Philippians 1:1, 2
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, fellow-Bishops and Deacons: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here, as writing to those of equal honor, he does not set down his rank of Teacher, but another, and that a great one. And what is that? He calls himself a servant, and not an Apostle. For great truly is this rank too, and the sum of all good things, to be a servant of Christ, and not merely to be called so. The servant of Christ, this is truly a free man in respect to sin, and being a genuine servant, he is not a servant to any other, since he would not be Christ’s servant, but by halves. And in again writing to the Romans also, he says, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. But writing to the Corinthians and to Timothy he calls himself an Apostle. On what account then is this? Not because they were superior to Timothy. Far from it. But rather he honors them, and shows them attention, beyond all others to whom he wrote. For he also bears witness to great virtue in them. For besides, there indeed he was about to order many things, and therefore assumed his rank as an Apostle. But here he gives them no injunctions but such as they could perceive of themselves.
To the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi. Since it was likely that the Jews too would call themselves saints from the first oracle, when they were called a holy people, a people for God’s own possession; for this reason he added, to the saints in Christ Jesus. For these alone are holy, and those hence-forward profane. To the fellow-Bishops and Deacons. What is this? Were there several Bishops of one city? Certainly not; but he called the Presbyters so. For then they still interchanged the titles, and the Bishop was called a Deacon. For this cause in writing to Timothy, he said, Fulfil your ministry, when he was a Bishop. For that he was a Bishop appears by his saying to him, Lay hands hastily on no man. And again, Which was given you with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. Yet Presbyters would not have laid hands on a Bishop. And again, in writing to Titus, he says, For this cause I left you in Crete, that you should appoint elders in every city, as I gave you charge. If any man is blameless, the husband of one wife; which he says of the Bishop. And after saying this, he adds immediately, For the Bishop must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self willed. So then, as I said, both the Presbyters were of old called Bishops and Deacons of Christ, and the Bishops Presbyters; and hence even now many Bishops write, To my fellow-Presbyter, and, To my fellow-Deacon. But otherwise the specific name is distinctly appropriated to each, the Bishop and the Presbyter. To the fellow-Bishops, he says, and Deacons,
Ver. 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
How is it that though he nowhere else writes to the Clergy, not in Rome, nor in Corinth, nor in Ephesus, nor anywhere, but in general, to all the saints, the believers, the beloved, yet here he writes to the Clergy? Because it was they that sent, and bare fruit, and it was they that dispatched Epaphroditus to him.
Ver. 3. I thank my God, he says, upon all my remembrance of you.
He said in another of his writings, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief. If then the grief be due to the wickedness of the disciples, the doing it with joy would be due to their advancement. As often as I remember you, I glorify God. But this he does from his being conscious of many good things in them. I both glorify, he says, and pray. I do not, be cause you have advanced unto virtue, cease praying for you. But I thank my God, he says, upon all my remembrance of you,
Ver. 4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request also with joy.
Always, not only while I am praying. With joy. For it is possible to do this with grief too, as when he says elsewhere, For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears.
Ver. 5. For your fellowship in furtherance of the Gospel from the first day even until now.
Great is that he here witnesses of them, and very great, and what one might have witnessed of Apostles and Evangelists. You did not, because you were entrusted with one city, he says, care for that only, but you leave nothing undone to be sharers of my labors, being everywhere at hand and working with me, and taking part in my preaching. It is not once, or the second, or third time, but always, from the time ye believed until now, you have assumed the readiness of Apostles. Behold how those indeed that were in Rome turned away from him; for hear him saying, This you know, that all that are in Asia turned away from me. And again, Demas forsook me: and at my first defense no one took my part. But these, although absent, shared in his tribulations, both sending men to him, and ministering to him according to their ability, and leaving out nothing at all. And this ye do not now only, says he, but always, in every way assisting me. So then it is a fellowship in furtherance of the Gospel. For when one preaches, and you wait on the preacher, you share his crowns. Since even in the contests that are without, the crown is not only for him that strives, but for the trainer, and the attendant, and all that help to prepare the athlete. For they that strengthen him, and recover him, may fairly participate in his victory. And in wars too, not only he that wins the prize of valor, but all they too that attend him, may fairly claim a share in the trophies, and partake of the glory, as having shared in his conflict by their attendance on him. For it avails not a little to wait on saints, but very much. For it makes us sharers in the rewards that are laid up for them. Thus; suppose some one has given up great possessions for God, continually devotes himself to God, practices great virtue, and even to words, and even to thoughts, and even in everything observes extreme strictness. It is open to you too, even without showing such strictness, to have a share in the rewards that are laid up for him for these things. How? If you aid him both in word and deed. If you encourage him both by supplying his needs, and by doing him every possible service. For then the smoother of that rugged path will be yourself. So then if you admire those in the deserts that have adopted the angelic life, those in the churches that practice the same virtues with them; if you admire, and are grieved that you are far behind them; ye may, in another way, share with them, by waiting on them, and aiding them. For indeed this too is of God’s lovingkindness, to bring those that are less zealous, and are not able to undertake the hard and rugged and strict life, to bring, I say, even those, by another way, into the same rank with the others. And this Paul means by fellowship. They give a share to us, he means, in carnal things, and we give a share to them in spiritual things. For if God for little and worthless things grants the kingdom, His servants too, for little and material things, give a share in spiritual things: or rather it is He that gives both the one and the other by means of them. You can not fast, nor be alone, nor lie on the ground, nor watch all night? Yet may thou gain the reward of all these things, if you go about the matter another way, by attending on him that labors in them, and refreshing and anointing him constantly, and lightening the pains of these works. He, for his part, stands fighting and taking blows. Do thou wait on him when he returns from the combat, receive him in your arms, wipe off the sweat, and refresh him; comfort, soothe, restore his wearied soul. If we will but minister to the saints with such readiness, we shall be partakers of their rewards. This Christ also tells us. Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, that they may receive you into their eternal tabernacles. Do you see that they have become sharers? From the first day, he says, even until now. And I rejoice not only for what is past, but also for the future; for from the past I guess that too.