Think of all that Paul has said so far about joy and rejoicing: - He rejoices that Christ is preached – whether in pretense or in truth (1:18) - He rejoices in his ultimate salvation through the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (1:19-20) - He sees his continued work in the flesh as necessary for their “progress and joy in the faith” (1:25) - He calls them to “complete my joy by being of the same mind” (2:2) - He rejoices with them that he may be poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial liturgy of their faith (2:17) and calls them to rejoice with him in this as well (2:18), - And he calls the Philippians to rejoice in the return of Epaphroditus (2:28-29).
What themes do you see there? - Rejoicing in the Lord has very little to do with ordinary occasions for “happiness.” - Rejoicing in the Lord is all about suffering, death, and the cross.
Or to put it another way, rejoicing in the Lord is all about having the mind of Christ.
That's why Paul says “to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” In other words, I'm now going to repeat myself – and give you one more example of what it means to have the mind of Christ.
It may well be that Paul had intended to close his epistle after chapter 2, and began 3:1 – but then, in mid-sentence decided that he needed one more point.
And 2,000 years of Christians have been grateful that he did! Because Philippians 3 is one of the clearest statements of Christian theology – and one of the most powerful statements of Christian piety – ever penned.
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