Philippians 1:1-11

We start Philippians with Paul’s greeting and thanksgiving and realize how much theology is packed into a few lines. We compare translations and wrestle with how humility, grace, love, and discernment show up in real Christian life. 

• choosing the NIV for clarity and readability 
• Paul and Timothy as servants or slaves of Christ 
• why overseers and deacons get called out 
• partnership in the gospel as shared mission 
• confidence that God completes his work in us 
• God’s grace and how it differs from mercy 
• agape love connected to knowledge and discernment 
• “fruit of righteousness” as Christ-produced character 

Tell your friends. 

Transcript

Welcome And Host Banter

SPEAKER_02 0:12

You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your hostie, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together. Not theologians. You sounded nothing like me. Nothing like me. That is so much better. In fact, I don't know if I can tell the difference. Maybe you should do this by yourself. Just do my voice and then your voice. Um, could it be any worse? Shut up. Shut up. Alright. Um all right, guys. Well, this is um uh the start of Philippians. Our first Fourier into Philippians. Fourier? What is that?

SPEAKER_03 1:16

Transform?

SPEAKER_02 1:17

What is a four? It's a four transform.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

What is Fourier?

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Fourier? What does that mean? I think it's Fourier.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

I think you used it right.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

What does it mean though?

SPEAKER_03 1:28

Venture? Let's look it up. We need Chris.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Chris would know Chris would know. Um you know, I keep wishing we had a phone a friend um thing here.

SPEAKER_03 1:47

Um all right, it's a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory. Especially obtain something arrayed.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

All right. Let's not use the word for a rate, this is our first week um that we are studying Philippians. We are starting Philippians. We don't know how many weeks it will go. Um we just talked about this, and we're not going to try to do the one chapter per episode. I think that's too much for a book like Philippians. There's I think there's a lot to discuss here. Do you have a lot of notes, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 2:34

I have a fair number compared to Daniel.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Yeah, yeah. So, Daniel, it was all text, right? And then there's not that much that we could find ourselves to say. Um, with Philippians, I think it's a lot the other way. Uh yeah, I think it's a lot fuller of things that we might want to talk about. Um, and I think that there's nothing wrong with that. Um, so if you haven't read Philippians chapter one, though, read at least through verse 18. Philippians 1 uh 1.1 through 118. And I think that'll be probably be enough for this um podcast. We haven't really determined that is the end point, but I think it's likely the end point. Um all right, so welcome back. Thanks for going off and reading that thing. Uh you ready to get started, Steve? Or hold on. No, before we get started, should we talk about like having an intro to Philippians? Did you study anything about I I read it once.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

I it was so long ago I don't remember what the intro was.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

Okay.

Why We Read NIV Here

SPEAKER_03 3:54

And my my NIV version doesn't have the intro, my ESV does.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Okay. Oh, and guys, we have decided we are going to be using NIV for Philippians. You know, honestly, I believe that NIV is an easier um translation to read, especially for uh if you're new to reading your Bible. Um ESV is a word-for-word translation where NIV, the newer NIV, is a sentence translation. Um so it gathers the meaning better, um, and it's easier to follow.

SPEAKER_03 4:35

Um I think uh you should read the intro.

SPEAKER_02 4:38

Oh, you want me to do the intro? Okay, that's fine.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

Okay, so and then I'll read to 11.

Paul’s Background And Prison Context

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Okay, that's fine. All right, so uh Philippians is written by Paul, and we find that out in the very first um chapter, in the very first verse. It's actually written by Paul and Timothy. Um, I don't know how much Timothy was involved, um, but it's obviously Paul carries the the biggest burden in the writing of this thing, but um Timothy, he says Paul and Timothy are writing the letter. Um there are a couple of different um views on when it was written. The most common view um is that it was written around maybe um almost in 1962. Um no, I'm just 62, not 1962, it was written in 62 A.D., um, which would put it like at um what twenty-nine years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Is that right?

SPEAKER_03 5:58

Well, I I think it's okay to say 30-ish, since we don't really know precisely.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

That's true, and um some people say as late as the late 60s. Um a less common view is that it's from the mid-50s, um um, and this is a previous um uh the imprisonment. Paul writes this from in while he's in prison in Rome. Um there are uh several signs that point to the the 60s in Rome.

SPEAKER_03 6:37

Um because were they all wearing tie-dyed togas?

SPEAKER_02 6:42

No, but they he does mention the Caesarean guard um and um the or the praetorian guard. A particular section, the praetorian guard.

SPEAKER_03 6:54

Was that a section of the guard? The Caesarean Guard. The Caesarean section.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

It took me a while to get that.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

But um I I did finally get there without you having to say it. I got there before you said uh Caesarean section. Okay, but I meant to say the preter the praetorium guard, which is uh apparently unique, um, which would not have been there or I don't know. I don't know, I'm just reading stuff, Steve. Um anyway, many people think that this was Paul's final imprisonment, and um late, you know, he makes um some references about you know his um he uh his uh I guess the judgment coming up there, you know, there's gonna be a judgment or whatever. Um many people believe that he was um uh he was killed before leaving prison here. Is that what you've heard, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 8:04

I've heard that it is his final imprisonment. I didn't know the details of how he died. Um did they kill him as a prisoner or did someone assassinate him?

SPEAKER_02 8:17

So he was killed by um by Rome by Rome. Um I don't remember the method in which he died. Peter was crucified upside down, right? Um Paul. I don't remember how Paul uh was killed. Um at any rate, you know, we don't really know, um, but uh he is going through some pretty hard times. We do know that. Um so with that, should we get started?

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Let's get this party started.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Let's get this party started, get it, get it started right now. Come on, just dance and sing with us. We'll show you how.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

Are you done? Can I start now?

SPEAKER_02 9:11

I was surprised I knew the words, and maybe I don't. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

I wouldn't know if you did or not.

Reading Philippians 1:1-11

SPEAKER_02 9:17

I sang words. All right, go ahead, Steve.

SPEAKER_03 9:20

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all of God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, and all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart, and whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Alright. Thanks a lot, Steve.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Hold I just I'm writing a note that I just I didn't think about before.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Uh I thought maybe you had frozen up.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Nope, I didn't freeze, but it is freezing in my house. Um hot. Yesterday it was 98 degrees at my house.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Yeah, I don't want to turn on my heater, though.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

No.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

So and you know what? My wife's out of town. No one's here to make me. So nice. All right. Um, what you got, Steve? I got some stuff.

Servants Slaves Saints And Leaders

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Uh let me review my notes and you can go ahead. All right.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

I've got I've got an a note for verse one.

SPEAKER_03 11:27

Um I do too.

SPEAKER_02 11:30

Which really? Oh man. I'll bet they're not the same. I'll bet they're not. I'll bet they're not. Okay. This is what okay, he says. Um, and let me read. I'm gonna read it in a different translation because um so I was telling you. I was telling Steve earlier, I thought I was reading NIV, and I realized, I think I realized it this morning that I've been reading NIV uh NLT the whole time. All right, and NLT says this letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. Um, the reason I wanted to read it that way, because it sounds a little bit different about the church leaders and deacons. He says on NIV, together with the overseers and deacons. But I found it interesting that he says this is to the Church of Philippi or the uh God's holy power people in Christ Jesus and Philippi. Um but then he says to with the overseers and deacons, or including the NLT, including the overseers and deacons.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Um I'm actually thinking was uh was he trying to say you guys need to hear this as well.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

Don't think you're too good to hear this message. But I could be wrong there.

SPEAKER_03 13:24

The translation for NLT makes it sound like it could be that it is interesting that he points them out specifically, because you'd think, okay, all the f believers in Philippi includes the overseers.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

It already includes it, but he specify he intentionally brings them out.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

So I yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

Go ahead. No, I was gonna move on to my comment because it your reading of NLT actually makes it even more drastic, what my comment is.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

Oh, well, let's move to yours, because I don't know anything, but I you know, I just think it's interesting how he pulls them out or he he points them out, and I think it might be saying, Don't don't think you're too good for this letter. You have things to learn too.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

So it appears that I actually wrote this note on uh ESV.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

But is that all B L C T or B-U-T?

SPEAKER_03 14:31

B-U-T.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Paul calls him and Timothy servants, but in NLT he calls themselves slaves.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Slaves. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

And in ESV, he calls the believers in Philippi saints. In NIV he calls them the holy people.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

And it's just it's weird to me that he's being so humble. But he does provide Christ as the reason for being servants and slaves.

SPEAKER_03 15:11

You know, I I don't know. It just struck me as odd. Here he's the teacher, he's putting himself way down below, um, raising them up.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Ah, you know what? That kind of helps enforce what I'm saying as well.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

Right? He's humbling himself. He and Timothy, he's humbling.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

Oh, because maybe the deacons and overseers are not being humble.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

Lording it over them.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Yeah, maybe. I don't know. It's just I'm maybe I'm reading way too much into that. But um, you're right though, he does put he him and Timothy at the bottom. They're slaves, they're servants. Um and this message that he's the letter that he's sending, um, you know, everybody needs to read this thing, no matter how high up you are in the church.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

So here's a comment that really has nothing to do with this, other than a word.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Word.

SPEAKER_03 16:28

So I recently read this science fiction book called The Will of the Many, and I don't know, there's three or four of them. And in that book, overseers are basically the slave drivers.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

So it's interesting that he uses that word here. That is an interesting word.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

I I didn't even think about that word because I don't really use it. What does he use? The NLT uses leaders and deacons. So overseers and deacons.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Elders. Yeah. Alright. What else you got, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 17:17

Um I don't have anything else until 11.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

So Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

I have something on verse three. Um, so I it says I that's where it says, I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership and the gospel from the first day until now. Um I'm gonna read my note. I don't know when I wrote this. I've always just passed over this verse. This is this is my note. I'm just reading my note. Um, it's just part of the greeting and being nice, but now that I think about it, he had never met these. Oh, oh my goodness. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Uh you're not making any sense yet.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

No, no. You know what? This is wrong. He's gone there. This is a wrong note.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Oh man, this is so bad.

SPEAKER_03 18:29

Did you let AI write your notes?

SPEAKER_02 18:31

No, no, let me tell you the point.

SPEAKER_03 18:33

I can tell because it would be better if you had.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Wow. Okay. Let me tell you what happened here, Steve. I have another Bible study that's been going on that I'm really struggling with because it's this precepts Bible study. I thought it might help me in my Bible study method, is why I'm doing this thing. And we're studying Colossians, and what I wrote here is that Paul has never met these people, and that's true in Colossians. That's not true here, it's not true at all here. This is uh Paul went, oh, I should have mentioned that in my intro. The uh uh Philippi was one of Paul's very first missionary uh places he stopped. It was on his first missionary journey, and in fact, it's where Lydia, um, who my daughter is named after after, um, and also the first recorded Christian female convert in the Bible, um was uh in Philippi.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Wouldn't I by Paul? Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

I was gonna say there were plenty of female converts.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

Like uh Mary and Jesus, yeah, yeah, yeah. I I meant by Paul. Paul's first female convert. Um, so you know, that uh that whole Colossian study while I'm also doing the Philippines study really threw me off. So I need to, I wonder if I can just delete this note. Uh let's see. I need to delete this note. Darn it. Ah, I don't know how. Okay, I'll get it.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

Does that mean you don't have nearly as many notes as you thought you did?

SPEAKER_02 20:30

Well, that was a long note.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

That's so funny. Uh, it was so impactful to me that he had never uh met these people. And all right, never mind.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Um, let's let's go on. Oh, shoot. All right, anyway. Um, you know, someday you should read Colossians. Someday we're gonna do a study on Colossians, Steve.

SPEAKER_03 20:57

And we're not we've not done Colossians.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

I I hope not.

unknown 21:03

I don't know.

Partnership In The Gospel

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Oh my goodness. You're a mess. I'm a mess. Okay. Um, I have a note on verse five.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Um I'm sure Oh, I do have a note on that.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Because he says, in all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Um and you know, I think it's um interesting how he uses the word um partnership here. Um not not because our church uses partnership instead of membership. I think that's uh just a uh um a marketing term. But um, well, it's not just a marketing term. It really is significant that uh the Philippians, um, I could have I could I had some more to say about the Philippians uh in the intro. I could Have said that they also provided gifts to Paul on his journey. So they really were a true partner of his and it helped to who brought those gifts?

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Uh people.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

That's why I wanted you to read the intros, because I wanted you to pronounce that guy's name.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

The intro? Uh. The guy that brought it to him. Oh, I didn't even.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Epaphroditus.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

Oh, epaphroditis, yeah. Why why did you want me to read that?

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Because it's looking at how it's spelled, it's just hard to know how you'd pronounce that.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

And when we had this uh when Brad was covering this at church in my notes, I would just put EPAP.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Did you smear that on the page?

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Right there with the Caesarean guard.

SPEAKER_02 23:18

Anyway, um, you know, I think it's important for us to see ourselves as partners in the ministry that goes on at our church, but not only at our church, um, you know, around the world. Um, and that we are we are called to be partners in this ministry as believers in Christ. Um, and so if you're not doing something to be that partner, then I think you need to think about what you're doing and start partnering in some way. So that's my preachy. I'm done preachy.

SPEAKER_03 24:01

I I do think this is the verse that in ESV, I was like, what?

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03 24:07

Let me let me because it says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, for you all making my prayer with joy.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Yes, that's it. That's why I switched away from ESV.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

And I was just like, wait, what?

SPEAKER_02 24:28

I think my I could I could not even make a way for me to read it. I started reading it out loud. Um, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy. It seems like it's written by someone who doesn't know English.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

It it is very awkward.

God Finishes What He Starts

SPEAKER_02 24:56

So I think the translator English was their third language. Um, all right, let's see. Uh to the what else do you got, Steve? I got something in six also.

SPEAKER_03 25:09

I hope it's I I don't have anything till eleven, so it's all you, man.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

So six being uh being confident of this, um, that he would begin a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Um I assume that means when Christ returns. Yes, that's what I'm thinking too. But the work, the good work in uh the good work that is in us started when we accepted Christ, and it continues until Jesus returns.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

So I think everyone is at a different uh step in their journey from acceptance to uh what's the word I'm looking for? Sanctification?

Grace Versus Mercy In Plain Words

SPEAKER_02 26:10

That works. That is a word that works, Steve. All right. So anyway, I just thought that was um just little things in here. Um, I don't know, stood out to me. Um, and so then I have another note for verse seven. I've got a note for everything. Um verse seven, I'll read that again. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart, and whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. Um goodness. This is another thing. This isn't Colossians, but this is the NLT. This is NLT. All right, so NLT says, so it is right that I should feel as I do. Well, that you share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and defending and confirming the truth of the good news.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Um, and so my question was what is this special favor of God? Well, isn't that translated as God's grace in NIV?

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:37

So the NIV I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with God's grace. For 200, Alex.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Uh no, that's not how it works. I you already What is God's grace? There you go. All right, next category, please. Um all right, yes. The NIV answered the NLP question. Um, the special favor of God that we share in is God's grace. Um, and what is God's grace, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 28:16

That is him wiping us clean of sin and accepting us.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

Yes. He he has um his grace is the mercy has no no obligation to provide it to us.

SPEAKER_03 28:35

I guess is that grace or is that mercy? There's a difference.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

Is I don't know the difference, Steve. Mercy Mercy is what he had for us. Um while we were still in our sin, he had mercy on us to send his son. And his and by his son's death on the cross, our grace was he gave us grace. That's how I see it.

SPEAKER_03 29:10

You want to hear the co-pilot search answer?

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Sure. What does it say?

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Mercy is God withholding the punishment we deserve, while grace is God giving us blessings we do not deserve.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

It's the same.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

Not really. One of them is punishment, one of them is blessing.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

All right, but still, uh but that is true. Okay, yeah. Mercy is the negative.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

Um it's it's totally positive.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

No, but I mean it it uh it's affecting the negative side.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

It's removing something, and the other one is giving something.

SPEAKER_02 29:46

So mercy is removal of negative, grace is the addition of positive. All right, I can see that. But they are still directly related to each other, they're not the same, they're directly related.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

Um it's it's two sides of the same coin.

SPEAKER_02 30:07

Uh we're not talking about money here, Steve. You're really confused.

SPEAKER_03 30:14

Who's whose face is on it?

SPEAKER_02 30:17

Caesar.

SPEAKER_03 30:18

Give it to Caesar, then.

Love That Grows Discernment

SPEAKER_02 30:21

All right, gosh, what is going on here? Um, all right, so then I have something at verse nine.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

Um, you just have something on every verse.

SPEAKER_02 30:33

I know, I don't know why.

SPEAKER_03 30:34

I just I feel like a slacker.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

You know why you feel like a slacker? Slacker?

SPEAKER_03 30:39

Because I am yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

All right, and this verse nine says, and this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. And that just struck me. Okay, so, and this actually just struck me while you were reading it. Your love, your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Do you ever relate love with knowledge and depth of insight? I've never related those two.

SPEAKER_03 31:22

In fact, are you sure you're not taking it out of context? The way I read this whole sentence here, it's more about discernment than it is about love. But your love is shown as uh fruit of righteousness. Excuse me.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Look, all I all I I mean, I don't know how I can take take that out of context that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

So love love abounding more and more will will give you more knowledge and insight so that you can discern what is best, so that you'll be pure and blameless. You you disagree that it says that?

SPEAKER_03 32:53

No, it definitely says that. It's just I'm trying to think. I mean, I agree with you that I don't associate love with knowledge or insight.

SPEAKER_02 33:05

Alright. I'm gonna read the NLT version. It's a little different, and this is why I didn't notice it the first time. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

That's a little different.

SPEAKER_02 33:27

That's like just hope you love more and keep growing in knowledge and understanding. All right, now I have to go to ESV.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

It's it's about the same as NIV. It is, and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Yeah, that is very much like uh uh NIV. Um so that implies that if we abound in love, we will also abound in knowledge and insight.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

Knowledge and insight.

SPEAKER_03 34:20

What would it look like to abound in love? Uh well, actually, that your love may abound.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Do you have a uh a a word like can you tell uh in your Bible app, can you tell what the Greek word is?

SPEAKER_03 34:41

If I switch love to ESV.

SPEAKER_02 34:43

Yeah, that's what I mean. Is that I assume that's brotherly love?

SPEAKER_03 34:50

Abound, that's the one. No, love. Oh no, you said love?

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Yeah. Is that agape or is that uh what's the other one? What's the one for brotherly? Eros is sexual.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

Uh Phile is uh brotherly.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

Yeah, philae, philee gumbo.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Um this is agape.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Okay, so this is loving like God loves. So abound in love. Um I think it's just loving like God loves. And he will give you more wisdom and insight.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

Now the definition that it showed also called out um charity.

SPEAKER_03 35:43

So if your charity is bounding more and more, and you're doing that with discernment, that to me makes more sense. Because if I think about helping a homeless person on the street, there are ways to help them that may or may not, or or there are there are some that you might want to help, and others you might discern it is better not to help.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

Because they're gonna do something wrong with it.

SPEAKER_03 36:20

So if your love for them abounds more and more, you'll discern which ones to have charity on.

unknown 36:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

Maybe. Yeah, maybe. I don't know. Whatever. I don't know. Alright. Um, alright. I have something for ten, too.

SPEAKER_03 36:46

Oh, we still haven't gotten to eleven.

SPEAKER_02 36:48

So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. All right. Um, it's about discerning what is best.

SPEAKER_03 37:02

Um, ESV says approve what is excellent.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

But how do we do that?

SPEAKER_00 37:08

How do we know how do we know what's best? I think the more we read the word and get to know God's heart, we will be better able to discern what is right and wrong.

SPEAKER_02 37:29

Steve, that was a trick question.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

That's a trick question. It's a trick. It's he says it. We just talked about it. Love. Oh. Oh, man.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

I don't know. I like my answer better.

SPEAKER_02 37:49

Now your answer's good.

SPEAKER_03 37:57

Yeah, but to me, that's a non-answer, because that means nothing to me.

Fruit Of Righteousness And Closing

SPEAKER_02 38:01

It's it's really difficult, I will admit. I it's hard to put that into words. What does that mean? Um, but but you know what? If we love the people around us, if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we love Jesus, um we will do what's right. And we will discern what's best. All right. And then you've got something on 11, and so do I. But I'll let you go, Steve.

SPEAKER_03 38:35

What is the fruit of righteousness?

SPEAKER_02 38:41

Um, all right, so verse 11. Why don't you read that again, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 38:46

Well, it's all that you've been talking about since verse nine. Um it continues with filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Of course, that's ESV because I switched back.

SPEAKER_02 39:03

Um filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

SPEAKER_00 39:17

Filled with the fruit of righteousness. What is the fruit of righteousness is the question.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Um, no, that's the answer. What's the what may you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation, the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will bring much glory and praise to God. So um that's the NLT translation.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

So the NLT just kind of spells it out that the fruit of your salvation is righteous character produced in your life. All right.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Now I'm gonna read the ESV because that doesn't fill with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

SPEAKER_03 40:36

NIV that's almost the same as NIV.

SPEAKER_02 40:38

Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. Yeah, this is the fruit of righteousness, but the NLT says the fruit of salvation is the righteous character. It it seems to me, I don't like the NLT translation there because they knowing that ESV is the word-for-word translation, the NLT seems to like just go on reads more into it. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

So if I do the the the lookup in the one version I have that does that for righteousness, it says one of the definitions is integrity, virtue, purity of life, righteous rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting. So that would kind of answer my question what the fruit of righteousness would be. It's all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

So the fruit of righteousness is a life.

SPEAKER_02 41:54

Um a life what am I trying to say? Fruit of righteousness is a good life.

SPEAKER_03 42:10

Did you get enough sleep last night, Ken?

SPEAKER_02 42:12

No, I didn't, actually. But actually, no, I did. I did. But I'm sleeping by myself, so I don't know. It's just a little weird.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

Um okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:26

Steve, I thought we were going to get through more.

SPEAKER_03 42:30

Yeah, we didn't get very far because you had a note on every verse. So I think maybe it we should stop.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

Yeah, I think we should stop now, and I apologize. I think I had too many little notes. Um, but anyway.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

Hopefully, some of it was useful and thought-provoking to people. A lot of it, I don't know. Maybe not.

SPEAKER_02 42:55

What are you trying to say, Steve? That a lot of it was just felt like we rambled a lot today. We did ramble a lot, and I'll take a lot of the credit for that. Um, but anyway, next week, guys.

SPEAKER_03 43:09

We're supposed to we're supposed to struggle with this, and that's what we're doing. We're definitely struggling.

SPEAKER_02 43:18

We're supposed to struggle with it. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_03 43:21

Uh struggle for your salvation. What that's one of Paul's sayings somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 43:26

But we're not struggling for our salvation here. We're just struggling to read. Anyway, all right, guys. We um we're gonna hang it up after just 12 verses of Philippians 1. Um, next week, I think we should be able to do the rest of the chapter, but I'm not sure. It depends on how how detailed I want to talk about things. So um I think that's it for now. Thanks for joining us. Tell your friends.

SPEAKER_04 44:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:27

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