Chapter three of Philippians begins with an abrupt shift in tone. New topics are addressed with no warning, but Paul begins with an instruction concerning joy.
Take a look at it for yourself in Philippians 3:1:
Paul shifts gears so abruptly with the transition to chapter three that many have wondered if a separate piece of Paul’s writings has been inserted. Moving from the first verse of this chapter to 4:4 is very smooth, and the intervening passages could almost be left out, and it would flow very smoothly.
But many of Paul’s writing have similar abrupt shifts. One such example is found in Ephesians 3, where Paul changes direction in mid-sentence. We must keep in mind that Paul is writing a personal letter here, to people he is close to. He is not writing a theological discourse, such as Romans, where his thoughts must be more precise.
And, the content of this next section still fits the overall structure and subject matter of the rest of the letter, even if it takes an unexpected turn. So that leads to no positive conclusion that this wasn’t a part of the original letter. We are left to presume that it was there all along.
As Paul begins this section, he draws a solid conclusion to all that has come before. What the NIV translates as “Finally,” could probably more likely be translated as “And so…”
And his first thought is to rejoice. In fact, he finds this such an important reaction that he states it a second time, acknowledging it as he does so. Paul realized that one of the dangers the Philippians faced, and we do as well, is the danger of forgetting what God has done and is continuing to do.
We run the very real danger of becoming complacent if we neglect to remember and rejoice in what God has done. This is a theme he will return to in chapter four, and repeat two times there as well.
And, if Paul finds it critical enough to repeat so often, perhaps we should take heed. To rejoice is something to continually do. To rejoice is to be more focused on God’s plan than our own. To rejoice is to keep our gaze heavenward.
To rejoice is to be growing.
Question: How often do you remind yourself to rejoice? What can you do to remember to do this more often? You can leave a comment by clicking here.