Chapter 4
The concept of this passage: Beyond super-grace. There are four paragraphs:
1. The perspective of the super-grace life, verses 1-8.
2. A parenthesis on grace orientation, verses 9-11.
3. The next objective after super-grace: a dissertation on ultra-super-grace, verses 12-19.
4. The final objective of the spiritual life on earth: surpassing grace, verses 20,21.
In verses 1-7 we see what is between super-grace and ultra-super-grace: no man’s land. After the maturity barrier is broken and the believer moves into super-
Grace the next objective is ultra-super-grace. The area in between is filled with some of the greatest tests and pressure that the individual believer faces because this is the final objective that can be attained by the intake of doctrine. Dying grace is merely the reward for it all. In verses 8-13 we see the advance to ultra-super-grace, and finally the logistics for that advance in verses 14-23.
Verse 1 – the command to advance to USG, not to retreat. This is the most wonderful and most difficult advance in all of the spiritual life of the believer. It begins with the inferential conjunction “Therefore” – W(ste, which introduces an independent clause and is followed by a present imperative.
“my brethren” is the vocative plural from the noun a)delfoj, used in a technical sense to indicate the royal family of God. It is used to distinguish between the believers of this dispensation and believers of all other dispensations and to indicate some of the privileges that belong to us as royal family. There is also the genitive of relationship from the personal pronoun e)gw from which we get the word “my” brothers/brethren. Paul has a definite relationship with the Philippian believers through his authority as an apostle, plus being the founder of that local church. He also recognises the principle that the royal family of God is a special designation for the Church Age believer only, and consequently he makes it a special point to use “brethren” quite frequently in his epistles, not to promote brotherhood but to promote consciousness of the tremendous mission and privilege that belongs even to the most average believer in this age—royal family of God. This is the only age in which all believers are royal family.
“dearly beloved” – the verbal adjective, vocative plural, a)gaphtoj. This is an important adjective (it modifies a)delfoj) because it is used as a title for the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is designed as an adjective to make us conscious of the fact that we are members of the royal family of God. It was used in Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 for the Lord Jesus Christ. It was used as an attitude of God the Father toward God the Son that began with the hypostatic union. He was the object of the Father’s total concentrated love. At the point of our salvation, not only were we born into the family of God but God the Holy Spirit also took us and entered us into union with Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father. Being in union with Christ was absolutely unique—the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “Beloved” is used for believers in Romans 12:19; Hebrews 6:9; 1 Peter 2:11; 4:12; 2 Peter 3:1,3; 1 John 3:12, and it is used for royalty[1] only.
“and longed for” – this goes from the technical to the personal. This is the vocative plural from the verbal adjective, e)pipoqhtoj, which means “desired.” This should be translated, “Therefore my beloved and desired brethren.” Paul desires to be with the Philippians.
“my joy” – the noun xara, used here for a person who causes joy/happiness. Translation: “my object of happiness” or “my source of happiness.” Plus the possessive genitive from the personal pronoun e)gw for “my.” Those who are positive toward doctrine are a source of happiness to the communicator of doctrine.
“and crown” – the nominative singular from the noun stefanoj. This is not a crown. The Greek word for crown is diadhma; it is the crown that the king wears. Stefanoj is a wreath which was given to athletes, and was also the highest decoration in the Roman Army.
“so” is an adverb—o(utoj. It refers to what has just preceded. It means “so in this way,” and is a reference to the status of maturity. The Philippians are super-grace believers. Paul is now, in effect, leading them across no-man’s land. He is on his way to the next objective and he is telling the Philippians, “Follow me.”
“stand fast” – present active imperative from the verb sthkw, a Koine verb from the perfect e)sthkw of the verb i(sthmi, and it means to stand firm or be stabilized. This command is given to believers who have cracked the maturity barrier and have reached the super-grace status. Now they need stability in that status to move out once again and to take the next objective which is USG. The present tense of duration denotes what was begun in the past and continues into the present time. The active voice: the Philippian believers who have reached SG produce the action. The imperative mood is a command. The command, therefore, to stand fast or to be stabilized introduces the principle that no believer can remain the same in phase two. Either you are advancing or retreating but you never stand in the same spot. Everything depends upon your continued attitude toward Bible doctrine.
“in the Lord” is a prepositional phrase, e)n plus the locative of kurioj, minus the definite article. The absence of the definite article calls attention to the perfect quality of the Lord. The emphasis here is on positional sanctification and indicates the necessity to seize and hold experiential sanctification until overtaken by ultimate sanctification.
Translation: “Therefore, my beloved and desired brethren, my source of happiness and my wreath, so stand firm [be advancing] in the Lord, beloved ones.”
1. This is a command to advance to USG and not to retreat into reversionism.
2. This is a command to advance beyond SG.
3. There is a no-man’s land between SG and USG which has certain occupational hazards and hindrances to the advance.
4. One of these is the subject of the next two verses.
5. The believer cannot advance from SG to USG and at the same time become involved in pettiness or personality conflicts, either in the local church or at home, or anywhere else.
6. Two women in the Philippian congregation have reached SG and started out into no-man’s land. But they turned around and fired at each other. That is what personality conflict does. A person’s personality is not an issue in spiritual advance. The only issue is Bible doctrine.
Verse 2 – “I beseech” is a poor translation. Apostles had the highest authority and they never ran around beseeching anyone. There is no begging here. This is
the present active indicative from the verb parakalew. The word means to admonish, to command, to appeal, to urge. This is a command which recognises the fact that the individuals involve have free will. The present tense is an aoristic present. The active voice: Paul produces the action of the verb of presenting a command to the Philippians church and to two specific people in the church who were about to be shot down by reversionism due to a personality conflict. The indicative mood is declarative indicating the verbal action is from the standpoint of reality.
“Euodias” – accusative singular direct object from the proper noun E)uodia. It means prosperous journey.
“and Syntyche” – a connective kai and the present active indicative of the same verb, parakalew, with the same concept. “Syntyche” is the accusative singular direct object from the proper noun Suntuxh. Her name means “pleasant acquaintance” or “happy chance.”
Mature believers assume leadership and much responsibility in local churches. In this case, two super-grace ladies are engaged in a conflict which is about to destroy their spiritual life and their spiritual advance. They will not be able to follow Paul to USG. Such personality conflicts in the local church are not unusual, but if left unchecked, not only do they hinder the personal spiritual growth of the ones involved but they also divide up other believers. The first thing Paul does is deal with this. Principle: You cannot advance from SG to USG, you cannot move across no-man’s land, in personality conflict. “I urge Euodias and I urge Syntyche.”
“that” – there is no conjunction here, it is used as a translational device for translating the infinitive.
“they be of the same mind” – to a)uto fronein. The accusative singular of the definite article to, the accusative singular of the intensive pronoun a)utoj, plus an intensive pronoun which emphasises the identity of viewpoint. The attributive use of a)utoj means “the same.” The present active infinitive of fronh from the verb fronew which means to think objectively. Principle: No person in a conflict with another believer is thinking objectively. You cannot think objectively when you are antagonistic in your soul toward anyone. With the departure of objectivity comes hypersensitivity as well as subjectivity. The present tense here is a customary present for what is expected to occur in the case of a super-grace believer. All SG believers have the same mental viewpoint. The active voice: the super-grace ladies, Euodias and Syntyche, should produce the action of the infinitive. The infinitive is the infinitive of intended result in which the result should fulfil a deliberate objective. This means a blending of purpose and result—translation: “to be having the same viewpoint.” This means the same type of viewpoint—objective.
“in the Lord” – e)n plus the instrumental of kurioj should be translated “by means of the Lord.”
Translation: “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be having the same viewpoint by means of the Lord.”
In this verse the solution is for Bible doctrine to take over where both are concerned, and to no longer look at each other in terms of antagonism but to look at each other in terms of doctrine. You can neither think straight nor function properly as long as any kind of a conflict in the soul exists. Only Bible doctrine resident in the soul resolves personality conflicts among believers. Personality conflict not only creates false issues for the individual involved, but has an adverse effect on the entire local church. Personality conflict results in failure to advance.[2]
Verse 3 – the importance of authority over both women, the importance of strong objective spiritual leadership. As long as Epaphroditus, their pastor, was present there was no conflict. But he is in Rome with Paul, and therefore there must be some man in the congregation who can dominate both women with his authority and bring them back together in harmony.
“And” is not a correct translation. The affirmative particle nai is used to confirm a preceding statement with the significance of a “yes” or an “okay.” The previous statement indicates the personality conflict between two ladies who are in danger of falling into reversionism. Personality conflict hinders spiritual growth at any stage.
“I entreat” – this is no command, it is the present active indicative of e)rwtaw which means to ask. Here it means to request. The indicative mood is declarative for the delegation of Paul’s authority to one of the scene to straighten out the conflict and to preserve the spiritual status of both women.
“thee also” – the adjunctive use of kai plus the accusative singular direct object from the personal pronoun su.
“true” – vocative singular from the adjective gnhsioj. It is used for children born in wedlock. It means ‘not a bastard’ but legitimate. It means legitimate here, one who is truly a man in his soul; “yokefellow” – this is really his name: suzugoj.
“help” – present middle imperative from sullambanw which means to seize, to apprehend, to take hold of together. It means here to take hold of together and mutually aid; to take hold of both of them and help both of them. The present tense is a futuristic present, it denotes an event which has not yet occurred but which is regarded as so certain that in thought it may be contemplated as already occurring. The middle voice is the indirect middle in which the agent [Sysygus] produces the action of the verb rather than participating in its results. The imperative mood is an imperative of entreaty, not of command, it has the force of an urgent request.
“those women” – dative feminine plural from the intensive pronoun a)utoj. The intensive pronoun emphasises the identity of Euodias and Syntyche as two prominent women involved in a personality conflict which is dividing the church. The dative of indirect object indicates that it is in their interest that arbitration be performed by Sysygus.
“which” – nominative feminine plural from the qualitative relative pronoun o(stij, to emphasise a quality of former greatness in these women. They are SG believers who are about to lose out. They had been great in the past—“who laboured” is the aorist active indicative of sunaqlew which means to compete alongside with, to team up with. “These women who fought by my side in spreading the gospel” is a good translation. The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. In other words, these two women have fought with Paul all of the way through to super-grace. The active voice: Euodias and Syntyche produce the action, they have both moved to greatness as believers. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the fact that they are in super-grace.
“with me” – referring to Paul; “in the gospel” – in the spreading of the gospel; “with Clement also” – meta plus the genitive of the proper noun Klhmhj.
“and [my] other fellow labourers” – others who had become involved. This had become a congregational problem.
“whose names are in the book of life” – the descriptive genitive plural from the relative pronoun o(j, plus the nominative plural subject o)noma, referring to these people by name, plus e)n plus the locative of bibloj, and the descriptive genitive zwh.[3]
Translation: “I authorize you, legitimate authority Syzygus, to assist those women, who are such a quality to have teamed up with me in the spreading of the gospel along with Clement and my other co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Verse 4 – “Rejoice” is a very poor choice of words in modern English because it is often associated with emotionalism. That is not what the word means. It is a present active imperative from the verb xairw, which means to be happy or to have happiness. Here it is a command to share the happiness of God. The SG or USG believer shares God’s happiness as a part of his category #1 blessing, paragraph SG2. There are two special blessing paragraphs for the believer designed in eternity past. One is for blessing in time [paragraph SG2]and one is for blessing in eternity [SG3]. No one can receive either one of these paragraphs or the other apart from that spiritual growth that comes from the consistent function of GAP and breaks the maturity barrier, reaching SG and on to USG, and eventually dying grace. In effect, this is a command to grow up, to share the happiness of God; and this command presupposes the fact that there is a definite divine plan by which this can be accomplished totally apart from human merit. The customary present tense denotes what habitually occurs or may be reasonably expected to occur when a person reaches either SG or USG. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action of the verb. The imperative mood is a command, an order to all believers. Translation: “Keep on having perfect happiness [+H] in the Lord”—e)n plus the locative of kurioj. This is anartharous, no definite article, calling attention to the high quality, the perfect essence of our Lord who has designed a plan whereby we can share His happiness in time. The prepositional phrase indicates maximum category #1 love, or occupation with Christ, on the part of those who break the maturity barrier and reach SG or USG.
“always” is an old English word. We say “always” today. It is an adverb of time, pantote. It means “at all times.” Not only can we share the happiness of God but it isn’t a fleeting thing, it is a continual thing. “Keep in having happiness in the Lord at all times.” This is a command given in this context to those who are following Paul from SG to where he is now in moving on to the next objective, which is USG.
There is a repetition of this command because of its importance—the adverb palin, “again,” used for receiving a command. It should be translated, “one more time” or “once more”; “I say” – future active indicative from the verb e)irw which means to communicate a very importance message of doctrine. The future tense is an imperative future used to express a command. The active voice: Paul is repeating because of the importance of the command to share the happiness[4] of God. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the repeated command. Then, once more, the repeated present active imperative of xairw. This time it is a retroactive progressive present, it denotes what was begun in the past and continues into the present time as the Philippians follow the apostle to the next objective. The active voice: the believer produces the action as a SG believer advancing to USG.
Translation: “Keep on having happiness [+H] in the Lord at all times: once more I repeat, Keep on having happiness [+H].”
Verse 5 – the motivation for the advance from SG to USG. “Let your moderation be known.” The first problem here is the word “moderation.” It is the nominative neuter singular from the adjective e)pieikej. This is made up of two words, the preposition e)pi [over] and the adjective e)ikoj [reasonable]. Literally it means “over-reasonableness.” It becomes a technical word for the mental attitude of the SG or mature believer. This might be classified as super-grace mental attitude. The original connotation of e)pieikej means that which is the general conception of life. Consequently, what is fitting, what is right, or what is equitable. It was used for a “reasonable manner,” i.e. a person who is totally oriented to reality. In the Koine Greek it comes to mean total orientation to reality and grace at the same time. No one can be more reasonable than to be oriented to reality and grace all at one time. Plutarch used this word for being adaptable—adaptable to society, orderly. Plato used it for moderate or gentle people. Sophocles in his dramas used it for kindness toward men. Josephus used the word for a Parthian king who was very kind in his treatment of John Hercanus. However, the use in this passage is technical. It connotes a SG mental attitude and is translated generally, “reasonable.” The possessive genitive plural from the personal pronoun su indicates that this reasonable or SG attitude belongs to the person who has cracked the maturity barrier, who is in SG and is getting ready to move out into no-man’s land between SG and USG. There is also the aorist passive imperative of the verb ginwskw, the Greek verb for cognisance. The aorist tense is a dramatic aorist, it states the present reality of SG mental attitude with the certitude of a past event, i.e. the attainment of SG status by cracking the maturity barrier. The passive voice: the SG believer receives the action of the verb, he receives the mental attitude which accompanies SG. The imperative is not a command here, it is the imperative of commission. A command signified by the imperative may be in compliance with the express desire or manifest information on the part of the one who is the object of the command. Therefore it involves consent as well as command, and that is the meaning here. Translation: “Let your SG reasonable mental attitude be known to all men”—“to all men” – dative plural indirect object from the adjective paj and the noun a)nqrwpoj. This implies that the SG believer is oriented in two directions. He is oriented toward God—grace; he is oriented toward man and history—reality, the concept of being rational and reasonable. Grace plus reality is the meaning of this adjective.
“The Lord” – o( kurioj, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no verb.
“at hand” – the adverb e)gguj. There are five different ways in which the adverb can be understood. It means “near” as to place, an adverb of place as in Luke 19:11. This is also an adverb of time, as in Matthew 24:32,33, where it means near in the sense of time. It is also used as being in the covenant in Ephesians 2:13; it means near in that sense. There is also another meaning, as in Ephesians 2:17, meaning to be near to God—relationship. But here e)gguj means near in the sense of interposition of grace provision—the Lord is near to provide, to be sure that all grace disposition is near in your direction. Principle: Not only is the Lord near from the standpoint of His omnipresence, as per Isaiah 31:10; Hebrews 4:13, but living grace makes it possible for the believer to reach SG and understand fully the reality of grace provision—God’s total provision for the helpless person who has crossed the maturity barrier. “Near grace” makes it possible for the SG believer also to advance to USG. And the whole principle in this phrase is simply this: You went from saving grace to super-grace, says Paul, by way of living grace. Living grace was all the provision necessary to get you to cross that maturity barrier. You cracked that barrier because you GAPed it daily; you had all the provision necessary to do so. Next objective is USG, and the grace provision which took you from salvation to SG will also carry you from SG to USG. That is the meaning of the nearness of the Lord in this phrase. Near grace is a supercharger performing the same function as living grace except that the provision is intensified in the advance.
*Near grace is the supercharger, it performs the same function in no-man’s land that living grace performed in the advance to maturity.
*Near grace recognises the tremendous opposition which develops in the life of any believer advancing through no-man’s land between SG and USG.
*The intense opposition from the Satanic forces of evil calls for the intensified provision of grace, therefore another category: near grace.
*In near grace the Lord makes special provision for the SG believer advancing to the next objective. Here the going gets tough and the Lord’s provision is greater than the stiffness of the opposition.
Translation: “Let your mature [SG], reasonable mental attitude be known to all mankind. The Lord is near.”
Verse 6 – some of the techniques involved. Techniques that were used under living grace are now repeated under near grace. For example, faith-rest and prayer will now be used again under near grace, the logistical provision of God to cross no-man’s land between SG and USG. In other words, this is a matter of divine logistics. God provides under living grace the logistics to move from a to b, and now once again, God provides the logistics to move from x to y. It is the same grace principle but a different logistical problem.
“Be careful for nothing” – the accusative singular direct object a negative adjective mhdeij, plus the present active imperative from the verb merimnaw which means to have anxiety, to be unduly concerned. Even occasionally it means to worry. With the negative adjective mhdiej it it means not to be that sort of thing. The present tense is the aoristic present, denoting punctiliar action at the point of moving out into no-man’s land. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action of the verb under the logistics of near grace. The imperative mood is not a command, it is the imperative of prohibition expressing a negative command in the advance from SG to USG. Literally, “Have anxiety about nothing.” This is idiomatic for ‘Stop worrying about anything.’
Principle: Worry is a mental attitude sin which separates the believer from his inner resources of grace and cuts off divine logistics. Worry is the way that the supply line is cut. Worry short-circuits the function of the faith-rest technique and causes the believer to be pinned down in no-man’s land. Worry is a great weapon in the hands of Satan, and forces of evil take over the soul as a result of worry. In other words, worry makes the believer vulnerable to the enemy’s attack in no-man’s land. Therefore, worry not only checks the advance of the SG believer but pins him down and makes him vulnerable to reversionism. So it becomes absolutely necessary for the function of GAP to put muscle on your faith, as per the principle of Psalm 55:22; 37:4,5—be occupied with the Lord.
“but” is the adversative conjunction a)lla, it sets up a strong contrast between worry and the function of the faith-rest technique in prayer; “in everything” – the preposition e)n plus the locative of the adjective paj—“but in everything.” This is referring to no-man’s land, to the advance of the SG believer to USG.
“by prayer and supplication” – this combines the instrumental singular of the definite article plus the instrumental singular of two nouns for prayer. The first is proseuxh [proj = face to face with], it emphasises prayer as a principle, as the function of royalty. It is a word for prayer used in connection with the royal family of God. The second noun is dehsij, the more common word for prayer which emphasises the mechanics of prayer, that part of prayer involving entreaty or specific and special needs. In this case the specific needs of near grace, the logistics necessary to move from SG to USG which is made under great opposition in no-man’s land.
“with thanksgiving” – meta plus the accusative plural of e)uxaristia [meta plus the genitive means “with,” but meta plus the accusative never means “with,” it means “after”], it means “after thanksgivings.”[5]
“let your requests be known unto God” – present passive imperative of gnwrizw. The word means to reveal something. It means that when you are going through customs you are declaring what you are taking from one country to another. It is making something known. Gnwrizw means to reveal something. God knows from eternity past what your prayer requests were because there never was a time when omniscience didn’t know every prayer you have ever prayed. But He still wants you to reveal it as coming from you to Him from your volition. Remember that prayer is a volitional issue in the angelic conflict. This is an iterative present which describes what occurs at certain intervals, but not all the time. The passive voice: prayer reveals or makes known or declares what you have in your soul. The imperative mood is not the imperative of command but the imperative of commission. The word “request” is the nominative plural subject of a)thma which means “petitions”; “unto God” – the preposition proj plus the accusative [to or face to face with] of o( qeoj. Here, because prayer is an intimate thing, it is “face to face with [the God],” or “to the God,” either is correct.
Translation: “Stop worrying about anything; but in every circumstance through prayer and by entreaty [for personal need] after thanksgivings let your petitions [requests] be revealed to the God.”
Verse 7 – the hidden prosperity of super-grace. “And the peace of God.” The word “peace” is e)irhnh. The emphatic use of the conjunction kai is translated “In fact.” The nominative singular of e)irhnh is used in the sense of the Hebrew shalom which is used as a greeting but it has other much more important meanings. Shalom and e)irhnh are equivalents which both mean “benefit” or “prosperity.” It refers to that hidden prosperity of super-grace in this passage. Sometimes e)irhnh refers to salvation benefit, especially when dealing with the doctrine of reconciliation, but here it refers to a special benefit to the believer who cracks the maturity barrier. It is the spiritual benefit which motivates the believer to continue the advance to ultra-super-grace. The nominative singular definite article is used as a demonstrative pronoun to call special attention to the spiritual prosperity of SG status. The ablative of source is from the noun qeoj—God is the source. Translation: “In fact that spiritual prosperity from the source of the God.”
· The hidden prosperity of SG is category
#1, paragraph SG2.
1. This includes occupation with the person of Jesus Christ and/or maximum category #1 love toward God from maximum doctrine resident in the soul.
2. This maximum doctrine originates from the persistence and constant function of GAP whereby Bible doctrine is transferred from the written page of the canon of scripture to the soul of the individual believer by means of public speaking in a local church.
3. The hidden prosperity includes sharing the happiness of God, known as +H.
4. It includes capacity for life, for love, for happiness, and for blessing.
5. The hidden prosperity includes total appreciation of the character and essence of God, plus an understanding of God’s priorities and following them. God’s priorities become your priorities.
6. The hidden prosperity includes the dynamics of divine viewpoint mental attitude, as well as the ability to face any suffering, and pressure, any disaster in life.
7. For the USG believer add the intensification of these blessings brought about by the continual opposition, pressure, persecution of the Satanic forces of evil.
“which passeth” – the articular present active participle from a compound verb, u(perexw [u(per = over and beyond; e)xw = to have and to hold] which means to surpass or to rise above. The definite article here is used as a relative pronoun. The present tense is the present of duration denoting what has begun in the past and continues into the present time. This is sometimes even static present. The active voice: the spiritual prosperity (called “peace” in the KJV) from God produces the action of the verb. It rises above human thinking and human viewpoint. Human thinking merely reflects the rulership of the world. The ruler of the world is Satan. His policy of thought is called evil, and his policy is now broadcast so extensively that he has converted most of the world. The only hold-out against the policy of evil are believers with doctrine resident in their souls.
“all understanding” – accusative singular direct object from the adjective paj, and with it the accusative singular direct object from the noun nouj. Nouj is a technical word for the left lobe of the soul. This is doctrine you know, but doctrine you cannot apply. To apply doctrine you must understand it, and to understand it it must become e)pignwsij. Nouj, therefore, is the human thinking, the information of Satan—the concept of evil. Translation: “which rises above every human thinking.” So the hidden prosperity from God or the spiritual prosperity of the super-grace believer is totally incomprehensible to two categories of people: a) the unbeliever who cannot understand doctrine—1 Corinthians 2:14; b) the believer in reversionism who is so inculcated with Satanic evil that he cannot understand.
“shall keep” – future active indicative from the verb frourew which means to mount guard or to garrison. This is a gnomic future tense for a statement of fact or performance which may be anticipated or expected under the status of super-grace. The active voice: e)irhnh, spiritual prosperity from God produces the action of the verb, it mounts guard or garrisons the right lobe of the soul. The indicative mood is declarative viewing the action of the verb from the standpoint of reality. This is a logistical concept here: “shall provide.”
“your hearts and minds” – accusative plural direct object from the noun kardia, never used in the Bible for the physiological pump that cycles blood. It is always used for the right lobe of the soul which cycles thought—the frame of reference, memory centre, vocabulary storage, categorical storage, norms and standards (the conscience), and the launching pad by which application is made. The word “minds” is the accusative plural direct object from the noun nohma. It means thought, mind, purpose. But it also means, as here, motivation. Motivation must be supplied. We think doctrine to be motivated by doctrine; we think grace to be motivated by grace. In both the Attic Greek as well as the Hellenistic nohma is the result of activity in the nouj, and it therefore means purpose. It always connotes proper motivation.
“through Christ Jesus” – the presposition e)n plus the locative of Xristoj I)hsou: “in Christ Jesus” refers to positional sanctification by which the royal family of God is formed in this Church Age.
Translation: “In fact, that spiritual prosperity from the source of the God which rises above every mind [human thinking], shall supply [garrison, mount guard] over your right lobes and motivations in Christ Jesus.”
1. Thinking produces motivation. Motivation in life must be compatible with Bible doctrine and the divine plan of grace.
2. One of the characteristic of the spiritual prosperity of super-grace is the compatibility of motivation with the plan of God and the principle of grace.
3. It is possible to do a right thing in a wrong way because the motivation is wrong.
4. Wrong motivation receives its impetus from lust of the old sin nature, mental attitude sins, sincere devotion to the principles of evil, Satanic delusions as to what constitutes the modus vivendi of Christianity.
5. The believer who is motivated to focus attention and approbation on himself is completely out of phase with the plan of God.
6. The believer motivated by reversionistic zeal is actually serving Satan while he is assuming that he is serving God.
7. A right thing done in wrong motivation is wrong. A right thing done in wrong motivation is wrong.
8. A right thing done in right motivation is right.
9. A wrong thing done in wrong motivation is wrong.]
10. The odds are against being right. The only guarantee of being right is the absolute criterion of Bible doctrine resident in the soul.
11. Only the SG believer can be absolutely confident that he is doing the right thing with the right motivation. Therefore, the SG believer has confidence that he is doing what is right, and this becomes his hidden prosperity in moving out of the SG periphery into no-man’s land and advancing on to USG.
Verses 8-13, the advance to ultra-super-grace.
Verse 8 – the capacity for life which is necessary to make this advance. “Finally” is the adversative use of the adjective loipoj. It actually means “from now
on” or “in the future.” That is the adverb of time connotation. There is also an adverbial of usage inference and here we have a very rare case of that use. It is translated “Therefore.” The inference is related to the fact that attainment of super-grace also has with it SG capacity for life. In the advance from SG to USG these capacities must be maintained through the intake of Bible doctrine.
“brethren” – the vocative plural from a)delfoj reminds those who are making this advance that they are members of the royal family of God.
“whatsoever things” – this is a correlative pronoun o(soj indicating that there are many areas and directions for the capacity of life for the royal family. The capacity for life only comes as a part of maturity—breaking the maturity barrier. It is translated, since it is in the neuter gender and refers primarily to things, “whatever things,” or better yet, “everything.”
“are” – the verb to be, the present active indicative of e)imi. The following six adjectives describe certain areas of SG capacity for life. This is a static present, indicating that when the believer finally cracks the maturity barrier he has capacity for life. Six areas are selected because they are pertinent to crossing no-man’s land between SG and USG. The active voice of the verb to be indicates certain areas of capacity for life. The indicative mood is for the actual reality of possession as one in SG moves out to go to the final objective.
“true” is the first of the six adjectives, the predicate nominative neuter singular from the a)lhqhj. This first category refers to the doctrines, the principles, the policies of God as preserved in the Word of God and transferred into the soul by the daily function of GAP. All capacity for life comes from doctrine resident in the soul of the believer, and the word “true” as an adjective refers to doctrine resident in the soul.
“honest” – predicate nominative neuter plural from the adjective semnoj. This adjective does not mean “honest,” it is something greater than honesty. The correct translation is one of three words—honourable, noble, or worthy of respect: “everything that is honourable [noble, worthy of respect].” Obviously this area of capacity is dealing with establishment. In order for the human race to be perpetuated under conditions of freedom so that people can choose for Jesus Christ in evangelism, and after salvation can choose Bible doctrine as over against the Satanic policies of evil. In other words, we still have an issue in the human race. The Lord has made it possible for each one of us to choose between the tree of lives [choice of doctrine] and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [Satanic policy: human good and evil].[6]
“just” – predicate nominative neuter plural from the adjective dikaioj, which means righteous, equitable, fair or just. It connotes righteousness in the sense of the fulfilment of the divine statutes or righteousness as the characteristic which God requires of men. However the neuter gender denotes the obligation to be fair, to be just, to be equitable. SG capacity for life includes the sense of justice, the sense of fair play, the sense of right treatment toward all in the sphere of one’s life. When the SG believer moves out into no-man’s land he is going to be tested by people, and he must not lower himself to their level and become unfair, unjust; other wise he will peel off in the middle of no-man’s land and crash and burn into reversionism.
“pure” – predicate nominative neuter plural from a)gnoj, and adjective of motivation. It connotes motivation, the function of morality, and it is used also for the antithesis of evil as the modus operandi of Satan. It is not simply talking about morality here, it is talking about evil also.
“lovely” – predicate nominative from the adjective prosfiloj, and it is in the plural. The word “lovely” is not a good translation, it should be “everything that is love capacity.” It is plural and refers to three areas of love capacity: love for God, love for your opposite number, love in friendship—everything that is compatible with love capacity.
“good report” – predicate nominative plural from the adjective e)uqhmoj. It means commendable and refers to every category of human culture, such as music, literature, drama, history. The SG believer has capacity in these fields.
“if” is the conjunction e)i, a conditional particle which with the indicative mood introduces the protasis of a first class condition. With it is the nominative singular from a)reth as the subject. It means virtue, which is moral goodness, the conformity of one’s life to the laws of divine establishment. It also refers to a spirit of manliness or a spirit of femininity. In other words, where the laws of establishment function the women are feminine and the men are manly.
“if any praise” – again the conditional particle e)i, introducing a first class condition, plus the indefinite pronoun tij and the noun e)painoj, which means “approval, recognition.” But here it is “worthy of praise”—“if anything worthy of praise [exists],” and it does.
Then the command: “think on these things.”
“think” – present middle imperative from the verb logizomai, used for thinking in the sense of calculation, evaluation, estimation, and it therefore it comes to mean here “concentration.” The customary present denotes what habitually occurs with the SG believer who has great capacity for life and who fulfils these principles. The middle voice is a permissive middle, it represents the agent [SG believer] as voluntarily yielding himself to the results of the action, or seeking to secure the results of the action in his own interests. The imperative mood is the imperative of commission in which the imperative mood expresses a desire on the one who is the recipient of the command; his volition is involved; he desires it as much as God desires it. The SG believer wants to concentrate on the wonderful things of life which are compatible with his SG capacity; “on these things” is the accusative neuter plural from the near demonstrative pronoun o(utoj, it emphasises the categories in the context. These categories are an expression for capacity for life in the SG status.
Translation: “Therefore, brethren, everything that is true, everything that is honourable, everything that is righteous, everything that is pure, everything that is love-capacity, everything that is commendable; if anything of virtue, if anything worthy of praise exists [and it does], you yourselves be concentrating on these things.”
Principle
1. Super-grace capacity for life is not left without objects of expression.
2. Even though this is the devil’s world Jesus Christ controls history.
3. Therefore there is sufficient in life to express SG capacity for life. God has provided not only the SG capacity through doctrine but He has provided in the devil’s world the areas for expression. These six categories, then, set up guidelines for the expression of SG capacity for life.
Verses 9 & 10 – the means of advance: the function of GAP. Doctrine has to be the #1 priority.
Verse 9 – the right congregation. “Those things” – nominative neuter plural from the relative pronoun o(j, referring to doctrine. Those doctrines, things,
Concepts, policies of God preserved in the canon of Scripture. These are the doctrines that have been transferred from the Bible to the right lobe of the soul through the function of GAP.
“which” – referring to doctrine; the ‘both/and’ which goes back to Classical Greek: kai kai. The repetition of a kai in a sentence is translated “both and”—“both the things which.”
“you have learned” – aorist active indicative from the verb manqanw. It means to learn from someone as a teacher, to learn under strict academic discipline. It is the word which means “disciple.” Disciple is simply an old English word for a person learning doctrine under discipline. The word “disciple” actually comes from the Latin: discibulus, a student without portfolio, without rights except to learn. So the word “disciple” means a student of Bible doctrine. The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety—the continual daily function of GAP. The active voice: the believer produces the action of the verb when his priorities are straight and when his volition is positive toward doctrine. The indicative mood is declarative viewing the action of the verb from the standpoint of reality.
“and received” – aorist active indicative from paralambanw [para = beside; lambanw = to receive], which means to take or receive to one’s side, to take or to receive to one’s self. The emphasis lies not so much in the receiving or taking over as in the fact that the word implies agreement, approval, and therefore acceptance. It is translated here to “accept.” This is the difference between gnwsij and e)pignwsij. Paralambanw is accepting what has been taught. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views the function of GAP in its entirety but it emphasises the existing results of GAP in converting gnwsij to e)pignwsij. Knowing doctrine is not enough, you must understand doctrine. The active voice: the believer who has taken doctrine into his left lobe [nouj] produces the action of the verb by accepting what is taught objectively. And that transfers it; paralambanw is the transferring agent. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of +V, i.e. paralambanw converting knowledge into e)pignwsij.
“and heard” – aorist active indicative of a)kouw which means to hear and concentrate, to hear and accept the authority of: “and having heard under discipline.” There is the true function of the local church. The aorist tense is constative, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. It takes every time the believer assembles in the classroom of the local church and submits to academic discipline of the pastor, and gathers it up into one entirety. The active voice: the believer in submission to the authority of the pastor produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative recognising the fact that all spiritual growth demands academic discipline, respect for the authority of the one communicating doctrine in order for GAP to function properly.
“and seen” – aorist active indicative of o(raw, which means a panoramic view. This means not only to see, but to have the perspective. It means perceptive perspective, the ability to apply. Here is where we get the principle “understand.” You cannot teach what you know, you can only teach what you, understand. So this should be translated, “and you have understood [the doctrine].” The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views the function of GAP in its entirety but emphasises the existing results. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action by having maximum e)pignwsij or understanding in his right lobe. The indicative mood is declarative viewing the action of the verb from the standpoint of super-grace reality.
“in me” – incorrect. This is e)n plus the instrumental of e)gw which is “by means of me” or “through me.” That is, through the teaching ministry of Paul.
“do” – this is not the word do at all. If it was going to be “do it”, it would be poiew. But poiew does not connote application and it is not here in the Greek text. The word for application is prassw, and that is the word we have here. It means to execute, to apply and execute, to practise, to put it into action. The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what habitually occurs with the SG believer. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action. The imperative mood is a command. Principle: Doctrine must be in the right lobe to execute or put into action the grace plan of God.
“and the God of peace” – kai o( qeoj thj e)irhnhj is “and the God of prosperity.” The descriptive genitive singular of e)irhnh is used in the sense of the Hebrew shalom—prosperity. The nominative subject is qeoj—“God.” He is the source of our prosperity: spiritual, temporal, by association, historical, dying. This is the title of God in relationship to the SG life and the blessings of paragraph SG2.
“shall be” – future active indicative of e)imi. The future tense is a gnomic future for a statement of fact or performance which may be rightfully expected under the super-grace status. The active voice: God the Father is the source of SG prosperity. The indicative mood is declarative for a statement of dogmatic fact or reality.
“with you” – the preposition meta plus the genitive plural of the pronoun su, “with you all.”
Translation: “Both the doctrine which you have learned [from my teaching], and have accepted, and have heard, and have understood by means of me, be putting these into action: and the God of prosperity shall be with you all.”
Verse 10 – “But” is the enclitic particle de used as a transitional conjunction. It means “now.” With it is the aorist passive indicative of the verb xairw, translated “rejoice” but it means to have happiness. Here it means sharing the happiness of God, the happiness of the SG believer. The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. It takes the entire time that Paul was in SG and gathers it up into one concept of sharing God’s happiness, +H. The passive voice: Paul receives the action of the verb and has the opportunity to express it under the conditions of this context. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of Paul having received +H. “But I have received very much inner happiness.” The words “very much” is translated “greatly” in the KJV. It is the adverb megalwj, which means “very much.”
“in the Lord” – the preposition e)n plus the instrumental from kurioj should be translated “by means of the Lord.” Kurioj emphasises the uniqueness of our Lord’s battlefield royalty. This is Paul’s announcement that not only has he recovered from reversionism but he has re-entered the SG life.
Principle
1. The manifestation of Paul’s recovery of SG status is found both in the possession of +H and the fact that his happiness is stimulated by the obvious interest of the Philippian church. No church ever brought Paul more happiness.
2. So great was their interest that they sent their pastor, Epaphroditus, with an offering for Paul.
3. As the apostle who founded the Philippians church Paul was the original right pastor of that congregation. The present minister is Epaphroditus. So the Philippians have had at least three right pastors in their history up to now.
4. Here, then, is the concept of right pastor for a right congregation. The pastor is the missing link between doctrine preserved in the canon ofd Scripture and doctrine resident in the soul of the believer.
5. There is no spiritual growth apart from the consistent teaching of the congregation’s right pastor.
6. Spiritual growth is not accomplished by works or action but by words and doctrines stored in the human soul through teaching, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
7. Therefore the principle: It is not what we do for the Lord that produces spiritual growth, but what we know of the Lord through doctrine resident in the soul.
8. Spiritual growth is based on the content of the soul, not the energy of the body.
9. The soul must be saturated with doctrine. This is accomplished by the consistent and daily function of GAP.
“that now at last” – the causal use of the conjunction o(ti, followed by the adverb of time h)dh, plus the enclitic particle pote; “your care of me” – the articular
present active infinitive from the verb fronew, which means objective thinking. The articular infinitive is Attic Greek, not Koine Greek. It is an idiom, and the definite article which is formed with the present active infinitive changes it from verbalisation to a substantive with a decided increment of its power. The definite article restores the balance, it takes the infinitive away from the verbal idea and brings it back into the substantive. Whatever is more important in your life you are going to think about.
“hath flourished again” – aorist active indicative from the compound verb a)naqallw [a)na = again; qallw = to flourish or thrive], meaning to thrive again, grow again, to recover activity, to bloom again, to revive. Here the corrected translation is “you have revived.” With the articular infinitive: “you have revived your thinking concerning me.” The aorist tense is a dramatic aorist, it states a present reality with the certitude of a past event. The idiom is a device for emphasis and it states the result of what has just been accomplished. The active voice: the Philippian congregation produces the action of the verb because they have advanced from the point of salvation, broken the maturity barrier, advanced to super-grace, and at that point their capacity for love is extended toward God in category #1, and toward the apostle Paul in category #3. At this point they have again become very interested in the apostle and have revived their thinking concerning him. The indicative mood is declarative, it views the action of the verb from the viewpoint of the actual reality. The principle: This revived thinking has come in the form of an offering.
“wherein” – this is a prepositional phrase, e)pi plus the locative of the relative pronoun o(j, which is literally, “on whom.” The Greek idiom means “indeed”; the next word is the adjunctive use of the conjunction kai—“also.”
“you were careful” – imperfect active indicative of fronew, which means to think. Furthermore, it means to think objectively in contrast to dokew which means to think subjectively. The imperfect tense is linear aktionsart in past time. Hence, we have the imperfect of duration in which the process of objective thinking has gone on in the past up to this point in the context. The active voice: the Philippian congregation produce the action of the verb in SG. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the fact that the Philippian congregation is constantly remembering Paul and appreciating the doctrine they learned under his ministry—“indeed you also were thinking about me.” That means to be concerned here because they knew of Paul’s imprisonment and assumed that he needed funds.
The enclitic particle de is used for an adversative conjunction, and it is used to set up a contrast between past concerns and no opportunity to express it, present concerns with the opportunity to express it. This is then difference between an impulsive giver and a generous person. An impulsive giver is no good, he is a self-centred person calling attention to himself. A generous giver never has any strings attached to his giving, he gives because of love, not to gain anything from it.
“but ye lacked opportunity” – the imperfect middle indicative of a)kaireomai which means to have no opportunity. Here it means to have no opportunity to demonstrate their love thinking. Thinking is love! or hate, but no one can love by emotion. All love is related to thinking. Love is what you think, not what you do. This is an imperfect of duration, it contemplates the past process of love thinking and brings it all up into the indirect middle which stresses the agent, the Philippians congregation. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of the fact that love and thinking was there, but no opportunity for expression until the imprisonment of the apostle Paul.
Translation: “Now I have received very much inner happiness by means of the Lord, because now at last you have revived your love-thinking concerning me; indeed you were thinking nut you had no opportunity.”
Verse 11 – stability on the right side of history. “Not that” – the negative o)uk plus the causal conjunction o(ti, literally, “Not because.”
“I speak” – present active indicative of the verb legw, a descriptive present to indicate what is now going on. The active voice: Paul produces he action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of doctrinal communication under the principle of verbal inspiration.
“in respect of want” – the preposition kata plus the accusative of u(sterhsij which means poverty or lack. “Not because I am speaking with reference to poverty [or lack].”
“for” is the explanatory use of the conjunctive particle gar; “I have learned” – one thing a SG believer learns is objectivity. This is the aorist active indicative from the verb manqanw. It means to learn through instruction, to come to know, to receive instruction under discipline, to appropriate knowledge. The aorist tense is constative, it contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety. Everything it took Paul to get to SG taught him something. It taught him to think objectively and to have capacity for true love. The active voice: SG or USG believers produce the action of the verb. Paul at writing is a SG believer. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of learning doctrine through the consistency of the function of GAP, and from that to have a total objectivity toward life.
“in whatsoever state” – e)n plus the locative neuter plural from the relative pronoun o(j should be translated “in whatever.” Then a word which is a qualitative relative used as a substantive and it should be translated “in whatever circumstances.”
“I am” – the present active indicative of e)imi. This has to be learned, we are not born with this understanding. It is something that has to be taught. The present tense is a pictorial present, it presents to the mind a picture of events in the process of occurrence. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action—Paul. The indicative mood is the historical reality of the objectivity of thinking in SG with regard to anything in life so that you are not always worried where you are going to get your next meal.
“to be” – present active infinitive of e)imi. This is a perfective present, it denotes a continuation of results. No matter what your circumstances of life you perpetuate something. You perpetuate happiness, contentment, blessing, no matter what the situation may be. The active voice: the SG believer produces this action. It requires a lot of doctrine in the soul. The infinitive is conceived result which is assumed as a consequence of being a mature believer—“to keep on being.” Circumstances do not change you; you change circumstances.
“content” – predicate nominative from the adjective a)utarkhj. It means self-sufficient contentment. This is adaptability to any difficult circumstances in life.
Translation: “Not because I am speaking with reference to poverty: for I have learned in whatever circumstances I am, to keep on being content.”
Conclusions
1. Poverty or lack is not the issue to the mature believer, just as circumstances, good or bad, are never the issue.
2. Poverty merely represents adverse circumstances of life.
3. What this verse is saying is that circumstances are never an issue to the mature believer. The mature believer is never a slave to his circumstances.
4. The SG or USG has perfect happiness and occupation with Christ is all circumstances of life.
5. For the unbeliever or reversionistic believer circumstances are always an issue, and his happiness or lack of happiness is based upon his circumstances.
6. To this category of reversionism circumstances determine happiness or lack of happiness.
7. With the exception of the mature believer members of the human race are slaves to their circumstances.
8. But to the SG or USG believer circumstances are not an issue. The resources of SG and USG provide freedom and independence from circumstances.
9. The Greek adjective a)utarkhj is a technical word from stoicism for independent self-sustaining individuals who are free from circumstances. So it is vocabulary for independence and freedom from the circumstances of life.
Verse 12 – the objective beyond super-grace. “I know” – the perfect o)ida is used as a present tense, meaning “I have come to know.” The active voice
indicates that reversionistic Paul produced the action of the verb. There is also the word “both” which is the emphatic use of the conjunction kai, and should be translated “in fact I have come to know.” Paul learned this in his reversion recovery.
“how to be abased” – present passive infinitive from the verb tapeinow which means to be humble, to be humiliated by being assigned a lower place at the table. In the ancient world, the time of writing, all dining rooms were on split levels. That was because during the time of the Roman empire people became very class conscious. As it comes into the New Testament it changes its meaning slightly. It has the concept of humility in the sense of being helpless. It has the concept of being assigned a lower place at the table. The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what habitually occurs when a believer falls into reversionism. This is not humility in a good sense, this is degradation because of the logistical category of grace called C. A = the grace that carries the believer from salvation to maturity. B = from super-grace, across no-man’s land to USG. C = the alternative for the believer negative toward doctrine—a lifetime of discipline and misery, and being used as a guinea pig to test growing believers. Paul has been debased. He has gone through his Jerusalem reversionism. So the passive voice here: Paul as a reversionistic believer received the action of the verb, debasement under C grace of logistical grace. The infinitive is the infinitive of actual result, it refers to Paul’s Jerusalem reversionism. It refers also to warning discipline—not to go to Jerusalem.
“and” is the adjunctive use of kai, translated “also”; “I know” – again, the perfect o)ida, used as a present tense—“and I have come to know.” The active voice: this time the active voice of o)ida is super-grace Paul producing the action of the verb. Each time o)ida is used in this verse it is the same word but with a different connotation.
“how to abound” – present active infinitive of the verb perisseuw. It means to have more than enough and comes to mean to have prosperity: “also I have come to know what it is to live in prosperity.” The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what habitually occurs in super-grace status. The active voice: the super-grace believer produces the action of the verb. The infinitive is the infinitive of conceived result, it is assumed as a consequence of being a SG believer and possessing paragraph SG2 in its five categories: #1, spiritual blessings; #2, temporal blessings; #3, blessing by association; #4, historical blessing; #5, dying blessings. Paul is not talking about circumstances here, he is talking about status In the previous verse he was talking about up and down circumstances—pleasant and unpleasant. But here he is talking about status—as a reversionist and as a super-grace believer. All SG believers live in prosperity. The degree in which that prosperity is visible to others varies, so that you can never look at another person and say that one is prosperous and is in SG. But there is often a manifestation. Sometimes it is all in the soul and sometimes it isn’t.
“everywhere and in all things” – e)n plus the locative of paj. Paj as an adjective means “all” or “every.” This is a locative singular, so it means “in any place.” Then we have a locative plural for circumstances: “in any place and in all circumstances.” Paj occurs twice. The singlar paj refers to several geographical locations where Paul learned—Jerusalem, Caesarea, and now Rome. The plural paj refers to all circumstances which contributed to the varying circumstances by which Paul was initiated into the blessings of paragraph SG2. In other words, everything that contributed to his reversion recovery.
I am instructed” – perfect passive indicative from the verb muew. It means to be initiated into a fraternity. The word “mystery” comes from this word, it is the noun musthrion. Translation: “I have been initiated.” The perfect tense is a consummative perfect, it emphasises the process rather than the exiting results. It is not merely the process but the consummated process that is emphasised, and it implies results. The passive voice: once reversionistic but now SG Paul has received initiation into the mysteries, the doctrines that led to his reversion recovery and SG status. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical fact that Paul’s Jerusalem reversionism is over.
Now comes the statement of another objective beyond SG. There are two clauses introduced by kai kai, generally translated “both and.”
“both to be full” – present passive infinitive of the verb xortazw. The word is used for an animal being filled with grass or feed. It is used for the royal family of God, SG believer, being filled with doctrine. The present tense is the present of duration, it denotes what has begun in the past and continues into the present time—the process of reversion recovery. The passive voice: the apostle Paul receives the action of the verb—saturation with doctrine in the right lobe. The infinitive is actual result.
“and to be hungry” – present active infinitive of peinaw. The present tense is a perfective present, it denotes the continuation of +V toward doctrine resulting in being well fed or saturated with maximum doctrine in the soul. The SG believer desires more and more doctrine and this is necessary for the next objective. Paul is hungry for USG status. The active voice: Paul produces the action. The infinitive is conceived result which is assumed as being the result of SG status, hunger for more doctrine, for the next objective. The present tense is a descriptive present, it indicates what is now going on.
“and to suffer need” – present passive infinitive from the verb u(sterew, which means to be lacking. Here it means to be lacking the USG objective. It does not mean to lack prosperity. The SG is prosperous, and Paul is not talking about starving or about being down to a bare bones situation. Paul is only lacking the final objective. The passive voice: the SG believer receives the action of the verb, i.e. he has not reached USG. This is the infinitive of intended result, a blending of Paul’s purpose to reach USG and the result of having attained SG.
Translation: “In fact, I have come to know [through experience] how to be degraded [the degradation of reversionistic discipline], also I have come to know what it is to live in prosperity [SG]: in every place and in all circumstances I have been initiated in both how to be well fed [saturated with doctrine] and to hunger [for more doctrine].”
Verse 13 – the determination to step out, to reach USG. “I can do” – present active indicative of the verb i)sxuw, which means to be strong, to be powerful, to have power, to be competent. It should be translated, “I have power.” He is talking about the possession of power, not the possession of individual ability. The present tense is a customary present for what habitually occurs in a SG believer. The SG believer has the endowed power of Bible doctrine resident in the soul to saddle up and move out into no-man’s land to USG. The active voice: Paul as a SG believer produces the action of the verb, namely the possession of maximum doctrine resident in the soul—inherent power. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of maximum doctrine resident in Paul’s soul.
“to attain all things” – accusative neuter plural of paj, an adjective sometimes used as a substantive. This is the direct object of the verb. “I have the endowed power to attain all things.” We have the implication of katalambanw here which is why the phrase ‘to attain’ is used. There is no definite article with paj, it is an anartharous construction calling attention to the qualitative aspects of the adjective representing the next objective beyond SG. “All things” is simply a reference to USG. The plural indicates that USG will be followed by dying grace eventually, which is the greatest of all blessings in life.
“which strengtheneth me” – prepositional phrase, e)n plus the articular present active participle e)ndunamow. The preposition e)n plus the instrumental masculine refers to God the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of doctrine and the member of the Godhead who makes GAP function. The present tense is a retroactive progressive present for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in teaching the Word in the past with the result that the ministry of the Holy Spirit continues right up until the present time. The endowed power plus what will be learned crossing no-man’s land is what is in view. The active voice: the Holy Spirit produces the action of the verb, pouring power into Paul as he moves across no-man’s land. This is an instrumental participle.
“me” is the accusative singular direct object from the personal pronoun e)gw, referring to Paul. The empowering power is the Holy Spirit in the function of GAP, as taught in John 14:26; 16:12-14; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; 1 John 2:27.
Translation: “I have the endowed power [maximum doctrine] to attain all things [USG/DG] by means of the one [HS] who keeps on pouring the power into me.”
Verses 14-23, the logistics for the advance.
Verse 14 – “ye have done” is the aorist active indicative of poiew. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it takes their offering and the time it took to gather it and gathers it into one entirety and views the result. It was collected, transported, and received. The active voice: the grace-oriented Philippians produce the action of the verb under the principle of balance of residency between the filling of the Spirit and maximum doctrine in the soul. The indicative mood is declarative indicating the reality of honourable giving. Poiew means to function here.
“well” – the adverb kaloj means “honourably.” They gave without strings and totally apart from emotional giving. They gave motivated by doctrine resident in the soul.
“that ye did communicate” – aorist active participle from the compound verb sugkoinwnew [sun = with; koinwnew == to share], to share with. It means to share something with someone, to be a partner with someone, and both meanings are blended into this participle. They have shared their money with Paul and have therefore entered into partnership with him. The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it views the giving in its entirety. The active voice: the Philippians believers produce the action. The participle is a temporal participle. The action of this aorist participle precedes the action of the main verb—“you have functioned honourably.”
“with my affliction” – the locative singular of the noun qliyij, and with it the possessive genitive from e)gw.
Translation: “However when you shared by giving and became partners with me in my adversity, you functioned honourably.”
1. The pressure or tribulation refers to Paul’s Roman imprisonment in AD 62.
2. The unsolicited but kindly giving of the Philippians indicates a maximum number of SG believers in that congregation.
1. Giving apart from pressure or coercion is a manifestation of SG status, or very close.
2. Super-grace provides the true motivation, then, for grace giving.
3. Giving without emotional involvement or gimmicks indicates the vast resources of Bible doctrine resident in the souls of the Philippians.
4. The SG believer occupied with Christ has capacity for love, for life, and is therefore correctly motivated to give in an honourable manner.
Verse 15 – “Now” is a postpositive enclitic particle de used here as a transitional conjunction.
“you Philippians know also” – the perfect o)ida used as a present tense. It means to know, to cause to know, to understand, to correctly apply. Here it means
to recognise; the transitional conjunction de; the adjunctive use of kai, plus the nominative plural from the personal pronoun su, the vocative for the Philippian church: “you yourselves also recognise.” Paul was talking to SG believers and therefore he does not have to teach a lot of basic details.
“that” – the conjunction o(ti is used after verbs of mental activity; “in the beginning” – e)n plus the locative of a)rxh. This is a reference to Paul’s ministry in Philippi.
“of the gospel” – the genitive of reference, “with reference to the gospel.” The gospel is what Paul originally gave them. They were unsaved; they were unevangelised. Once they were evangelised they were new babes in Christ. They had to be fed and nourished and taught basic things.
“when I departed” – eventually Paul had to leave them. The temporal particle o(te used as a temporal conjunction, indicating the point of time which they both recall; the aorist active indicative of the verb e)cerxomai, referring to the departure of Paul. The aorist tense is a constative aorist for a momentary action. The active voice: Paul produced the action when he left the Philippians. The indicative mood is for the reality of the fact that Paul moved on, leaving Timothy behind as their pastor.
“from Macedonia” – the preposition a)po plus the ablative of the proper noun.
“no church communicated” – the subject nominative feminine singular from o)udeij, which means really “not one” or “no one.” Plus e)kklhsia for “church,” and the aorist active indicative from koinwnew, a word for giving. It means to contribute, to share—“not one church had contributed.” This is a dramatic aorist tense, it states a present reality with the certitude of a past event. The active voice plus the negative adverb indicates that no local church except the Philippians church had produced the action. The indicative mood is declarative for the historical reality of the fact that in that area where so many churches were formed none of them had advanced enough spiritually to be properly motivated for true giving.
“with me” is a dative singular indirect object personal pronoun e)gw.
“as concerning giving and receiving” – this includes the preposition e)ij, plus the accusative from the singular logoj: “with reference to doctrine.” This is the doctrine of giving and receiving. Then comes two descriptive genitives, dosij—“giving” and lhmyij—“receiving.”
“but ye only” – e)i mh means “except”; u(meij means “you”; the nominative plural of monoj refers to only one church at that time, the Philippians church.
Translation: “And you yourselves also recognise, that in the beginning of my ministry with reference to the gospel, when I had departed from Macedonia, not one church had contributed to me in application of the doctrine of giving and receiving, except only you.”
1. One of the sure signs of understanding doctrine is to translate such doctrine into grace action.
2. You cannot apply doctrine you know, you can only apply doctrine you understand.
3. Doctrine in the left lobe as gnwsij cannot be applied or utilised or form the basis for motivation.
4. Only doctrine in the right lobe is applicable—e)pignwsij, which becomes sofia—to life.
5. The Philippians not only knew the doctrine of giving but they understood it.
6. Therefore they applied the doctrine of giving as e)pignwsij and sofia, with the result that they were the only local church contributing to Paul’s financial support at that critical time of his ministry. God is able to use the sofia-type believer in logistics.
7. Grace action in the royal family of God originates from the doctrine that is understood, not the doctrine that is known.
8. The Philippians demonstrated by their grace giving their reception of doctrine and resultant spiritual advance.
9. They are ready to follow Paul from SG to USG.
Verse 16 – a causal use of the conjunction o(ti, translated “For,” and should be “Because.”
“even” is the ascensive use of kai; “in Thessalonica” – prepositional phrase, e)n plus the locative of Qessalonikh. “Even in Thessalonica”—Paul on departing from Philippi went immediately to Thessalonica—Acts 17:1-9—and even after he had departed to Thessalonica they were already sending offerings. This indicates that the Philippian congregation immediately undertook the support of Paul simply because they had responded quickly and positively to doctrinal teaching.
“you sent” – aorist active of pempw which means to send an offering. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it views several financial gifts in their entirety but regards the giving from the viewpoint of its existing results. In other words, the Philippians took up regular offerings, administered them, and sent them. The active voice: growing believers of Philippi produced the action of the verb from grace motivation of doctrine resident in their souls. Principle: True motivation for giving is based on the application of resident doctrine. The indicative mood is declarative for historical reality.
“once and again” is really “both once and twice,” an idiom meaning more than once.
“unto my necessity” – the preposition e)ij plus the accusative xreia. This means that Paul had a need which they didn’t know of. They didn’t have to know it.
Translation: “Because even in Thessalonica you had sent an offering more than once for my needs.”
1. To send an offering once might indicate emotional giving, but to send an offering more than once denotes correct motivation.
2. It is not the impulsive one-shot emotional gift that counts but the consistent and faithful application doctrine, the perpetuation of giving under grace orientation.
3. Grace orientation in giving is based on maximum doctrine resident in the soul and/or spiritual growth.
4. Giving in the Christian life must never be associated with bribing God for blessing. Under the principle of grace God cannot be bribed.
5. Grace giving reflects grace motivation.
6. Grace giving denotes grace growth.
7. Grace giving is that spiritual function of the royal priesthood expressing worship, commemorating God’s grace, and with the Philippians, denoting occupation with the person of Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 – “Not because I desire a gift.” This includes the particle o)ux as a summary negation, plus the causal conjunction o(ti for “because” and the present active indicative of the verb e)pizhthw which means to seek after, to solicit. The present tense is a descriptive present, it indicates what is now going on, the slander from some quarters that Paul was using the gospel to solicit money and to become rich. The negative o)ux denies the allegation emphatically. The active voice plus the negative means that Paul produces the action of the verb—denial of the gossip. The indicative mood is declarative, viewing the action of the verb from the viewpoint of reality.
“but” – the adversative conjunction a)lla sets up a strong contrast with the previous clause. There is the need for believers to express doctrine resident in their souls, and giving is a worship expressing doctrine resident in the soul. The principle of logistical supply is obvious. Paul provides the need of the Philippians—Bible doctrine. That is logistical supply for their growth. As a result of their growth they are properly motivated and prospered. So while the believers provide the needs of Paul from their prosperity, Paul provides their needs in his prosperity. All people have different prosperities. A pastor has spiritual prosperity and he provides doctrine for the congregation. As a result of that doctrine being converted into e)pignwsij and sofia they have financial prosperity and they become a part of the logistical support of the pastor whose time must be totally devoted to the study of the Word of God.
“I desire” – present active indicative of e)pizhthw again: “I seek after.” The retroactive progressive present denotes Paul motivated in the past which continues into the present. The active voice: Paul’s true motivation is now expressed. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal action from the standpoint of reality and pure motivation apart from any selfish interest.
“fruit” – accusative singular definite article plus the accusative singular direct object from karpoj. But it does not mean “fruit” here, it means production.
“may abound” – present active participle from pleonazw, “which accumulates.” The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what habitually occurs with SG believers when they give. The active voice: the Philippians as SG believers produce the action. The participle is circumstantial. The principle is that SG believers are going to be prospered financially no matter what the conditions of a nation may be.
“to your account” – e)ij plus the accusative of logoj. It can be “to your account” because logoj sometimes means that, or “with reference to your doctrine.” The combination of the verb and the prepositional phrase is a technical business term for accounts and the accumulation of interest from an investment. The investment is resident doctrine in the soul, and the resident doctrine of the SG believer who not only knows doctrine but understands it and in the application of his understanding gives.
Verse 18 – “But I have all,” the postpositive conjunctive particle de used as a transitional translation should be translated “Moreover”; the present active indicative from the verb a)pexw [e)xw = to have and to hold; a)po = from the ultimate source]—“Moreover I have receive in toto.” The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what habitually occurs in the life of a super-grace believer. He has more than enough. Also the accusative neuter plural direct object from the adjective paj, referring to the all things of paragraph SG2. The absence of the definite article calls attention to the high quality of all five categories in paragraph SG2.
“and abound” – present active indicative from the verb perisseuw. It means to have more than enough, to have an abundance, to be extremely rich. The present tense is a customary present, it denotes what may be reasonably expected when any believer reaches SG. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of prosperity, the reality of extreme riches in SG status.
“I am full” – perfect passive indicative from the verb plhrow which means to fill up a deficiency, to fully possess, to fully influence. Paul has been filled to the maximum with a grace gift which will carry him for some time. The perfect tense is a dramatic perfect, the rhetorical use of the perfect tense. The action is completed. Once Paul lacked, now he is full, and the results mean that he will be carried financially for the rest of his life. The passive voice: Paul receives the action of the verb.
“having received” – aorist active participle of dexomai. The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, it view the event of SG Philippian giving in its entirety but it emphasises the existing results, maximum SG blessing to Paul. The active voice: Paul produces the action of the verb as the recipient of the offering.
“of Epaphroditus” is para plus the ablative. He brought the offering.
“the things from you” – accusative neuter plural of the definite article, the preposition para plus the ablative of the personal pronoun su, “from you all.”
“an odour” – the double accusative o)smh which means a sweet odour, a pleasant odour; “of sweet smell” – a descriptive genitive from e)uwdia, emphasising the fragrance of memories as well as the acceptability of a grace oriented offering—“an odour of fragrance.”
“a sacrifice” – the accusative of apposition from qusia, a priestly sacrifice or offering. The point here is not sacrificial giving but simply an offering, an acceptable or a propitious offering; “acceptable” – dektoj; “well-pleasing” – e)uarestoj, which means a propitious sacrifice.
“to God” – o( qeoj, “the God.”
Translation: “Moreover, I have received en total the all things [of paragraph SG2]: I have more than enough, in fact I have been filled up with the highest quality of [SG] giving with the result that I am filled with a maximum blessing, having received from Epaphroditus the things [money] which was collected from you, an odour of fragrance [memories], a propitious sacrifice, pleasing to the God.”
Principle
1. Every member of the royal family of God is a priest. (Not sacrificial giving, but sacrifices)
2. Every priest makes sacrifices or offerings.
3. The sacrifices of the royal priesthood in this dispensation include: the sacrifice of rebound—Romans 12:1,2; the sacrifice of GAP—Hebrews 13:10; the sacrifice of separation (from evil)—Hebrews 13:13; the sacrifice of praise—Hebrews 13:15 (appreciation of Jesus Christ); the sacrifice of divine good—Hebrews 13:16; the sacrifice of giving—Hebrews 13:16; Philippians 4:18; the sacrifice of academic discipline—Hebrews 3:17; the sacrifice of prayer—Hebrews 13:18,19.
4. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood offered animal sacrifices to commemorate God’s grace, but the royal priesthood of the Church Age offered sacrifices compatible with this dispensation—the application of doctrine to experience.
5. The Levitical sacrifices commemorated grace in anticipation of the cross, therefore the use of animal sacrifices. But the royal priesthood sacrifices are retrospective, looking back to the cross, commemorating grace historically.
6. The Levitical priesthood offered animals whereas the royal priesthood offers the volition and mentality of his soul, the expression of doctrine resident in his right lobe.
Verse 19 – the logistics of super-grace giving. “But” – the postpositive conjunction de. It is a transitional particle without any contrast intended. It is used here
to insert an explanation, so it is translated “Now.” The giving of money as an expression of priestly worship is a continuous process throughout life, especially in super-grace.
“my God” – the genitive of relationship from the personal pronoun e)gw. Paul is out in no-man’s land and occupied with Christ. Plus the nominative singular subject qeoj, referring to God the Father as the source of all logistical grace.
“shall supply” – future active indicative of the verb plhrow. “Supply” is all right, but supply is really not the whole story of plhrow. The word means to fill up a deficiency. Paul had a deficiency. He was not deficient in doctrine but he was short on money. Paul is pointing out a principle in connection with the Philippians’ giving. They are now wealthy because they have advanced to SG and God under the principle of logistical grace has provided these things, and he is saying that God used their wonderful prosperity in SG to bless Paul on the road from SG to USG. Out in no-man’s land he needs support. That’s why he says, “my God shall implement.” The future tense is a gnomic future for a statement of fact rightly expected when the believer gives his money as worship. The active voice: the SG believer produces the action of the verb. All growing believers also produce the action of the verb in giving as an expression of worship and commemoration of grace. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic principle of doctrine, namely God’s logistical implementation to fill the deficiency of money.
Because of the money given in worship there is a deficiency in the pockets of some of the Philippians. They, too, are SG believers. Now the question is: Where does the money originate for this to continue? The answer is that God provides it under logistical grace. God will replace the money given in this type of giving.
“all your need” – the accusative is in the singular. The adjective paj is in the singular. These both refer to spiritual and material need of the SG life. Principle: In the true function of giving both doctrine in the soul and money in the pocket co-ordinate. Therefore God will provide the few things it takes to give in this order: doctrine first; money second. He provides first the doctrine for your motivation so that it is legitimate worship, and then He provides the money. Therefore God will provide not only the money but the continual doctrinal teaching so that the logistical problem will always be solved in perfect co-ordination. Plus the accusative singular direct object from xreia referring to a lack or deficiency. “My God shall fill up the deficiency of all of your need.”
“according to his riches” – the preposition kata plus the accusative singular ploutoj which means wealth. With it is the possessive genitive singular from the intensive pronoun a)utoj, important because it emphasises the wealth of God. The wealth of God is infinite, unlimited. In the mundane system of economics you must possess money or credit to make money, but in the grace system of things you must have nothing to gain credit. Nothing means no ability of your own. Doctrine is the issue.
Principle
1. The grace system of logistics has its own capital: Bible doctrine.
2. God in His grace provides both the spiritual and the material capital for the function of the royal priesthood in time.
3. This function reaches its zenith in spiritual maturity and/or super-grace or ultra-super-grace status.
4. Having nothing means having no human assets or ability.
5. Grace has found a way to provide capital for all believers—the daily function of GAP.
6. The accumulation of Bible doctrine in the soul not only results in SG status but it also provides both spiritual and material capital to make grace offerings to the Lord.
7. Grace motivation leads to grace function.
8. The SG status is a frame of reference to all priestly sacrifices.
9. Under category #1 of paragraph SG2 God has provided the motivation for these royal priesthood sacrifices. Under category #2 of paragraph SG2 God has provided whatever is necessary to express the grace motivation of the soul.
“in glory” – e)n plus the locative of doca. This glory is a reference to the eternal status of God. You can choose the temporal or the eternal solution while you
live in time. The eternal solution is the wealth of God. The capital is Bible doctrine in the soul.
“by Christ Jesus” – e)n plus I)hsouj Xristoj which is “in Christ Jesus.” This last prepositional phrase refers to the royal family of God in union with Christ as the means of contact with the resources of wealth. It gives the believer the right to tap the eternal riches of God. Because the royal family is in union with Christ they possess the potentiality of spiritual maturity in time which provides spiritual and material assets to make an acceptable offering to God, and at the same time to save the national entity.
Translation: “Now my God shall fill up the deficiency of all of your need according to his wealth in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Verse 20 – “Now” is a postpositive conjunctive particle de, used here as a transitional particle without any contrast intended. It is used here to continue the dissertation and to emphasise the importance of responding to Bible teaching.
“unto God and our Father” – a dative of reference of the definite article, and of the noun qeoj: “Now with reference to the God, even our Father.” The possessive genitive plural from the personal pronoun e)gw is important because it is very personal. God the first person is our Father. The very designation “Father” is a reminder of logistical grace and its source. The ascensive use of kai is used here for apposition.
“glory” – the nominative singular subject doca. All glory belongs to God. The more doctrine we receive the more we realise that; that there is only room for God to be glorified.
“forever and ever” – this is how long we will be glorifying God and increase in our motivation for glorifying Him.
“Amen” is simply an affirmative particle, amhn, “So let it be” or “So be it.”
Translation: “Now glory with reference to the God, even our Father, forever and ever. So be it.”
The order of verses 21 & 22 is very important. In verse 20 the focus is on God the Father and glorifying Him. When the focus is in that direction then in verses 21 and 22 those who are up to date on verse 20 have a rapport, regardless of personality, of age, or any other factor. In these two verses we have rapport among the beneficiaries of the SG logistics.
Verse 21 – “Salute” is the aorist active imperative of a)spazomai. It means to greet. The greeting here is verbal. The aorist tense is a constative aorist referring to a momentary action. The active voice: SG believers produce the action of the verb. They have rapport with each other. They have in common Bible doctrine resident in the soul. The imperative mood is the imperative of entreaty in which the imperative does not convey the finality of a command, it has the force of a request.
“every saint” – accusative masculine singular direct object from the adjective paj, plus the accusative direct object from a(gioj; “in Christ Jesus” – “Say hello to every saint in Christ Jesus.”
1. Attitude toward Bible doctrine divides all Church Age believers.
2. Formers friends and close associates become separated in the Christian life. Those positive toward doctrine are moving in one direction; the people who are negative are moving in another. And families are divided by their attitude toward doctrine.
3. Doctrine is a divider of family, friends and loved ones.
4. The viewpoint of the SG believer and that of the reversionist are antithetical and without compatibility.
5. The believer under the influence of evil has neither capacity for love nor friendship.
6. Rapport is destroyed between the SG believer who is out in no-man’s land and the reversionist passing through the 8 stages of reversionism. There is no compatibility and there is nothing that can draw them together.
7. The believer who starts to advance without his old friends must forget them.
8. Both in the advance to maturity and the advance to USG occupation with Christ is the issue. Eventually other SG believers will form the nucleus of social life as the believer advances in the Christian life.
“The brethren” – nominative plural of a)delfoj, a reference to the royal family; “which are” is not found in the original. There is a nominative plural definite article used as a relative pronoun.
“with me” – the preposition sun plus the instrumental singular of e)gw, “together with me.” There is rapport.
“greet you” – a)spazomai, present active indicative. The present tense is a descriptive present, it denotes what is now going on. There is rapport among positive believers in Rome.
Translation: “The brethren who are together with me send greetings to you.”
Verse 22 – “All the saints” – royal family; “salute you” – this refers to the fact that at this time in Rome there are a large number of advancing believers. Later on many of these will peel off but at the moment they are positive. Again, the customary present tense of a)spazomai for what may be reasonably expected from SG believers. The active voice: the SG believer in Rome produces the action of the verb as a result of instant rapport with other advancing believers.
“chiefly” – the adverb malista means “especially”; “they that are” is not found in the original.
“those from Caesar’s palace” literally.
Translation: “All the saints say hello, especially those from Caesar’s palace.”
Verse 23 – the principle of advance to USG. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
“The grace” – nominative singular from the noun xarij. This is the principle that sustained Paul. The word “spirit” is for the human spirit, meta plus the genitive of pneuma.