As a prisoner in Rome, Paul’s daily conditions were unfavourable; he was possibly chained much of the time to a Roman soldier, and his future prospects on earth were most uncertain. But nothing of earthly circumstances could ever take from him the joy of His Lord, giving him needed strength to go on in service for Christ. Based on this personal experience, the apostle gives the Philippians these words of encouragement and counsel: “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord” (Php 3:1).1
The Theme of Joy in Philippians
The apostle is not concluding the epistle when he writes “Finally …” (“Further,” NIV); he is returning again to this recurring theme of the believer’s joy and rejoicing. Throughout Philippians, there are up to 16 references to rejoicing, and Paul’s constant message is to rejoice as we look always to Christ. It was not irksome for Paul to keep giving this practical message to rejoice in our Lord; it would be for our spiritual safety and blessing. “To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe” (v1). Spiritual joy in Christ would be a safeguard against despondency and even doctrinal error.
In chapter 1, Paul rejoiced that “Christ is preached” (1:18), despite the contentious motives of some. To know of Christ being proclaimed as the only Saviour of sinners would always bring us joy. Their spiritual progress and “joy of faith” (v25) would be enhanced by the prospect of the apostle’s visiting them again (v26). In 2:17, Paul expresses personal joy in giving himself in self-sacrifice, even selflessly pouring out his own life’s blood as the smaller drink offering compared with their own faithful sacrificial service towards him.
Our Abiding Source of Joy
In addition to these various causes for Christian joy linked with service, in 3:1 we are reminded particularly of the only unfailing source of joy, i.e., our blessed Lord and Saviour. He repeats the exhortation in 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” Our source of joy in Christ is unchanging and independent of the varying circumstances of our lives. Whether appropriately happy or saddened by earthly circumstances, we can always rejoice in our Lord, for He is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). The believer’s innumerable spiritual blessings in Christ can never be taken from us, and He therefore gives us an unshakable joy that is never affected by circumstances.
Over the centuries of this day of grace, countless believers in the Lord Jesus have lived through circumstances which in themselves are anything but joyful, such as material destitution, famine, pestilence, flooding and horrific wars. Like the apostle Paul, many have been wrongfully imprisoned, persecuted and cruelly treated for being Christians. The writer to the Hebrews refers to some who “took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance” (Heb 10:34). It would likely be such believers who can particularly testify that nothing robbed them of their joy in the Lord, enabling them to be able to say every day, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psa 118:24). We almost need such circumstances of adversity for the cause of Christ to fully appreciate the joy that can always be found in Him.
Abiding in Christ’s Joy
The apostle Paul is in harmony with the words of the Lord Himself to His disciples in the upper room before He went to Calvary. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (Joh 15:11). Our Saviour desires that His fullness of joy will likewise be our fullness of joy. His joy was found in knowing intimate fellowship with His Father, and doing those things that pleased His Father. “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth … even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Luk 10:21). Hebrews 12:2 says, “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” While that joy is primarily connected with His final destination in glorious heavenly exaltation, there was also abiding joy all the way through His earthly sojourn, knowing that He was doing the Father’s will, finishing His work, and bringing glory to His Father’s Name.
Such will be our abiding joy in our Saviour, as we move in obedience to His will for our lives, always having in view the heavenly glory that lies ahead. Rejoicing “in the Lord” (Php 3:1) necessitates our obedience to His commands and to the Word of God. We wouldn’t rejoice specifically in suffering adverse circumstances or physical persecution. But we are always to be rejoicing in the One we acknowledge as Sovereign Lord and Ruler of our lives, knowing that He is in full control of all the circumstances of our lives. Whether we are experiencing adversity or prosperity, persecution or peace, everything is upheld by His sovereign hands. He is the Lord who has promised that He will never leave or abandon us in our need. We can always be in joyful appreciation of who He is, what He has done for us in the past, and all He is presently doing as He intercedes for us as the risen Man exalted at God’s right hand, until “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven” (1Th 4:16) to take us out of this dark scene and into His eternal presence.
Paul is about to give grave warning to the Philippians in 3:2 concerning the false teachers who were seeking to influence them in a distinctly negative way. They had to appreciate they were on a spiritual battleground, and that they would need to be strong in the face of such vicious “evil workers.” Where can the believer find strength to go on when compassed about with many enemies and much opposition? Nehemiah 8:10 says: “The joy of the LORD is your strength”; we must find the needed spiritual strength in the joy of Christ who is our Lord. Paul was clearly in the good of that exhortation of Ezra the scribe for God’s people of a past day, and may we also be in the good of looking only to Christ as our constant joy.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
