Philippians 1:19

The antecedent of "this" is probably the things that had happened to Paul to which he had just been referring in Philippians 1:12-18.

What deliverance did he have in mind, physical deliverance from imprisonment or some spiritual deliverance? Later in this epistle Paul said he anticipated release from prison (Philippians 1:25; Philippians 2:24). However the verses that follow this one (Philippians 1:19) point to his thinking of the completion of salvation that he had referred to previously (Philippians 1:6). Earlier he had spoken of the completion of the Philippians’ salvation. Here he spoke of the end of his own (cf. Job 13:16; Job 13:18). The Greek word translated "deliverance" is soteria, the standard rendering of which is "salvation." Probably Paul meant that his prison experiences and the consequent furtherance of the gospel were all part of God’s completion of the good work that He had begun in him.

Two means were necessary for this salvation to reach fulfillment. Paul was counting on the prayers of the Philippians and the Lord’s provision of enablement through His Spirit. Does this mean that if the Philippians failed to pray for Paul God’s work in him would suffer? Yes, but the salvation in view is progressive sanctification, not glorification. God and people work together in the process of sanctification, but glorification is God’s work alone.

By the provision of the Spirit Paul evidently meant the provision of grace that comes through the Spirit. God does not give His Spirit in measure (i.e., some now and more later, John 3:34). Obviously there is a vital connection between prayer and the Spirit’s enablement. Paul referred to the Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus Christ here. Perhaps he did so because he had been thinking of Jesus Christ as the One before whom we will all appear when our sanctification is complete (Philippians 1:6; Philippians 1:10).