Philippians and Philemon - MR Vincent - 1906.pdf

26 PHILIPPIANS [l. 20, 21
clauses, which are to the following effect: i. Christ will be
magnified, though Paul shall refuse to modify his preaching and
shall continue to proclaim the gospel with all boldness. 2. Christ's
being magnified in spite of opposition will be nothing new. It has
always been so. 3. The result will be the same whether Paul shall
live or die.
€1/ iraarj : in contrast with,as I Jn. ii. 28 ;
LXX, Prov. xiii. 5. The primary meaning oi is 'free
and bold speaking ' ; speaking out every word {,). The
verb always in N.T. in connection with speaking.
The dominant idea of is boldness, confidence. (See
2 Cor. iii. 12, vii. 4 ; Eph. vi. 19 ; i Thess. ii. 2 ; Philem. 8 ; and
Lightf. on Col. ii. 15.) It is opposed to fear (Jn. vii. 13), and to
ambiguity or reserve (Jn. xi. 14). The idea of publicity sometimes
attaches to it, but as secondary (Jn. vii. 4). »;, the
direct opposite of ovZtvl ; every way in which boldness can mani-
cjs€ :
'As always, so now.' Kat in the apodosis
fest itself. (Comp. Eph. vi. 18.) Christ will be magnified in his
bold and uncompromising preaching of the unpalatable truth.
answers to in the protasis. (See Mt. vi. 10; Jn. vi. 57;
Gal. i. 9 ; I Jn. ii. 18; Win. liii. 5.) It is the testimony of
history that Christ has always been magnified in spite of opposition.
As Paul's imprisonment has, up to this time, ministered
to the progress of the gospel (vs. 12), he is no less confident of
the same result now that his fate is hanging in the balance.
ctTc etVe : " Inimicis suis insultat, quod ei
nocere non valeant. Si enim eum occiderint, martyrio coronabi-
tur. Si servaverint ad Christum annunciandum, plurimum facient
fructum" (Jer.).
The last words lead him to speak of his own feelings respecting
the possible issue of his trial.
' 21. yap : For to me to live is Christ.' For
Paul
?
life is summed up in Christ. Christ is its inspiration, its aim,
its end. To
.,
trust, love, obey, preach, follow, suffer, — all things
are with and in Christ. So Theoph. , 6 , ^^, : " kind of
new life I live, and Christ is all things to me, both breath and life
and light." See further on iv
20, 21 ; Rom. vi. 11 ; Gal. ii.
Ign. Eph. iii., 6
20;
(ch. iii. 9), and comp. iii. 7-10,
2 Cor. v. 15 ; Col. iii. 3. Also
, Our inseparable life';
and Mag. i, , Our never- failing life.'
To is the continuous present. In the three other passages of
Paul in which it occurs (vs. 22 ; Rom. viii. 12 ; 2 Cor. i. 8), it
denotes the process, not the principle, of life.