빌립보서 서론

저자와 제목 

바울이 빌립보 교회의 그리스도인들에게 쓴 편지이다.(1:1)

소개

빌립보는 바울이 그의 두번째 선교여행중에 처음 방문한 로마의 식민지로 이때는 AD50년 경이다. 첫 회심자는 루디아와 그녀의 가족들이며, 간수장과 그 가족들, 또한 다른 이들이 회심했다.  

Paul first visited the Roman colony of Philippi on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:12) in the early 50s. The first converts were Lydia and her household (Acts 16:14–15), the jailer and his household (Acts 16:33–34), and others (Acts 16:40). The letter also names Epaphroditus (2:25) and Euodia and Syntyche (4:2). There were probably many more, though it is impossible to know how many.

 Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,”in NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 2412.

저작 연대와 장소

빌립보서가 언제, 어디에서 바울에 의해서 쓰였는지는 정확하지 않다. 본문의 1:13의 바울의 매임을 어떻게 해석하느냐에 달려있다. 바울은 에베소 감옥에 AD55년 경에, 가이사랴의 감옥에 AD57-59에, 로마의 감옥에 AD60-62사이에 있었던 것으로 보인다. 본문 4:22절의 가이사의 집사람이 누구인지가 중요하다. 아마도 로마의 감옥에 있던 당시(60-62년경)로 볼때 네로가 황제였던 때로 빌립보 교회가 세워진지 10년정도 되었던 때에 이 편지가 작성된 것으로 본다.  

We do not know for certain when or where Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians. Conclusions depend largely upon which imprisonment 1:13 refers to and upon what “palace guard” (1:13) and “Caesar’s household” (4:22) mean. Paul might have been in prison in Ephesus about AD 55, though this is not based on strong evidence; he certainly was in prison in Caesarea about AD 57–59 (Acts 24:22–27) and in prison in Rome about AD 60–62 (Acts 28:15–31). The reference to “Caesar’s household” does not rule out Caesarea, but Rome is more likely. Paul, therefore, probably wrote Philippians from Rome about AD 60–62, while Nero was emperor, and so the church was about ten years old when he composed this letter.

 Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,”in NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 2412.

빌립보 도시

42년 빌립보 전투에서 승리한 이후에 안토니우스와 아우구스투스는 이 마케도니아 지방의 도시를 참전 용사들과 함께 재건했다. 이 도시는 세금을 면제 받았고 추가적인 토지 소유 특권을 인정받았다. 빌립보 도시는 좋은 농토를 가졌고 2세기 경에 세워진 로마의 상업 도로인 에그나티아 도로에 있었다. 

목적, 계기, 배경

빌립보 교회는 바울에게 있어서 매우 특별한 교회이다. 왜냐하면 이곳은 유럽에서 그가 세운 처음 새운 교회이기 때문이다.(행 16:6-40)

바울을 통해 자주장사 루디아가 처음 회심했고  바울과 실라는 귀신들려 점을 치는 여종에게서 귀신을 쫓아내어 주인에게 손해를 끼쳤다는 이유로 투옥되었지만 하나님께서 기적적으로 구출해주셨다. 이로 말미암아 빌립보 간수에게 복음이 전해졌다. 

바울은 편지를 통해서 자신은 감옥에 갇혀 있는 상황이지만 빌립보 교인들의 믿음이 계속해서 성장하는 것에 관심이 있었다. 교회안에 갈등이 없지 않았지만 빌립보 교인들은 문제 많은 고린도나 갈라디아교회와는 달리 건강한 공동체로 보인다. 바울은 과거의 청취에 만족하기에는 복음이 너무나도 영광스럽고 세상은 너무나도 위험하기에 현재에 만족하지 않고 푯대를 향하여 달려가야 할 것을 말했다. 

바울은 영적인 짐보가 어떤 모습이어야 하는지를 설명한다. 그리스도인의 성숙은 어떤 특별한 신비한 통찰력을 통해서 소수에게만 가능한 것이 아니라 도리어 타인에 대한 사랑과 섬김이라는 익숙한 덕목에 해한 꾸준한 실천을 통해서 이루어진다. 

The church at Philippi had a special significance for Paul, since it was the first church he founded in Europe (see Acts 16:6–40). The first convert was Lydia, a seller of purple goods, and women continued to have a prominent role in the Philippian church (e.g., Phil. 4:2). Paul and Silas were imprisoned there for exorcising a demon from a fortune-telling slave girl, but God miraculously delivered them, and they proclaimed the gospel to the Philippian jailer. Paul likely visited the Philippians a few times after his initial departure, and they maintained active support for his ministry (4:15–16).

Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison (see above), prompted in part by his reception of their latest gift, sent with Epaphroditus (himself a member of the Philippian congregation). But the letter is far more than an extended thank-you note. Paul wanted to pass along the important news that Epaphroditus had recovered from a serious illness (2:25–30), and that he was sending him along to them with the hope that soon he might also send Timothy for a visit (2:19). Timothy and Epaphroditus were also mentioned because they exemplified the Christ-centered, gospel-focused life Paul wanted the Philippians to live.

Paul himself also wanted to encourage the Philippians in their faith, and his imprisonment meant he could do that only through a letter. Even a house imprisonment (assuming Paul was in Rome, Acts 28:16) could have been a source of great anguish, particularly with the possibility of execution looming, and so Paul wanted to assure the church that he was still in good spirits through his faith in Christ (Phil. 1:12–18). He was also eager to thank them for their continued support: imprisonment carried with it a social stigma,   p 2276  and it would have been easy for the Philippians to turn their back on Paul at this point. But they had remained faithful to him.

Yet Paul’s purpose in writing goes even further. He is above all concerned that the Philippians continue to make progress in their faith (1:25). While there were no doubt conflicts within the congregation (notably that of Euodia and Syntyche, 4:2), the Philippians appear to be a healthy congregation, in contrast to the troubled groups in Corinth and Galatia. Can they then relax and rest? Paul’s answer is an emphatic no. The world is too perilous, and the gospel too glorious, for them to be content with past achievements (3:12–16). They must follow Paul’s example and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:14).

Paul explains what spiritual progress will look like. Christian maturity does not come through special mystical insights available to only a few, but rather through the patient practice of the familiar virtues of love and service to others. Paul presents himself as one model for such a lifestyle (1:12–18; 3:17; 4:9), and he commends Timothy and Epaphroditus in similar terms (2:19–30). But the supreme model for progress in faith is Jesus himself, and the centerpiece of Philippians is the magnificent “hymn of Christ” in 2:5–11. Jesus willingly let go of the privileges of divine glory to take up the form of a servant, and even embraced the ultimate humiliation of the cross, in order to liberate the world from sin. He is thus accorded the highest glory, receiving universal worship as God’s Messiah.

Those who follow Christ’s example have the hope that God will also vindicate them on the day of Christ, and thus they can rejoice (1:18; 3:1; 4:4). They can also be confident that God will not leave them alone to make their way through the world as best they can. Spiritual progress involves effort: they are encouraged to “work out [their] own salvation with fear and trembling” (2:12). But they can do so knowing that “it is God who works in [them], both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (2:13).

 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2275–2276.

연대표

핵심 주제

1. 그리스도인은 그들의 삶속에서 지속적인 진보를 이루어갈 필요가 있다. 
2. 올바른 영적인 관점은 신앙의 진보에 있어서 필수적이다. 
3. 그리스도는 하나님에 대한 사랑과 성실한 섬김의 최고의 예이며 성숙한 그리스도인들도 이러한 관점에서 역할 모델로 섬길 수 있다. 
4. 고난은 올 것이다. 하지만 믿음을 통해서 기쁨으로 고난을 맞을 수 있다. 
5. 기도는 기쁜 그리스도인의 삶을 유지하는데 필수적이다. 
6. 복음은 개인주의적이지 않다. 그리스도인들은 서로 서로 풍성한 교제를 나누어야 하며 복음을 증진하기 위해서 섬김을 통해 하나되어야 한다. 
7. 구약과 율법을 순종하는 것은 하나님과의 올바른 지위를 제공할 수 없다. 신자들은 오직 예수 그리스도안의 믿음을 통해서만 구원받을 수 있다. 
8. 예수는 완전한 하나님이시며 완전한 인간이시다. 십자가위에서의 그분의 고난 때문에 그는 지금 구주와 그리스도로 높임을 받으셨다.