However you did well that you shared in my affliction. You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need.
Show the surrounding paragraph
Philippians 4:14-16 sits inside this longer paragraph.
But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. However you did well that you shared in my affliction. You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need. Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increases to your account. But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God. My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
Parallel Translations
-
However you did well that you shared in my affliction.
You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only.
For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need.
-
Not wistondynge ye have well done that ye bare parte with me in my tribvlacion.
Ye of Philippos knowe that in the begynnynge of the gospell when I departed from Macedonia no congregacion bare parte with me as concernynge gevynge and receavynge but ye only.
For when I was in Tessalonica ye sent once and afterwarde agayne vnto my nedes:
Show all 3 translations
-
Notwithstanding yee haue well done, that yee did communicate to mine affliction.
And yee Philippians knowe also that in the beginning of the Gospell, when I departed from Macedonia, no Church communicated with me, concerning the matter of giuing and receiuing, but yee onely.
For euen when I was in Thessalonica, yee sent once, and afterward againe for my necessitie,
Cross-references (20)
- Hebrews 13:16 (v14) But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
- Philippians 1:7 (v14) It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the…
- Philippians 1:5 (v15) for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9 (v16) For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the…
- 1 Kings 8:18 (v14) But Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.
Show all 20 cross-references
- Galatians 6:6 (v14) But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
- Hebrews 10:34 (v14) For you both had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for…
- Matthew 25:21 (v14) “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things.…
- Philippians 4:18 (v14) But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance,…
- 1 Timothy 6:18 (v14) that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share;
- 3 John 1:5-8 (v14) Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers. They have testified about your love…
- 2 Chronicles 6:8 (v14) But Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart;
- Acts 17:1 (v16) Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
- Romans 15:27 (v14) Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things,…
- 1 Corinthians 9:10-11 (v14) or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes…
- 2 Corinthians 11:8-12 (v15) I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you. When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on…
- Acts 16:40–17:5 (v15) They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, then departed. Now when…
- 2 Corinthians 12:11-15 (v15) I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the very…
- 1 Thessalonians 2:18 (v16) because we wanted to come to you—indeed, I, Paul, once and again—but Satan hindered us.
- Revelation 1:9 (v14) I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (23 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv14–15 14 Nevertheless ye did well How prudently and cautiously…
14 Nevertheless ye did well How prudently and cautiously he acts, looking round carefully in both directions, that he may not lean too much to the one side or to the other. By proclaiming in magnificent terms his steadfastness, he meant to provide against the Philippians supposing that he had given way under the pressure of want. He now takes care that it may not, from his speaking in high terms, appear as though he despised their kindness — a thing that would not merely shew cruelty and obstinacy, but also haughtiness. He at the same time provides for this, that if any other of the servants of Christ should stand in need of their assistance they may not be slow to give him help.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v15 He witnesseth that he remembereth also their former benefits,…
He witnesseth that he remembereth also their former benefits, and again putteth away sinistrous suspicion of immoderate desire, in that that he received nought of any else.
At that beginning when I preached the Gospel amongst you.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–16 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did…
14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
Ver. 14. Ye have well done] For hereby as you have sealed up your love to me, and engaged me to pray for you (as for Onesiphorus, 2Ti 1:16), so you have gotten a good testimony to yourselves that ye are members of Christ’s mystical body. The tongue is far enough from the toe, the heel from the head, yet when the toe or heel is hurt, the rest of the members sympathize and seek help for it. So here.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Lest any should suspect, from what he had suggested…
Lest any should suspect, from what he had suggested of his contentment, that he was not much affected with their liberality, but might have done as well without as with it, and they might have spared their bounty and labour, he doth prudently commend their Christian commiseration, (as the phrase is, Act 10:33), and give them to understand how acceptable their seasonable supply was to him, who did so joyfully resent their kindness to him, in that it was well-pleasing to God, Rom 12:15; they did so effectually sympathize and take a share in the oppression he sustained for the cause of Christ, 2Co 1:7, and remember him in his bonds as if it were their own case, Heb 13:3; Rev 1:9.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v14 Although our apostle had declared in the foregoing verses,…
Although our apostle had declared in the foregoing verses, that he had fully learnt the lesson of contentment in all conditions, and could bear poverty and want without complaining, yet withal he assures them here, that they did well in sending such supplies to him in prison by Epaphroditus, as they had done; and thereby testifying, by their Christian commisseration, that they shared with him in his afflictions and sufferings for Christ.
Where note, 1. The apostle’s thankful acknowledgment of the Philippians’ present liberality towards him, now in bonds for preaching the gospel to them; and how he takes occasion from thence to make an honourable mention of their former bounty towards him, even from his first preaching of the gospel to them; nay, when he was gone from them at Philippi, and preached to those at Thessalonica, yet did the Philippians send their bounty after him more than once, which no other church had then done besides themselves.
Read full note →
Learn hence, 1. That there is a rule of equity to be observed, as between other relations, so between ministers and people, that as they bestow labour and pains, so they should receive encouragement and maintenance, and this not barely as a gratuity, but as a due debt.
2. That the faithful ministers of Christ, though they may challenge a supply of temporal things from their people, for their spiritual things, as a due debt; yet do they fully receive it, and gratefully acknowledge it, to the honour and commendation of their people, with fervent prayer to God, that it may be a fruit redounding to their account in the great day of account. O ye Philippians, know, that when no church communicated with me, ye sent once and again to my necessities.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Notwithstanding ye have well done,.... This he says lest…
Notwithstanding ye have well done,.... This he says lest they should think he slighted their kindness, and lest they should be discouraged from doing any such thing of this kind another time, either to himself or others; for though he was so well contented with his state, and knew how to be abased and to suffer need, and could do all things through the strength of Christ, yet he observes they did well in communicating to him; for communicating to poor saints or ministers is a considerable branch of well doing; it is a good work when it is done in faith, and from love, and with a view to the glory, honour, and interest of Christ; it is what is agreeable to the will of God, and is an odour of a sweet smell, and acceptable to him:
that ye did communicate with my affliction; by which is meant, not any affliction of mind, for he was in as comfortable a frame, had as clear views of his interest in God, as his covenant God, and was as contented and satisfied as ever he was in his life; nor any disorder or distemper of body; but he was in prison and penury: these Philippians communicated with him in it, both by sympathizing with him in his tribulation, and by sending their minister to visit him, and with him a present for his relief and support; in doing which they did well.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v15 In the beginning of the gospel - When it…
In the beginning of the gospel - When it was first preached at Philippi. In respect of giving - On your part. And receiving - On mine.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Verse 14. Ye have well done] Though I have…
Verse 14. Ye have well done] Though I have learned all these important lessons, and am never miserable in want, yet ye have done well in sending me relief in the time of affliction.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v15 Php 4:15-19. Ye know that in the beginning of…
Php 4:15-19. Ye know that in the beginning of the gospel — When it was first preached at Philippi; no church — No Christian society, as such; communicated with me — In the matter of giving me money, and of my receiving money from them; but ye only — I received money from no church but yours. Not because I desire a gift, &c. — I would not have you think that I commend your liberality merely out of respect to myself; but I desire fruit, &c. — I do it chiefly out of respect to you; that you may do that which may turn to your everlasting advantage. But l have all — So also the Vulgate reads the clause; but the original expression, απεχω παντα, according to Estius, may be translated, I have from you all things; that is, my wants are amply supplied by you; and I abound — I have more than sufficient for my present state; having received of Epaphroditus the things sent from you — Besides money, the Philippians may have sent to the apostle clothes and other necessaries: an odour of a sweet smell — A service wherewith God is well pleased. See Heb 13:16. “The same epithets were anciently given to all the kinds of sacrifices; not only in the peace and thank-offerings, but to the burnt-offerings and sin-offerings. See note on Eph 5:2. Here they are given to the present which the Philippians sent to the apostle; not because that present partook of the nature of any sacrifice or offering whatever, as is plain from this, that it was offered immediately to the apostle, and not to God; but merely to show how acceptable to God that work of charity was which the Philippians had performed to the suffering apostle of Christ.” — Macknight. But my God — Whose ambassador I am; shall supply all your need — As he has mine. He shall recompense you even in this life, as far as he knows will be for your good; according to his riches in glory — And he is well able to do it, being gloriously rich in blessings of all kinds.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Notwithstanding, ye have well done - Though he had…
Notwithstanding, ye have well done - Though he had learned the grace of contentment, and though he knew that Christ could enable him to do all things, it was well for them to show sympathy for his sufferings; for it evinced a proper regard for a benefactor and an apostle.
Ye did communicate - You took part with my affliction. That is, you sympathized with me, and assisted me in bearing it. The relief which they had sent, not only supplied his wants, but it sustained him by the certainty that he was not forgotten.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14–15 In communicating;[3] i.e. contributing to relieve my wants. (Witham)
In communicating;[3] i.e. contributing to relieve my wants. (Witham)
===============================
Read full note →
[BIBLIOGRAPHY]
Communicantes, Greek: sugkoinonesantes. See Chap. i. 5. &c.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv14–16 He here guards against their thinking from what he…
He here guards against their thinking from what he has just said, that he makes light of their bounty.
ye did communicate with my affliction--that is, ye made yourselves sharers with me in my present affliction, namely, by sympathy; of which sympathy your contribution is the proof.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14–16 14. Ye have well done—Ye did beautifully. There was…
14. Ye have well done—Ye did beautifully. There was a high moral beauty in this sympathy, in which they put themselves into fellowship with his condition.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–16 14. Notwithstanding] “Again the Apostle’s nervous anxiety to clear…
14. Notwithstanding] “Again the Apostle’s nervous anxiety to clear himself interposes” (Lightfoot). We would rather call it loving care than nervous anxiety. He is tender over their feelings, as he thinks how “their deep poverty has abounded to the riches of their liberality” (2Co_8:1-2), in love to him and to the Lord; and not even his testimony to the power of Christ shall make him seem to slight their collection.
ye have well done] Better, perhaps, ye did well; when you gave and sent your alms.
Read full note →
communicate with] Better, as more intelligible to modern readers, take a share in. For the thought, cp. on Php_1:7. Their sympathy, coming out in self-denial, blent their experience with that of the imprisoned and impoverished Apostle.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–16 (14) Ye have well done.—Properly, Ye did well, in…
(14) Ye have well done.—Properly, Ye did well, in sending the offerings. In this, says St. Paul, they “did communicate with his affliction,” that is (see Php_1:7), they made it their own, helping him to bear it, by sympathy and sacrifice for his sake. The whole is an illustration of his own words (Act_20:35), “It is blessed to receive” what is lovingly given; but it is “rather blessed to give.” He had the lower blessedness, they the higher; and he rejoiced that it was so.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate…
Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction; rather, as R.V, ye had fellowship with my affliction. St. Paul values the sympathy, the fellow-feeling, more than the gifts; he could have done without the gifts, but they were precious as a proof of love.
Vers. 14-20. The sympathy of the Philippians with St. Paul.
Read full note →
I THEIR GIFTS.
1. They had fellowship with him in his affliction. They made it their own; they showed the reality of their sympathy by their gifts. They were themselves in a great trial of afflictions, in deep poverty. They did not make their afflictions or their poverty an excuse for not aiding the apostle; they assisted him again and again. They did well, he says. Christian sympathy is a beautiful thing; it sweetens the cup of sorrow; it is one of God"s most precious gifts. St. Paul felt it deeply. He did not seek their alms; that, indeed, helped him in his trouble. But he could have done without it, he had learned the great lesson of contentment. But the sympathy of Christian love was very precious to him; he yearned for it; it was his chiefest comfort next after the presence of Christ. He prized it for their sake as well as for his own; it proved that his labors had not been in vain. It was good for them too; it was good for them to show sympathy, as it was for the apostle to receive it. Christian sympathy, like mercy, is twice blest blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
2. They gave readily, spontaneously. It was "in the beginning of the gospel;" they had but just become Christians; St. Paul had but just left them. He was at Thessalonica, the chief city of Macedonia. The Philippians did not leave the duty of ministering to the apostle"s wants to the Thessalonians; they sent once and again, the little town to the great city, unto his necessities. They were the first, it seems, to have the great privilege of supporting St. Paul in his apostolic labors. They did not wait to see what others would give; they set the example; they gave what they could, and that at once.
3. They were not weary in well-doing. They sent again and again, twice at least, to Thessalonica; a third time, when St. Paul departed from Macedonia. "Brethren front Macedonia" supplied his wants at Corinth. (2Co_11:9) "The Churches of Macedonia" abounded in their liberality towards the poor brethren at Jerusalem; (2Co_8:1, 2Co_8:2) and now they sent Epaphroditus to relieve the apostle"s wants in his Roman imprisonment.
4. They gave unasked. St. Paul did not desire gifts; he was even unwilling to receive assistance from other Churches. "I seek not yours, but you," he said to the Corinthians. But the Philippians loved him for his work"s sake and for his own sake. They gave freely out of love; they gave gladly, for they had learned of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Teacher, that "it is more blessed to give than to receive.
II ST. PAUL"S FEELINGS ON RECEIVING THEIR CONTRIBUTION.
1. His sensitive nature is deeply touched with the evidence of their love; but he shrinks from appearing to invite further liberality. It is not the gift, he says, that he seeks. He is pleased, he rejoices, but not for his own sake; it, is for the givers, for the sake of the Philippians, that St. Paul"s heart is touched with holy joy. It is good for them to give; he knows it. Their bounty is set down to their account in the treasury of heaven, and this thought is full of sweetness to the apostle"s soul.
2. His contentment. He needed nothing more, he said; Epaphroditus had brought all he wanted, and more than he wanted. Mark the unworldliness of the apostle. We are never satisfied; whatever we have we want more. He was satisfied amid hardships, in captivity. For he had the peace of God which passeth all understanding, and, having that, he could not crave for earthly comforts.
III THE ACCEPTABLENESS OF THEIR GIFT.
1. Those gifts relieved St. Pauls wants, but they had a far higher character they were, he tells us, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. " Christian almsgiving is a very sacred thing; God accepts the gift as given to himself. It has a sacrificial character; for it issues out of that spiritual sacrifice offered to God by the royal priesthood the sacrifice of self. We are bidden to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. The offering of ourselves sanctifies the lesser offering of our earthly goods.
2. The reward. The cup of cold water given in the name of a prophet would bring a prophet"s reward. The Philippians had supplied the apostle"s needs; they had done it for Christ"s sake, whose servant he was; God would supply all their needs. They had given according to their means, out of their deep poverty; God would reward them according to his riches. What a word is this! The riches of God are infinite; infinite, then, is the reward, not of almsgiving in itself, but of the faith and love which prompted it. "Can two mites buy the kingdom?" asks St. Chrysostom. Yes, if they are given in the spirit of the poor widow, in undoubting faith and self-sacrificing love. God will reward those who minister to his saints, in glory in the glory of his grace and presence now, in the glory of heaven hereafter. He will reward them in Christ Jesus, in virtue of that living union with Christ, through which alone all spiritual blessings flow into the believer"s soul.
3. The thanksgiving. The glory is God"s. It is he who giveth his people a willing heart to offer willingly. The glory is his. Men see their good works and glorify their Father. All glory is his, all majesty, dominion, and power, and that throughout the ages of eternity.
Lessons. Learn:
1. The beauty of Christian sympathy.
2. The blessedness of Christian almsgiving.
3. To give like the Philippians, gladly.
4. To receive, if need be, like St. Paul, prizing the love more than the gift.
5. Always to ascribe the glory to God.
Vers. 14-18. The circumstances of their liberality.
The apostle guards against any appearance of slighting their gifts by specifying the grounds of his joy in them.
I THEIR LIBERALITY WAS NOT MERE ALMSGIVING, BUT AN ACT OF CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. "Ye did well in communicating with my affliction." They were ready to share the burden of his troubles. There were no converts nearer to the heart of the apostle or more closely identified with his deepest trials.
II THE APOSTLE"S WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THEIR GIFTS WAS EXCEPTIONAL IN ITS CHARACTER. While he refused to receive gifts from the Corinthians (2Co_11:9) and from the Thessalonians (1Th_2:5 2Th_2:8) because he would not compromise his independence in the case of Churches which were only too ready to question his motives, he conferred on the Philippians the exceptional privilege of ministering to his wants. Once when he left Macedonia, and twice when he was in Thessalonica, they sent, "to relieve his want.
III THIS WILLINGNESS DID NOT IMPLY THAT HE COVETED THEIR GIFTS. "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that aboundeth to your account." He does seek to stimulate their generosity, but rather to increase that recompense which every fresh proof of their love would be sure to enhance.
IV HIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THEIR LATEST GIFTS BY EPAPHRODITUS. "I have all things and abound: I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
1. It was a thoughtful kindness to send him gifts while he was a prisoner at Rome. The Christians at Rome seem to have been lax in this duty. As he could not gain a living for himself in prison, he was the more dependent on outside generosity.
2. It was doubly pleasant to have the gifts from Philippi conveyed by one so faithful and so dear to the apostle as Epaphroditus.
3. The gifts in his eyes owed their chief value to their being acceptable in God"s sight. T.C.
Vers. 14-19. Almsgiving a part of Christian life and worship.
I THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE who GIVE AND THOSE WHO RECEIVE ALMS IS ONE OF COMMUNION. (Ver. 15) It is a mistake to suppose that the benefit of almsgiving is all on the side of the recipients. They who possess, possess in order that they may show their brotherhood with those who possess not. To receive is just as much an act of brotherhood as to give. Never regard the bestowing of alms as an act of patronage, or the receiving of them as an act of homage.
II THE BENEFIT OF ALMSGIVING TO THE ALMSGIVER. It is fruit (ver. 17), which abounds to his account. Fruit is the production of life.
III ALMSGIVING IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. A sacrifice well-pleasing to him (ver. 18). He sees in every act of self-denial a reflection of the sacrifice of his dearly beloved Son in whom he is well pleased.
IV ALMSGIVING A PART OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. Worship is the offering of ourselves and our substance to God. We can only do this through receiving of his grace. We give him back in offerings what he gives us in bounty He returns our offerings multiplied with his blessing and full of his grace (ver. 19). There is a Divine circulation of grace as there is a natural circulation of the blood. So long as we are true to Jesus, who is the very heart of God, so long does he pour forth his grace into us the living members of his body. We return that grace to him in the shape of our poor prayers and deeds of service, and we are again quickened by him from the boundless riches of his grace. VW.H.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v15 Now, ye Philippians, know also that in the beginning…
Php_4:15-19
Now, ye Philippians, know also that in the beginning of the gospel--Observe
Read full note →
I.
The straitened circumstances of the apostle.
II. The honourable conduct of the Philippians.
1. Though poor (2Co_8:2) they acknowledged their debt.
2. Stood alone.
3. Repeated their bounty of their own free will.
III. The commendation of the spirit of God.
1. Recorded for their honour.
2. For our instruction. (J. Lyth, D. D.)
Liberality to the minister
is--
I. Honourable.
II. Profitable.
III. Acceptable to God.
IV. A pledge of abundant blessing. (J. Lyth, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv14–16 14. Ye have done well. Though Christ gave him…
14. Ye have done well. Though Christ gave him strength to bear want, it was a good thing, a kind deed, that they supported him in his affliction. Communicate. Had fellowship with; shared.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v15 Php_4:15. No Church communicated with me.—The lofty independence of…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
Php_4:15. No Church communicated with me.—The lofty independence of the apostle had not unbent to any other Church as to this. There are men from whom one could never receive a gift without sacrifice of self-respect. St. Paul was not the man to be patronised.
Read full note →
Php_4:18. An odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.—The last word transfers their deed to another sphere entirely. “Ye did it unto Me,” says Christ.
Php_4:19. My God shall supply all your need.—Did I say, “I am filled”? (Php_4:18). I can make you no return, but my God will. He will fulfil every need of yours. According to His riches in glory.—According to the abundant power and glorious omnipotence whereby as Lord of heaven and earth He can bestow what He will.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Php_4:15-19
A Generous Church—
I. Spontaneously contributing to the earliest efforts in the propagation of the gospel.—
1. Its generosity conspicuous by its solitary example. “No Church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only” (Php_4:15). In the account between us, the giving was on your part, the receiving on mine. The Philippians had followed Paul with their bounty when he left Macedonia and came to Corinth. We are not to wait for others in a good work, saying, “I will do so when others do it.” We must go forward though alone (Fausset). Their liberality followed him on distant missionary tours, and when no longer in their own province. One single example of generosity is an inspiration and a hint to others. Any Church will wither into narrowing dimensions when it confines its benefactions to itself.
2. Its generosity was repeated.—“For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity” (Php_4:16). Even in Thessalonica, still in their own province and not far from Philippi, they more than once contributed to his help, and thus rendered him less dependent on those among whom he was breaking new ground. Help in time of need is a pleasant memory; and the apostle delights in reminding the Philippians of their timely and thoughtful generosity. Repeated kindnesses should increase our gratitude.
II. The gifts of a generous Church are appreciated as indicating growth in practical religion.—“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account” (Php_4:17). It is not the gift he covets, but that rich spiritual blessing which the gift secures to its donors. The apostle wished them to reap the growing spiritual interest of their generous expenditure. Not for his own sake but theirs does he desire the gift. He knew that the state of mind which devised and contributed such a gift was blessed in itself, that it must attract divine blessing, for it indicated the depth and amount of spiritual good which the apostle had done to them, and for which they thus expressed their gratitude; and it showed their sympathy with the cause of Christ, when they had sought to enable their spiritual founder in former days to give his whole time, without distraction or physical exhaustion, to the work of his apostleship. This was a spiritual condition which could not but meet with the divine approbation and secure the divine reward (Eadie).
III. The gifts of a generous Church are accepted as a sacrifice well pleasing to God.—“Having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God” (Php_4:18). It was a gift in which God delighted, fragrant as the sweet-smelling incense which burned in the censer. It was felt that God is supreme Benefactor and that all possessions are His gracious gift, that these have an end beyond the mere personal enjoyment of them, that they may and ought to be employed in God’s service, and that the spirit of such employment is the entire dedication of these to Him. The money, while contributed to the apostle, was offered to God. They discharged a spiritual function in doing a secular act—“the altar sanctified the gift” (Ibid.). Giving to the cause of Christ is worship, acceptable and well-pleasing to God. It belongs to the same class of acts as the presentation of sacrifices under the old economy, which was the central act of worship. For the proper use of no talent is self-denial more needed than for that of money.
IV. The gifts of a generous Church will be recompensed with abundant spiritual blessing.—“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” (Php_4:19). The money we give to God’s cause is well invested, and will yield a rich return: spiritual blessing in return for material gifts; this is beyond the power of arithmetic to compute. This was no rash and unwarrantable promise on the part of Paul. He knew something of the riches of the divine generosity, and was justified in assuring his kind benefactors of God’s perfect supply of every want of body and soul, bestowed not grudgingly but with royal beneficence.
Lessons.—
1. Gratitude for blessings received should prompt generosity.
2. Money is never more wisely employed than in forwarding the cause of God.
3. Our gifts to God are handsomely rewarded.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
Php_4:15-16. Christian Generosity—
I. Indicates a genuine interest in the work of God and love for its ministers.
II. Is especially valuable in prosecuting pioneer mission work.
III. Should not be conspicuous by one solitary example, but be continuous and commensurate with the pressing needs of the work of God.
Php_4:17-18. Liberality a Fruit of the Christian Life.
I. It is not a gift, but the discharge of a just claim.
II. Paul did not desire a gift only to benefit himself, because he wanted nothing.
III. Liberality is a fruit of the Christian life by discharging a debt to which we stood engaged.
IV. Liberality is an advantage in the exercise of our patience before the day of trial come upon us.
V. As God will punish the neglect of this duty, so if we perform it He will count Himself in debt to us.—Farindon.
Php_4:19. Man’s Need supplied from God’s Riches.
I. Look at man’s necessity.
II. God’s wealth.—Its abundance; its excellence.
III. The supply the apostle anticipates for this necessity out of this wealth.
Learn.—
1. Contentment with our present lot.
2. Confidence for the future.—C. Bradley.
Our Need and our Supply.
I. Examine the scope of the promise.—There is danger of fanaticism in the interpretation of truth. God promises to supply our need, but not to gratify our wishes or whims. Some of us God sees cannot bear wealth, and so it is not given us; but as our day is so is our strength.
II. The supply—The supply is not according to our deserts, but according to the riches of His glory. The resources of the Trinity are drawn upon. His wealth is unbounded. He is not a cistern, but a fountain.
III. The Medium.—This supply comes through Christ. We can claim it in no other name. But God ordains means and puts us under conditions. As in agriculture, so here, we are to work in harmony with God’s established methods if we would secure fruits.—Homiletic Monthly.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v15 Php 4:15-19 {R.V.}.
Philippians
GIFTS GIVEN, SEED SOWN
Read full note →
Php 4:15-19 {R.V.}.
Paul loved the Philippians too well and was too sure of their love to be conscious of any embarrassment in expressing his thanks for money help. His thanks are profuse and long drawn out. Our present text still strikes the note of grateful acknowledgment. It gives us a little glimpse into earlier instances of their liberality, and beautifully suggests that as they had done to him so God would do to them, and that their liberality was in a fashion a prophecy, because it was in some measure an imitation, of God’s liberality. He had just said ‘I am full, having received the things which were sent from you,’ and now he says, ‘My God shall fill full all your needs.’ The use of the same word in these two connections is a piece of what one would call the very ingenuity of graceful courtesy, if it were not something far deeper, even the utterance of a loving and self-forgetting heart.
I. We may note here Paul’s money relations with the churches.
We know that he habitually lived by his own labour. He could call to witness the assembled elders at Ephesus, when he declared that ‘these hands ministered unto my necessities,’ and could propose himself as an illustration of the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ He firmly holds the right of Christian teachers to be supported by the churches, and vehemently insists upon it in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. But he waives the right in his own case, and passionately insists that it were better for him rather to die than that any man should make his glorying void. He will not use to the full his right in the Gospel ‘that he may make a Gospel without charge,’ but when needed he gladly accepted money gifts, as he did from the Philippians. In our text he points back to an earlier instance of this. The history of that instance we may briefly recall. After his indignities and imprisonment in Philippi he went straight to Thessalonica, stayed there a short time till a riot drove him to take refuge in Berea, whence again he had to flee, and guided by brethren reached Athens. There he was left alone, and his guides went back to Macedonia to send on Silas and Timothy. From Athens he went to Corinth, and there was rejoined by them. According to our text, ‘in the beginning of the Gospel,’ that is, of course, its beginning in Philippi, they relieved him twice in Thessalonica, and if the words in our text which date the Philippians’ gift may be read ‘when I had departed from Macedonia,’ we should have here another reference to the same incident mentioned in 2 Corinthians, chap. 11: 8-9, where he speaks of being in want there, and having ‘the measure of my want’ supplied by the brethren who came from Macedonia. The coincidence of these two incidental references hid away, as it were, confirms the historical truthfulness of both Epistles. And if we take into view the circumstances in which he was placed in Thessalonica and at the beginning of his stay in Corinth, his needing and receiving such aid is amply accounted for. Once again, after a long interval, when he was a prisoner in Rome, and probably unable to work for his maintenance, their care of him flourished again.
In the present circumstances of our churches, it seems necessary that the right which Paul so strongly asserted should, for the most part, not be waived, but the only true way of giving and receiving as between minister and people is when it is a matter not of payment but a gift. When it is an expression of sympathy and affection on both sides, the relationship is pleasant and may be blessed. When it comes to be a business transaction, and is to be measured by the rules applicable to such, it goes far to destroy some of the sweetest bonds, and to endanger a preacher’s best influence.
II. The lofty view here taken of such service.
It is ‘the fruit that increaseth to your account.’ Fruit, which as it were is put to their credit in the account-book of heaven, but it is called by Paul by a sacreder name as being an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God, in which metaphor all the sacred ideas of yielding up precious things to God and of the sacred fire that consumed the offering or brought to bear on the prosaic material gift.
The principle which the Apostle here lays down in reference to a money gift has, of course, a much wider application, and is as true about all Christian acts. We need not be staggered at the emphasis with which Paul states the truths of their acceptableness and rewardableness, but in order fully to understand the ground of his assurance we must remember that in his view the root of all such fruit increasing to our account, and of everything which can claim to be an odour of a sweet smell well pleasing to God, is love to Christ, and the renewal of our nature by the spirit of God dwelling in us. In us there dwells no good thing. It is only as we abide in Him and His words abide in us that we bear much fruit. Separate from Him we can do nothing. If our works are ever to smell sweet to God, they must be done for Christ, and in a very profound and real sense, done by Him.
The essential character of all work which has the right to be called good, and which is acceptable to God, is sacrifice. The one exhortation which takes the place and more than fills the place of all other commandments, and is enforced by the motive which takes the place, and more than takes the place of all other motives, is, ‘I beseech you by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice.’ It is works which in the intention of the doer are offered to Him, and in which therefore there is a surrender of our own wills, or tastes, or inclinations, or passions, or possessions, that yield to Him an odour of a sweet smell. The old condition which touched the chivalrous heart of David has to be repeated by us in regard to any work which we can ever hope to make well pleasing to God; ‘I will not offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God which cost me nothing.’
There is a spurious humility which treats all the works of good men as filthy rags, but such a false depreciation is contradicted by Christ’s ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ It is true that all our deeds are stained and imperfect, but if they are offered on the altar which He provides, it will sanctify the giver and the gift. He is the great Aaron who makes atonement for the iniquity of our holy things. And whilst we are stricken silent with thankfulness for the wonderful mercy of His gracious allowance, we may humbly hope that His ‘Well done’ will be spoken of us, and may labour, not without a foretaste that we do not labour in vain, that ‘whether present or absent we may be well pleasing to Him.’
The fruit is here supposed to be growing, that is, of course, in another life. We need not insist that the service and sacrifice and work of earth, if the motive be right, tell in a man’s condition after death. It is not all the same how Christian men live; some gain ten talents, some five, and some two, and the difference between them is not always as the parable represents it, a difference in the original endowment. An entrance may be given into the eternal kingdom, and yet it may not be an abundant entrance.
III. The gift that supplies the givers.
Paul has nothing to bestow, but he serves a great God who will see to it that no man is the poorer by helping His servants. The king’s honour is concerned in not letting a poor man suffer by lodging and feeding his retainers. The words here suggest to us the source from which our need may be filled full, as an empty vessel might be charged to the brim with some precious liquid, the measure or limit of the fulness, and the channel by which we receive it.
Paul was so sure that the Philippians’ needs would all be satisfied, because he knew that his own had been; he is generalising from his own case, and that, I think, is at all events part of the reason why he says with much emphasis, ‘ My God. As He has done to me He will do to you,’ but even without the ‘my,’ the great name contains in itself a promise and its seal. ‘God will supply just because He is God’; that is what His name means--infinite fulness and infinite self-communicativeness and delight in giving. But is not so absolutely unlimited a promise as this convicted of complete unreality when contrasted with the facts of any life, even of the most truly Christian or the most outwardly happy? Its contradiction of the grim facts of experience is not to be slurred over by restricting it to religious needs only. The promise needs the eye of Faith to interpret the facts of experience, and to let nothing darken the clear vision that if any seeming need is left by God unfilled, it is not an indispensable need. If we do not get what we want we may be quite sure that we do not need it. The axiom of Christian faith is that whatever we do not obtain we do not require. Very desirable things may still not be necessary. Let us limit our notions of necessity by the facts of God’s giving, and then we, too, shall have learned, in whatsoever state we are, therein to be content. When the Apostle says that God shall fill all our need full up to the brim, was he contemplating only such necessities as God could supply through outward gifts? Surely not. God Himself is the filler and the only filler of a human heart, and it is by this impartation of Himself and by nothing else that He bestows upon us the supply of our needs.
Unless we have been initiated into this deepest and yet simplest secret of life, it will be full of gnawing pain and unfulfilled longings. Unless we have learned that our needs are like the cracks in the parched ground, cups to hold the rain from heaven, doors by which God Himself can come to us, we shall dwell for ever in a dry and thirsty land. God Himself is the only satisfier of the soul. ‘Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon earth that’--if I am not a fool--’I desire side by side with Thee?’
But Paul here sets forth in very bold words the measure or limits of the divine supply of our need. It is ‘according to His riches in glory.’ Then, all of God belongs to me, and the whole wealth of His aggregated perfections is available for stopping the crannies of my heart and filling its emptiness. My emptiness corresponds with His fulness as some concavity does with the convexity that fits into it, and the whole that He is waits to fill and to satisfy me. There is no limit really to what a man may have of God except the limitless limit of the infinite divine nature, but on the other hand this great promise is not fulfilled all at once, and whilst the actual limit is the boundlessness of God, there is a working limit, so to speak, a variable one, but a very real one. The whole riches of God’s glory are available for us, but only so much of the boundless store as we desire and are at present capable of taking in will belong to us now. What is the use of owning half a continent if the owner lives on an acre of it and grows what he wants there, and has never seen the broad lands that yet belong to him? Nothing hinders a man from indefinitely increased possession of a growing measure of God, except his own arbitrarily narrowed measure of desire and capacity. Therefore it becomes a solemn question for each of us, Am I day by day becoming more and more fit to possess more of God, and enjoy more of the God whom I possess? In Him we have each ‘a potentiality of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.’ Do we growingly realise that boundless possibility?
The channel by which that boundless supply is to reach us is distinctly set forth here. All these riches are stored up ‘in Christ Jesus.’ A deep lake may be hidden away in the bosom of the hills that would pour blessing and fertility over a barren land if it could find a channel down into the plains, but unless there be a river flowing out of it, its land-locked waters might as well be dried up. When Paul says ‘riches in glory,’ he puts them up high above our reach, but when he adds ‘in Christ Jesus,’ he brings them all down amongst us. In Him is ‘infinite riches in a narrow room.’ If we are in Him then we are beside our treasure, and have only to put out our hands and take the wealth that is lying there. All that we need is ‘in Christ,’ and if we are in Christ it is all close at our sides.
Then the question comes to be, ‘Am I thus near my wealth, and can I get at it whenever I want it, as I want it, and as much as I want of it?’ We can if we will. The path is easy to define, though our slothfulness find it hard to tread. That man is in Christ who dwells with Him by faith, whose heart is by love plunged in His love, who daily seeks to hold communion with Him amid the distractions of life, and who in practical submission obeys His will. If thus we trust, if thus we love, if thus we hold fast to Him, and if thus we link Him with all our activities in the world, need will cease to grow, and will only be an occasion for God’s gift. ‘Delight thyself in the Lord,’ and then the heart’s desires being set upon Him, ‘He will give thee the desire of thy heart.’
Paul says to us ‘My God shall supply all your need.’ Let us answer, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v14 The generosity of the Philippians and God’s reward:
The generosity of the Philippians and God’s reward:
v. 14. Notwithstanding ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction.
Read full note →
v. 15. Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
v. 16. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
v. 17. Not because I desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
v. 18. But I have all and abound; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
v. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
v. 20. Now unto God and our father be glory forever and ever! Amen.
The apostle now turns the attention of his readers back to the Philippians and their gift, his delicacy and tenderness being unwilling to leave them under the impression as though he did not appreciate their thoughtfulness and love to the full: All the same, you have done well that you shared in my affliction. It was a truly good work to remember him thus. It is also today a good and laudable thing if all Christians take proper care of their pastors in gifts of this world. That is an evidence of their love and appreciation of the Gospel.
Paul now mentions instances of the generosity of the Philippians: But you also know, Philippians, that at the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For also in Thessalonica you sent once and a second time to me for my need. Paul speaks commendingly of the fact that the Philippians, whom he singles out by the use of their name, had excelled in this particular work of taking care of his bodily needs. It was in the days when he first came to Macedonia, when he had preached the Gospel in Philippi and then had continued his journey to Thessalonica, which was situated just 100 Roman miles (about 92 English) west on the Via Egnatia. During Paul’s stay at Thessalonica, the congregation at Philippi had repeatedly remembered him with gifts of their gratitude; they had taken care of him when he was in need, certainly a splendid example for all Christian congregations.
But in praising the Philippians, Paul does not want to create a false impression: Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. That was not Paul’s object in reminding of their kindness in the past; he was not giving them a hint to send him some more gifts. He was not interested so much, and for his own person, in the external gift as in the evidence which it presented as being a fruit of their faith, which would be charged to their credit. The account in their favor would be largely increased by such manifestations of their faith in love. They would in due time receive their returns, the reward of grace in full value. Eternity will reveal how many gifts of love individuals and congregations have made for the cause and to the ministers of Christ.
There was no need of worrying on his account: But I have all and have abundance; I am filled, having received of Epaphroditus the things from you, an odor of sweetness, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God. Since the messenger of the Philippian congregation, Epaphroditus, had delivered their bounty, Paul now had more than his immediate needs required; he had nothing left to wish for, he had not only outward abundance, but inward satisfaction as well. He calls their gift a savor of sweetness, like the Old Testament sacrifices that were well-pleasing to God. Their work of love was acceptable to God, it found favor in His sight; it pleases Him when congregations show their loving appreciation of the spiritual gifts which they have received by imparting to their teachers of their earthly goods.
Paul now makes such returns as he is able to make: But my God will fill all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To God, however, and our Father be glory forever and ever! Amen. This is a prayer that God would fulfill every need of the Philippian brethren. What they still lack in spiritual gifts, in knowledge of Christ, God will supply, and abundantly, with the infinite possibilities of His riches. If believers supply the physical wants of their pastors in a spirit of true love and faith, God will let this good work redound to their furtherance in spiritual growth. Since He has all riches, in both the physical and spiritual domain, He can supply and donate spiritual gifts in endless variety and richness. For the greatest riches are those in the glory of Jesus Christ. Whatever good gifts in spiritual riches God gives have been made possible through the mediatory work and vicarious sacrifice of Christ. All spiritual gifts and blessings are ours in Him. And God gives them to the believers for Christ’s sake. For that reason all glory shall be given to God, who is also our Father, the Father of all believers in and through Jesus. This praise and glory shall be given to Him as His rightful due forever and ever. Amen. Thus Paul, after his custom, ends with a doxology, with an expression of praise to the Lord, the Giver of all good gifts.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v14 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Paul continues explaining that he is thanking the Philippians for their gift to him simply because he is grateful, not because he needs them to give him anything more (see Philippians 3:11).
Read full note →
in my difficulties
Paul speaks of his hardships as if they were a place that he was in. AT: "when things became difficult" (See: Metaphor)
the beginning of the gospel
Paul refers to the gospel here as meaning his preaching of the gospel. (See: Metonymy)
no church supported me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone
This can be stated in the positive. AT: "you were the only church that sent me money or helped me" (See: Double Negatives)
I seek the fruit that increases to your credit
Paul is speaking of the Philippians' gift as if it were a person's bank account that increases more and more. In this case, it is God who acknowledges the good things done by the Philippian believers. Paul wants the Philippians to give gifts so they can receive spiritual blessings. AT: "I do want to see God give you more and more spiritual blessings" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
good news
Macedonia
church
Thessalonica
fruit
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14–16 4:14 The Philippians’ generosity and care were commendable, especially…
4:14 The Philippians’ generosity and care were commendable, especially given Paul’s present difficulty in prison.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.