A Surprising Glimpse of Christian Community

Scripture — Philippians 1:1-2 (NRSV)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Devotion

The opening greetings of the New Testament letter we call Philippians offers a surprising glimpse of Christian community in the first century A.D.

For one thing, though we generally refer to the Apostle Paul as the writer of this letter, the opening verse gives credit to both “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus” (1:1). Now, as we read through the rest of the letter, we see that Paul is the primary author. He regularly uses the first-person singular (I, me, etc.) and in one section of the letter refers to Timothy in the third person (“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,” 2:19). Yet, when beginning this letter, Paul wants Timothy to be seen as a kind of co-author, as a genuine partner in the work of the gospel (see 2:22).

The letter we call Philippians was not written to all the residents of the Macedonia city of Philippi, of course. Rather, it was for “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (1:1). “Saints” doesn’t mean something like “extra-special Christians.” Rather, saints are all of those who have been set apart by God for relationship with God and for participation in God’s mission. We would say that all Christians are saints and all saints are Christians. So, the use of “saints” in the address of this letter testifies to the existence of a thriving Christian community in Philippi.

Then we come to one of the more surprising elements of the letter’s initial greeting. It is written not only “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” but also “with the bishops and deacons” (1:1). No other letter of Paul mentions people serving in these roles. Of course, we are curious about who these “bishops and deacons” are and how they functioned in the Philippian church. Unfortunately, the letter gives little to go on here. We really don’t know what the bishops and deacons did, exactly.

I believe the NRSV use of “bishops and deacons” is not actually a helpful translation. Yes, the Greek word episcopos is used later on to refer to church leaders known as bishops. And, yes, in time diakonos refers to a particular group of servants in the church. But it’s unlikely that these Greek words had those connotations when Paul wrote to the Philippians. We’re better off, I think, translating episkopois kai diakonois with “overseers and servants” or, as the CEB puts it, “supervisors and servants.”

However we understand the language in verse 1, it’s clear that the saints in Christ Jesus are not just isolated believers, but rather people bound together in community because of their common faith. Yes, Paul is the main writer of the letter, but he shares his role with his co-worker Timothy. They write to a congregation of saints, to people in committed relationship with each other who gather together so that, among other things, they might hear the letter of Paul and Timothy read aloud. Among the Philippian church are certain individuals who are exercising roles of leadership and service. This isn’t just a spontaneous crowd of Christians, but rather an organized community of saints.

You may wonder why I’m making such a big deal of the communal implications of Philippians 1:1. I’m doing so because it’s so common for Christians in the United States to assume that the Christian faith is mainly or only a private matter. We often believe that personal faith in Jesus Christ implies individual faith in Jesus Christ. Christian community is assumed to be optional for followers of Jesus, rather than an essential element of genuine sainthood. That could not be further from the truth. Though by grace through faith we do have a personal relationship with God, this relationship is something shared in community. Christ makes peace between us and God AND between us and other people (see Rom 5:1; Eph 2:11-12).

Life in Christ is something we experience in a deeply personal way. We know Christ as a friend because he has befriended us (John 15:14-15). Yet as a friend of Jesus, we are also a member of his circle of friends, his disciples, his church, and his body. We belong to each other because we belong to Christ. Thus, we will only know the fullness of the Christian life when we share it with others through deep, regular, intentional, and committed community.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The One Who Began a Good Work Among You Will Bring it to Completion (Philippians 1:1–26).