Text: “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:1 – 2, NASB).
Truth: Grace and peace are from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary: As we open this Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, we find Timothy is with Paul and are referred to as “bond-servants of Christ Jesus.” A servant is a person who voluntarily serves another and when that person subjects himself or herself to the authority of another, resulting in restraint, then that person is called a bondservant. Paul is therefore saying that he and Timothy have as servants, subjected themselves to the authority and restraint of Christ Jesus.
The name Christ Jesus makes reference to the eternal Word, God’s Son who came to earth and lived in a body of flesh as Jesus (John 1:1, 14). Christ Jesus was truly God and truly man and is a uniqueness of Christianity. It is a crucial point of belief to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2 – 3). To say, as Paul did, that you are a bond-servant of Christ is not a way to win favor with men (Gal. 1:10), but lest we forget, life is not about us, it is about God.
After making reference to those Paul is writing to at Philippi, he writes a blessing of grace and peace, which is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is able to extend mercy to those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord, savior and redeemer and give to them as an act of his grace the gift of salvation. There must be a personal response to this unmerited divine kindness of grace before one can experience peace with God, others, and self.
We who were far off, without hope and without God, Jesus comes as God in the flesh and displays God’s love by sacrificing himself that we might live. This act of divine grace, reconciles the tension between sinful man and a holy and righteous God, providing peace.
Application: We, who were dead in our transgressions, were made alive together with Christ so that we might experience the surpassing riches of his grace toward us (Eph. 2:4 – 7). Let us not fall short of the grace of God and miss out on the peace he wants us to enjoy.
· Based upon how you live, would you call yourself a bondservant of Jesus Christ? Why or why not?
· How does being a bondservant of someone effect your time, energy, abilities, and decisions?
Prayer: Father, thank you for choosing me, a sinner, and causing me to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:1, 3). I surrender myself completely to you, becoming totally dependent upon you for all my needs. In my weakness, strengthen me with your power (2 Cor. 12:9) that I may fulfill your will for my life. Thank you for your grace that is sufficient for all my needs and your peace that provides comfort at all times.
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