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Philippians 1
1Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus , to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:
2 to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus .
3I thank my God whenever I remember you,
4always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy,
5for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;
6being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus .
7It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of .
8For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Jesus.
9This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of ,
11being filled with the fruits of which are through Jesus , to the glory and praise of God.
12Now I to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News,
13so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in ,
14and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak of God without fear.
15Some indeed preach even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.
16The former insincerely preach from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;
17but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.
18What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.
19For I know that this will turn out to my through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus ,
20according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21For to me to live is , and to die is gain.
22But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.
23But I am hard pressed between the two, having the to depart and be with , which is far better.
24Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.
25Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all for your progress and joy in the ,
26that your boasting may abound in Jesus in me through my presence with you again.
27Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of , that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the of the Good News;
28and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of , and that from God.
29Because it has been granted to you on behalf of , not only to in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,
30having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
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Questions this passage answers
What happens after death?
Scripture teaches that death is not the end but a passage into God's presence for those who trust Christ, and separation from him for those who do not. For the believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and this immediate hope is followed by a future bodily resurrection at Christ's return. Death is appointed once, and after it comes judgment, which is why the question is never merely academic.
Can I lose my salvation?
Jesus says his sheep hear his voice, he gives them eternal life, they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of his hand or his Father's hand. Faithful Christians have read the New Testament's warning passages differently for centuries, some holding that a true believer can finally fall away and others that such warnings are God's appointed means of keeping his own. Every tradition agrees that no one drifts into final apostasy by accident, that ongoing repentance and faith are how a Christian actually lives out salvation, and that assurance is meant to be enjoyed, not manufactured by fear.