Philippians 4:21-23--Final Greetings

Final Greetings
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

​23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

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Just a couple of final thoughts from Paul as he closes his letter to the Philippian church.  He tells them to be welcoming and hospitable to all of their brothers and sisters in Christ.  It would be dangerous at that time to openly greet one another and reveal that you knew someone that was a Christian and possibly reveal that you were both Christians as Christianity was being seen as a rebellion against the Roman empire since they would say "Christ is Lord" instead of "Caesar is Lord," and they would refuse to participate in emperor worship and talked of themselves being citizens of another kingdom that had sole allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Paul then let the church know that everyone who with Paul on his team sent their greetings as well and that there were even now Christians in the household of Caesar (and we see other places that there were converts among the very guards that were guarding Paul during his house arrest) so that this would encourage the Church that God's work was still being done and the gospel was going forth.  It would also be encouraging to know that Paul still had access to his team members during this time and to the envoys that the church in Philippi had sent to him and that none of these people seem to have been arrested with Paul or for their association with Paul.

Finally, Paul returns to the very same place he started.  Compare Philippians 1:2 with Philippians 4:23.

1:2--"2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

4:23--23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The first and last thing that Paul wanted to say to this church is that he wished for them to experience the grace of God and the peace of God that comes through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Only when we understand that we have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone and that God is faithful to complete the work that He started and bring it to completion in Christ Jesus and that no one and nothing can keep us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord and that our identity and status as adopted sons of God and co-heirs with Christ is something that will never change--then and only then can we have real joy and peace as we rest in the Lord and His promises and His work that He will do.  Even when times are "dark" like Paul being in prison and the church being persecuted and false gospels being on the rise and it feeling like the end of the world was upon them (they seriously thought this and were ready for Jesus to come back at any time), we can still trust in the goodness of God and His plan and we'll see that His plan will not be thwarted by man or devil.  God's gospel continued to go forth even in these circumstances and the very persecution that was oppressive both purified the church of many false teachers and false prophets and cause real, authentic Christianity to stand out and shine and was one of the greatest evangelistic tools of the time and many came to Christ because of the way that these Christians died as martyrs--people who may have never seen such men live, but they saw how they died and knew that these men and women were different if they were willing to go through torture and death and not recant.

In our culture today we are in similar circumstances around the world where Christianity is forbidden and churches cannot meet openly.  This epistle has been such an encouragement to the persecuted church throughout the ages--it was not just a word for the Philippians but for us as well to count it all joy when we face various trials (James 2:1-4).


James 1:2-4
English Standard Version
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1 Peter 4:12-13
English Standard Version
Suffering as a Christian
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.



1 John 3:13-14
English Standard Version13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.


John 16:32-33
English Standard Version32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
There are many other such passages that I could go to and quote (we've gone through some already and we hope to get to the others as we work through the entire Bible together) where Jesus promises suffering and tribulation, but He also promises joy, victory and that He will never leave us or forsake us and that nothing can snatch us away from Him or separate us from the love of the Father, Son and Spirit who together predestined us to be adopted as sons of God by the shedding of Christ's blood so that He could become a ransom for many.