Philippians 4:9 9And what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace will be with you.
Paul sets a pattern and example to the Philippians of the type of thinking he listed in verse 8. He learned this way of thinking from Christ (2:5; 1 Corinthians 11:1). The what could include the virtues from verse 8 but could also be broader. Over the years, the Philippians had watched, heard, and interacted with Paul and his colleagues. They had come to know to some degree how Paul acted. Their church had started with Paul and Silas in a Philippian prison (Acts 16). In the context of this letter, they had watched Paul layout his confidence in Christ again imprisoned. They could learned from his example of faith and joy in the midst of adversity, and this would help them in their own challenges.
He highlights four areas for the Philippians to imitate. They had learned (emathete) from Paul. He was an excellent teacher who gave them the basics of the gospel. They had responded to this message with faith, marked by the word received (parelabete). Heard (ēkousate) implies the preaching that Paul did in Philippi. Seen (eidete) suggests person encounter. It is difficult to know historically how all these words describe Paul’s relationship with the Philippians. That is not his intent in this verse. This verse is about mentoring, modeling, and discipleship. Paul had invested in these believers and he urges them to continue their growth.
We can do the same with those around us. We can set the example. Don’t wait for others. Be at the front of the pack for moral excellence. This will not be easy and may even cause people to ridicule or shame us, possibly like the Philippians were experiencing. But this is the pattern of being like Jesus. He is the pattern for all of these virtues. The Holy Spirit, as the presence of Jesus, helps us grow into these as we change our thinking to be like Jesus. We must put these things into practice by intentionally seeking to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection changing us into his likeness. We must do our part in working out our salvation. This may require that we get rid of certain things that negatively influence our thinking and filling our minds with God’s word and Christian fellowship. We can develop holy habits that fill our minds and imaginations with things that please God.
Paul ends this verse with a promise. The result will be God’s presence bring peace to us. This is a promise that gives us strength and assurance for when the darkness tries to overshadow the light of Christ that radiates out from our lives. God is the source of peace and gives this peace to us (Romans 15:13). Peace with others begins with peace with God. Being at peace with God comes with our sins forgiven and our lives becoming new creations (Romans 5:1). Our thinking will begin to change. When our thinking changes, so will our actions. The Holy Spirit will convict us of our wrong thoughts and help us to think good thoughts that please God. The Holy Spirit helps us develop the mind of Christ. The people around us will begin to notice that we have a joy and gentleness that are the fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
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