Paradox and Progress

Philippians 1:12-30

What others consider disgrace and loss in the eyes of the world is actually heaven’s grace and gospel advancement. Historical Rome and Philippi’s colonial status were driven by honor and shame. The imprisonment Paul references in this passage was designed to shame and degrade the agendas of its prisoners. But Paul’s paradoxical joy invites believers to fight for the same joy in Christ and reinterpret earthly situations through Christ’s eyes.

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:12, KJV)

Philippi was a Roman colony and a home for veterans—a status proudly borne by its citizenry. Augustus renamed the colony Philippi, and since it was a colony, its citizens had all the privileges of Roman citizens.¹ The colony owed its existence to Augustus; therefore, the city would have special devotion for the emperor.²

This historical background feeds the shame of Paul’s situation. Their church’s founder is publicly shamed by the empire, which the citizens of Philippi honor so highly. But Paul’s letter teaches that God is doing something extraordinary with his imprisonment—namely, the whole praetorium has become a platform for the gospel. Rather than being shamed into silence, Christians everywhere are emboldened to speak Christ without fear.

Citizens of Another Kingdom

As a Roman colony, citizenship and prestige were conferred on those loyal to Caesar. But Paul plays on this background in verse 27 by using the Greek word πολιτεύεσθε, which literally means “have one’s citizenship.”³ In our weekly assignment, I translated the phrase, “Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The use of πολιτεύεσθε in this way calls Christians to live under the reign of Christ rather than the emperor. What Philippians understood as a symbol of their civic identity, Paul uses as a standard for allegiance to Christ.

Reconstructing Honor in Philippi

Much like the culture in Taiwan where I minister, the Roman world operated on public honor, and punishments were meant to shame. But in Paul’s reconstruction of honor–shame values, honor belongs to those who share in Christ’s sufferings.

“…that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness… Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” (Phil. 1:20, KJV)

In his book on honor and shame in Philippi, Joseph Hellerman writes,

“Instead of rejecting in principle the social realities of honor and shame, therefore, Paul and those who shared his sentiments sought to reconstruct the cultural values and social codes of the Roman world by substituting … a radically alternative set of attitudes and kinds of behavior to be honored in the Christian ekklesia.”⁴

Paul embraces the shame of his chains to serve and magnify Christ. His disgrace from Rome became a testimony of grace from heaven. This theme runs through the Bible and particularly in one of my favorite passages in Hebrews 11:

“By faith Moses… refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction… Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” (Heb. 11:24–26, KJV)

Counter-Cultural

Paul’s awareness of first-century Philippi deepened the reach and impact of his words to them. What they might see as shame and defeat, he reframes as a resounding victory and advancement. Citizenship language instructs believers in loyalty to Christ. Honor–shame culture is reversed, exalting suffering for Christ. These ideas were radically counter-cultural, as they still are today. In a world that prizes pleasure and power, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1. G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 2.
2. Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 31.
3. William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 846.
4. Joseph H. Hellerman, Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi: Carmen Christi as Cursus Pudorum, vol. 132 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 24.