Philippians 4:21-23 21Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers [and sisters] who are with me greet you. 22All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
These are the final greetings of the letter. It was typical to end letters with personal greetings and a blessing. In the case of this letter, both are short. This greeting is directed to every saint. This is a reference to each individual believer who was part of the Philippian church. Paul knew many of them personally because of his time there, but there may have also been new believers as the church grew in number. In Christ Jesus could modify the word greet, meaning that the greeting is to be done in the deep and profound love of Christ, or it could modify every saint, meaning that the believers are in this special relationship with Christ. Just the fact that Paul includes this phrase draws us back to his unwavering confidence in Christ. This has been a constant theme throughout this letter. It leaves the Philippians with the assurance they need to face their own challenges.
Paul was not alone, so sends greetings from those who were with him. Most likely, the others were not imprisoned with him but were around and possibly able to visit him. Those who sent greetings with the letter included those form Caesar’s household. This house (oikias) likely included servants, support staff, guards, and many other levels of administration of the imperial house. Not all of these needed to be under the same roof as Caesar. It is significant that Paul even mentions this because it indicates that some Romans in some level of administration (as caregiving slaves to free support staff) had become Christians. The gospel was penetrating even the structures of the empire. This also strongly suggests that Paul was in Rome when he wrote this letter.
Verse 23 ends the letter with a short prayer blessing. Grace (charis) is just what the Philippians needed to help them live with hope, confidence, and contentment. They could not do this on their own. They could not seek to be righteous by circumcision and listening to the false teachers. To know Christ requires the submission of faith and dependence upon him. Paul highlights the source of grace as the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the means by which we experience God’s grace. All grace comes through Christ. This grace saves, sanctifies, and sustains in the trials of life and will help us complete the good work God has started in us. As Paul points out at the end, this is really a spiritual issue. It is in our spirits that we need the most strength. If our spirits are strong, we will be able to endure physical hardship.
The letter to the Philippians offers us both a challenge and encouragement. It challenges us to re-evaluate our motives. Are we living the selfless cross-style life in imitation of Christ? Have we put our focus on coming to know and experience him in the deepest part of our person? Have we given ourselves totally to him as the supreme Lord of our lives? The letter also encourages us not to lose focus on what matters most when we are faced with difficulties, challenges, and even persecution. Where are we finding our source of strength? Is our well-being based on the happiness promised by the world or the deep joy that comes in the Lord Jesus? Paul’s personal testimony of confidence and contentment in Christ offers us a pathway forward in our own journeys.
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