT: Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

KJV: I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

NKJV: I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Verse 3 begins the main body of the letter. Paul begins with thanks and encouragement. He had many reasons to be thankful for the Philippians. First, with their help, he had successfully founded a church in their city (Acts 16). Second, these believers faithfully supported his ministry over the previous years (Philippians 4:16). Not all of the churches Paul worked with were so generous (2 Corinthians 11:7–9).

Paul offered a similar opening of thanks in another Prison Epistle: "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you" (Colossians 1:3). Likely written in the same time period, and both including Timothy (Colossians 1:1), each letter includes an opening with encouraging words for readers. A third Prison Epistle, Philemon, is written to an individual, yet includes similar words of thankfulness: "I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers" (Philemon 1:4), again including Timothy as a co–writer (Philemon 1:1).

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 4:34:20 PM