1:1 From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Philippi who are united with Christ Jesus, with their overseers and deacons. |
1:2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be yours! |
1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you, |
1:4 always praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you |
1:5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. |
1:6 I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Christ Jesus. |
1:7 For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart. Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in grace. |
1:8 For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. |
1:9 And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more in full knowledge and perfect insight, |
1:10 so that you may be able to determine what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, |
1:11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. |
1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually turned out for the progress of the gospel. |
1:13 As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison because of Christ. |
1:14 Moreover, because of my imprisonment most of the brothers have been made confident in the Lord to speak God's word more boldly and courageously than ever before. |
1:15 Some are preaching Christ because of their envy and rivalry, while others do so because of their good will. |
1:16 The latter are motivated by love, because they know that I have been appointed for the defense of the gospel. |
1:17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition and without sincerity, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment. |
1:18 But what does it matter? Just this, that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and because of this I rejoice. Yes, I will continue to rejoice, |
1:19 because I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. |
1:20 This is according to my eager expectation and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, because of my boldness Christ will be exalted in my body, now as always, whether I live or die. |
1:21 For to me, to go on living is Christ, and to die is gain. |
1:22 Now if I go on living in this body, that will produce more results, yet I do not know which I would prefer. |
1:23 Indeed, I cannot decide between the two. I have the desire to leave this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. |
1:24 But for your sake it is better that I remain in this body. |
1:25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith. |
1:26 Then your boasting in Christ Jesus will increase along with mine through my coming again to you. |
1:27 The only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you-that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel, |
1:28 and that you are not intimidated by your opponents in any way. This is evidence that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved-and all because of God. |
1:29 For you have been given the privilege for Christ's sake not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. |
1:30 You have the same struggle that you saw in me and now hear that I am still having. |