Philippians 1:1-3 – God’s set apart people

In these introductory verses, as in most of his letters, Paul again began by using the compound term “bond-servants” to refer to himself. Here he also introduced his companion, Timothy as a fellow bond-servant. And we know that they became servants by a personal choice and not because of circumstances. And the master they both chose to serve was none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Here in his salutation, Paul called his readers “saints in Christ Jesus.” He could have referred to them simply as believers but he did not. He called them saints. The root word for “saints” has been translated both as “set apart” as well as “holy or sanctified.” Thus, believers are not only set apart unto God but have also become holy and sanctified because they have become partakers of God’s holy nature. The two words “in Christ” refer to the fact that it is through Christ and His finished work that believers have attained this set apart, holy and sanctified status.

Note that Paul actually sent his greetings not only to the saints in Christ Jesus but also the bishops and deacons. This tells us that the component of the church comprises not only ordinary members but also the leaderships, both bishops and deacons. They were people appointed for different roles. The bishops were there to oversee the spiritual progress of the church and the deacons were there to serve the people. We need faithful leaders in church to guide the church in the truth and we need servers to do the work of ministry so that needs of the members could be met practically.  

For Christians to live set apart and holy life effectively in a chaotic world, the companion blessings of grace and peace is needed. And the source of grace and peace is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. All we believers need these two important elements to meaningfully live out our set apart and sanctified life. No wonder Paul greet the Philippians with the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Knowing our status helps to keep us on track with God. But knowing the availability of the grace of God will helps us to enjoy the peace of God. Let’s be clear about our status in Christ and what’s available for to upkeep that status so that we can live in continuous victory in Him.