Section 1:27–2:11

Paul encouraged the Philippians to live as true followers of Christ

Paul encouraged the Philippians to act as believers should, to agree with each other and to be courageous when they spoke to other people about Christ. Since they lived among many people who were opposed to the gospel, they should expect to defend their faith. They should also expect to suffer because they trusted in Christ.

Paragraph 1:27–30

1:27a

Nevertheless: You could translate this as “no matter what happens” or “whatever may happen.”

conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ: Paul meant that he wanted the Philippians to behave in a way that was suitable to or conformed to the gospel. Their behavior should match their beliefs.

conduct yourselves: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as conduct is a verb that literally means “to live as a citizen.” Here it is used figuratively and means “to behave/act.” Some commentators say it implies to live or behave as citizens of heaven or of the kingdom of God. However, you should not put this in your translation.

in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ: You could translate this as:

[act/behave] as you should because you believe the gospel of Christ
-or-
[act/behave] as people who believe the gospel of Christ should act/behave.

the gospel of Christ: The phrase the gospel of Christ here could mean one of two things.

(1) It could mean “the good news about Christ”. (God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) It could mean “the good news from Christ,” “the good news that Christ gave us.”

The first meaning is recommended (1).

1:27b

Then: The Greek word hina that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then means “in order that” or “so that.” So the following clause gives the purpose of Paul’s instructions in 1:27a. A new sentence could start here. For example:

I want you to do this in order that…

The word “this” in the above translation refers to 1:27a.

whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence: The Greek in this clause is difficult to understand. The two main ways to understand the Greek are:

(1) It means “whether I come and see you, or whether being absent I hear about you.” In this interpretation the phrase only hear about you only goes with the second part of the clause in my absence. This interpretation requires the translator to supply “I will/may know that” in the next clause. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Jerusalem Bible).

(2) It means “whether I come and see you, or whether I am absent, I will/may hear that…” In this interpretation the phrase only hear about you goes with both I come and see you and in my absence (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible).

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul wanted to see the Philippians again, but even if he only heard news about them, he wanted them to be united in believing the good news.

come: Some languages use the directions “come” and “go” in different ways from Greek or English. So it may be necessary in these languages to use “go” or “return” here instead of come. Use the verb that is most natural for your language.

1:27c–d

I will know: This phrase is not in the Greek, but has been supplied in the Berean Standard Bible to make a natural English sentence.

stand firm: The Greek word translated by the Berean Standard Bible as stand firm literally just means “stand.” It is used figuratively here to mean “be steadfast.” Paul wanted the Philippians to be strong in their faith and not let others change their minds about trusting Christ.

in one spirit, contending side by side: The phrases in one spirit and side by side are not expressing different ideas. They both emphasize unity. It is important to get the meaning of unity in your translation. Possible phrases are:

with one common purpose
-or-
with one heart
-or-
not divided

contending: The Greek here refers to striving or struggling together against a common enemy. Be careful that in your translation the word contending does not imply that the believers were to fight against each other. Paul did not say specify against whom the Philippians were to contend. It is, however, clear from the rest of the letter that people in Philippi, perhaps Jews, were opposing them. Do not try to specify who these enemies were unless it is necessary to do so in your language. If you do need to say something, you should use a general expression, for example, “against those who oppose the gospel.”

Obviously Paul did not mean that he wanted to hear that the Philippians were fighting people physically for the gospel. So avoid using a verb which would only refer to hitting or shooting someone. Here he was referring to speaking very strongly or very emotionally to another, or acting in a strong way but without physical fighting. See the note on 4:3b.

side by side: The Greek here is literally “with one soul.” Many translations understand this to refer to the way people think and translate this as “with one mind” (Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible).

1:27e

for the faith of the gospel: This phrase appears only here in the New Testament. Paul urged the Philippians believers to energetically defend and proclaim the faith that the good news has brought them. They are to struggle for the sake of maintaining and preserving that faith.

faith: The Greek word pistis, faith, refers here to the things that Christians believe.

gospel: The gospel is the source or origin of that faith. The faith of Christians is based on the good news about Jesus Christ. See “gospel” in Key Biblical Terms.

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