VERSE MAPPING |
VERSE(S) 27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. |
CONTEXT Paul is in prison in Rome. Nevertheless, he is filled with joy that the church there that have joined with that they have joined with him in the spreading the Good News about Christ. Finally, he is filled with joy that his imprisonment has helped spread the Gospel. Even though it is out of jealousy and rivalry, others are preaching the Gospel. He desires to die and be with Christ but believes he needs to remain for their sake. To help them grow and experience the joy as a Christian. This is his very first exhortation. |
OTHER VERSIONS NASB- 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one [v]mind striving together for the faith of the gospel NKJV- 27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel ESV- 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy[h] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel PHILLIPS- But whatever happens, make sure that your everyday life is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. So that whether I do come and see you, or merely hear about you from a distance, I may know that you are standing fast in a united spirit, battling with a single mind for the faith of the Gospel MESSAGE- Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news |
PERSONALIZE I owe my allegiance (loyalty, devotion) to heaven and its King. My life will demonstrate this devotion. I will fight for it. I will not do anything to bring disrespect on it (Him). I will speak loudly and forcefully of its (His) goodness and privileges. I will not tolerate slander of it (Him) of any kind. |
WORD STUDY |
ENGLISH DICTIONARY Citizen
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BIBLE DICTIONARY(S) Citizen
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ALL REFERENCES Citizen Phil 3:20- But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Manner worthy Romans 16:2 Eph 4:1 Phil 1:27 Col 1:10 1 Thess 2:12 3 John 1:6 Standing together Mark 3:31 Mark 11:25 John 1:26 John 8:44 Rom 14:4 1 Cor 16:13 Gal 5:1 Phil 1:27 Phil 4:1 1 Thess 3:8 2 Thess 2:15 Spirit Too many! 380x Purpose Too many! 101x Fighting together Notes when applicable |
SUMMARY The Good News. We must live like the children of God, and citizens of heaven, that we truly are. Why? In a way, there is no why! Nature itself teaches this. My children never asked me- why do I have to act like I am your son/daughter? Why do I have to obey any rules in this house? If there is a why, it is in the next verse. We need to stand as one with our brothers/sisters in Christ in all of our labor to promote and defend our faith in Jesus. It will fall on empty ears if the conduct of our lives do not match our message. |
APPLICATION All of eternity, all of life, all of my life, everything, is about Jesus and the Good News of what He has done in conquering evil... sin and death. Restoring creation. I must reflect that in my life and I need to join hands with my brothers/sisters and work hard to promote and defend this wonderful. unbelievable truth. It starts every morning and then in every moment throughout the day where I choose to be led by the Spirit and pivot my every action and word on Jesus Christ. |
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BIBLE 20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. ENGLISH DICTIONARY Expect- to look forward to; regard as likely to happen. Hope- to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence. Never- not ever; at no time. not at all; absolutely not. Ashamed- Continue- Bold- Trust- Life- Honor- For Christ- Even better- Fruitful- Better- Desires- Long- Your sakes- THESAURUS Expect- anticipate, hope, await all imply looking to some future event. Expect implies confidently believing, usually for good reasons, that an event will occur. Predict. Disbelieve. Disregard. Neglect. Hope- anticipate, believe, cherish, count on, hold. Abandon. Doubt. Forsake. Fear. Never- forget it. no way. not on your life. Always. Forever. Ashamed- Continue- Bold- Trust- Life- Honor- For Christ- Even better- Fruitful- Better- Desires- Long- Your sakes- BIBLE DICTIONARY Expect - primarily "a watching with outstretched head" (apo, "from," kara, "the head," and dokeo, "to look, to watch"), signifies "strained expectancy, eager longing," the stretching forth of the head indicating an "expectation" of something from a certain place, Rom 8:19; Phl 1:20 <Vine's> - or as vivid as the noun apokaradokia (Ro 8:19; Php 1:20, "earnest expectation"), which describes the stretching forth of the head toward an object that is anticipated (see Ellicott on Php 1:20) <ISB Encyclopedia> - to watch with head erect or outstretched, to direct attention to anything, to wait for in suspense. G603. Used 2x <Strongs> - Ps 36:7; 37:7, Rom 8:19 <Englishman's> Hope- Never- Ashamed- TEST
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AuthorErv Thomas is a retired engineer who gets to sit around and read his Bible all day Archives
May 2024
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