Paul’s confidence is justified. It seems odd, though, that he would speak of this confidence so obviously. Such sentiment is notably absent in his letters to the Corinthians or the Galatians, both of which were having serious struggles in basic areas of faith and Christian life. With the first, there was a great abuse of the practice of grace, and with the second a struggle with the doctrine of grace. But for the Philippians, there was an enjoyment of grace, and Paul seemed to have a special regard for them.

Keep in mind, this relative affection is of a high order. It is not that he did not have regard for the Corinthians—in fact he thanked God for the grace given to them (1 Cor 1:1-9). He even expressed confidence that the Lord, “… will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:8). But the affection Paul had for the Philippians was so much more notable that he needed to explain himself.

His explanation referred to their partnership in the gospel efforts. They stood with Paul when he was in prison. They assisted him while he was defending the gospel from attack, as well as when the gospel was having its good effect in changed lives. They were not fair-weather supporters of Paul, only showing concern when it was in their best interest.

Paul describes it in terms of grace. Just as he saw it a high privilege to be a servant of the gospel and even a higher privilege to be seeing good results of his efforts in the Philippians’ lives, the Philippians now entered into that grace. They too, saw the privilege of sharing in the sacrifice of the gospel effort. In addition, they would share in the joy of the results as they stood with Paul as he defended the faith and as his efforts produced results. The Greek word for “partakers” is related to the word “koinonia,” and means “to share with.” They truly were sharers in the grace of God with Paul. This was a real partnership.

The bond between Paul and the Philippians therefore was affectionate. No greater partnership exists than when people work together in the gospel effort; there is no greater work to share in. Both the effort and the results are a privilege because all are working for the same goal – to share the grace of God with others. Grace is absolutely central to the message and it is absolutely central to life the way God intended.