In chapter 4 of the letter to Philippians we find a beautiful passage. Few passages are as “practical” for a believer as this one. In the Statenvertaling there is an inscription above the chapter: admonitions. But this word completely misses the point. According to the dictionary, an admonition is: an exhortation (to better behavior), a warning. And that is a misplaced caption, when we become aware of what it is really about.
encouragements
The chapter is one big encouragement. It does not point us to what we should do, but points us to the facts and who we are in God’s eyes. Paul does not warn or exhort us to stand firm, not to worry, to be gentle, to be glad, etc.
He points us to the facts and from that source he encourages us to stand firm, not to worry, to be lenient, to rejoice, etc.
A few examples:
1 So that, my beloved brethren, for whom I long, my joy and laurel, stand firm in the Lord, my beloved!
This is not an exhortation that we should stand firm, or anything like that. The verse begins: so that. It goes back to the previous one. The foregoing obviously concerns the entire letter to Philippians, but especially the verses that immediately precede it. Why and on what are we stuck?
Philippians 3
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 Who will transform our lowly body into conformity to His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is also able to subordinate all things to Himself.
our Owner
Therefore, because our citizenship is in the heavens, we can stand firm in the Lord (compare: 1:27). The title Lord indicates that He is our Owner. And not ours only, but He is Lord of all (Rom.10:12)! And if we know that and put our trust in it, then we will be as solid as a rock.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, Rejoice!
rejoice
Not an exhortation to be joyful or anything like that, but an encouragement to rejoice in Him. We rejoice in our Savior because we know that He is Lord, to Whom we belong, and because we know that He will come again and change our humble bodies.
We know Him and the power of His resurrection (3:10) and we know that at the name of Jesus (=YAHWEH saves) every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (2:10-11). We rejoice in that!
5 Let your kindness be known to all people. The Lord is near!
benevolent
Here again we find the mention of the Lord. He is near, so we do not have to stand our ground, retaliate, seek justice, etc. What we need, we get from Him, He takes care of us. Then we can adapt to the circumstances and be benevolent and kind.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all thinking, will keep your hearts and minds secure in Christ Jesus.
no problem
We don’t have to worry. He is God and knows us and gives us everything we need. He is the God. That means He is the Subordinate and the Placer of everything. We can make known to God whatever we desire, but we do so with thanksgiving whether we get what we want or not. We trust that He is God and that He knows what is good for us. That’s not always what we think is good for us. When we realize this, our hearts and minds are kept in Christ Jesus. Then we experience peace and that peace surpasses all understanding, all our thinking and all our worries.
Paul summarizes all this in one sentence, one great verse in this chapter. It literally says:
19 But my God will supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Being able to realize this gives us joy, makes us stand firm, lets us live carefree, etc. We don’t need an “admonition” for that, do we?