Paul’s letter to the Philippians is surely the sweetest book in the New Testament. In it, he is not dealing with serious problems, as he does in his letters to the church in Corinth and to the Galatians; nor does this book contain the high revelations of Christ and the church that we see in Ephesians and Colossians. Rather, Philippians, much more so than any other book of the New Testament, shows us how we can enter into the practical experience of Christ; that is what this short but precious book is all about.

And from the very first chapter, Paul shows us, from his own experience, that if we desire to experience Christ—that is, if we want Him to be real to us in our daily living—we must be pure in our seeking after Christ. This means we are not looking for any blessing or gain from Christ, but solely for Christ Himself and for the furtherance of His purpose.

Of course, not only in his letter, but from his first visit to Philippi, the people there could see that Paul truly lived for Christ. When he and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi, instead of being discouraged, at about midnight they “sang hymns of praise to God”; as a result, the prison doors were eventually thrown open and a number were saved (Acts 16:19-34).

The letter continues this same testimony of living for Christ. Even though Paul was, once again, imprisoned when he wrote it, he does not ask the saints to pray for the Lord would release him from prison. Rather, he tells them,

Now I want you to know, brothers, that the circumstances I am in have in fact turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.
— Philippians 1:12

While he was in prison, others were preaching Christ, as Paul says, not in a sincere way, but to cause him trouble. So how does he respond to that?

What then shall I say? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice; yes, and I will rejoice!
— Philippians 1:18

But, why would the apostle rejoice in such a circumstance as this? Because he knew

…that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
— Philippians 1:19

Rather than focus on being delivered from such a difficult situation, Paul’s only concern was that he would be faithful to Christ, and not be “put to shame” by failing to present Him to others:

According to my anxious watching and hope that in nothing will I be put to shame, but with all boldness, Christ, as always, will even now be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.
— Philippians 1:20

He could have such an attitude because, as he goes on to say in the next verse,

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
— Philippians 1:21

How pure Paul was in his following of the Lord! No doubt, as a normal human being, he had much feeling about his situation, but still, the only thing that really concerned him was Christ and the church.

In the following verses, he makes it clear that even his consideration on whether to live or to die was only in view of what was best for the saints; and because he was assured that his living would be a benefit for their “progress and joy of the faith,” he was also assured that he would continue with them (vv. 22-25).

Brother Titus Chu, in his study of this epistle, Philippians: That I May Gain Christ, states regarding this, and regarding Paul himself,

The only things that held Paul to this earth were the believers and the local churches. May the Lord give us all the same heart and help us to be the same kind of person! May we live for Christ and also for the believers who are with us!
— Chapter 12, page 148

Amen! Make it so Lord! May we all live so purely for You and for Your church, so that You could gain Your testimony on the earth in the local churches today!

P.S.: This is part of what we will be covering in our online Bible study on Philippians tonight, Wednesday the 29th. It’s not too late to sign up! You can do that here:

2026 Spring Bible Study: Pursuing Christ to Gain Him.

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— 29 April 2026 —