When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was suffering for the gospel. In 1:7, 13, 14 and 17 he refers to his bonds, that is, his imprisonment. This indicates clearly that the book of Philippians was written from prison. Although Paul was a prisoner, his prison became a house of wine, a banqueting house, for there Paul was enjoying the Lord. Verse 7, in which Paul speaks of partaking of grace, indicates this. Paul was in bonds, but he was enjoying grace. This verse indicates clearly and strongly that for Paul prison was a place of feasting and not merely of suffering.
In particular Paul’s imprisonment was due to the defense and confirmation of the gospel (1:7).
The defense of the gospel is related, on the negative side, to the perverting and distorting heresies, like Judaism dealt with in Galatians and Gnosticism dealt with in Colossians. Judaism was perverting the gospel, whereas Gnosticism and Greek philosophy were distorting it. Paul defended the gospel against all heretical perversion and distortion. Consider his experience with Peter at Antioch. Although Peter had received the vision concerning the Gentiles in Acts 10, he withdrew from eating with the Gentile believers in Antioch. In this matter, Peter did not stand for the truth of the gospel. On the contrary, he perverted this truth. Therefore, Paul withstood Peter to his face and rebuked him.
In defending the gospel against perversion and distortion, Paul was unique. According to the record of the New Testament, he was the one who stood the strongest against anything that perverted and distorted the gospel. This was the reason for much of his sufferings. However, the grace he enjoyed surpassed these sufferings.
The confirmation of the gospel is related, on the positive side, to all the revelations of God’s mysteries concerning Christ and the church as unveiled in Paul’s Epistles. In the writings of Paul, the two great mysteries—Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ— are unveiled. No other apostle unveiled these mysteries as adequately as Paul did. To be sure, his teaching and preaching were a confirmation of the gospel and of God’s economy.
In contrast to Paul, who was absolute for the defense and confirmation of the gospel, many preachers of the gospel today are wishy-washy in this regard. They seem to have no backbone. Instead of dealing with the major points of God’s economy, certain of these preachers simply deliver sugar-coated messages to make others happy. But we in the Lord’s recovery must defend the gospel and confirm it. On the one hand, we must defend the gospel against teachings which are perverting and distorting it; on the other hand, we must confirm it by pointing out the goal of the gospel of God.
In 1:12 Paul says, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that the things concerning me have turned out rather to the advancement of the gospel.” The Greek word rendered advancement refers to the advancement made by pioneers who cut the way before an army to further its march. Paul’s sufferings made such an advancement for the gospel. Paul was a pioneer cutting the way so that the church as the army of God could march on. He knew that his sufferings were preparing the way, even the highway, for the advancement of the gospel. Apart from such sufferings, there would not have been this advancement. Even we today are marching on the way cut by Paul in his sufferings for the gospel.
Throughout the centuries, much debris has been thrown on the highway to block the way cut by Paul. Today there is no need for us to cut another highway, but there is the need to clear the one cut by Paul. Even this causes enmity. Certain of today’s religionists do not want us to clear away the debris and obstacles. But we have been commissioned by the Lord to clear the way so that the church may advance. We expect that if the young people are faithful to the Lord, they will be able to march forward on a clear highway. For many years we have been helping to clear the way, and we trust that the young generation in the Lord’s recovery will march on. We expect that, sooner or later, the Lord’s people will travel on the way that is being cleared for them. Although many are not willing to take this way at present, some are using our materials and have begun to talk about the human spirit and the local churches.