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Examined Doctrine
PASSAGE · BSB

Philippians 1

6 positions in the corpus lean on this chapter. Cited verses are marked.

1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3I thank my God every time I remember you.

4In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy,

5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

6being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me.

8God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

10so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel.

13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

14And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

17The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

18What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

19because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

21For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.

23I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

24But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

26so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me.

27Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,

30since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Who leans on it

Augustine on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCELEANS°Perseverance is a distinct gift of grace given to the elect; some of the truly regenerate — people with genuine faith, hope, and love — do not receive it and so do not endure. Augustine's own answer to why is a flat 'I d…Second London Baptist Confession on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°Chapter 17.1 takes Westminster's sentence and expands it into a paragraph: those accepted in the Beloved can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace. Paragraph 17.2 grounds that not in the believer's fre…Philip Melanchthon on election & predestinationDISPUTED READINGCONTESTEDThe same reversal, worked out on the doctrine of election. In 1521 predestination is the reason there is no free will at all. By 1532 he was writing that there is 'some cause in the recipient, in so far as he does not re…John Piper on perseverance & eternal securitySTANDARD ACCOUNTAFFIRMS°Perseverance, framed as living by future grace — the saved will persevere, and faith is the instrument through which they are kept.R.C. Sproul on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°The genuinely converted cannot lose their salvation: "if you have it you never lose it, and if you lose it, you never had it." Prefers the term "preservation" to "perseverance," locating the guarantee in God's action rat…Westminster Confession on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°WCF 17.1 rules out both partial and final apostasy for the same class of people - those accepted, effectually called and sanctified - so the doctrine is tied to a description of what God has done rather than to a descrip…