Philippians 1:7 - Exposition

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all . It is meet ; rather, just , right. To think this ; to entertain this confidence concerning you. Because I have you in my heart ; or, because you have me in your heart. But the order of the words, and Philippians 1:8 , make the first rendering the more probable. His love for them increases his confidence. Inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel . These words may be taken with the preceding, "I have you in my heart during my imprisonment and defense." So Chrysostom, whose words are very striking: οὕτω γάρ ἐστι τυραννικὸν ὁ ἔρως ὁ πνευματικὸς ὡς μηδενὶ παραχωρεῖν καιρῷ . But it is, perhaps, more natural to take them with the following. Ye all are partakers of my grace ; rather, ye all are partakers with me of the grace. They were partakers of the grace of God given to him in his bonds and in his work. The like grace was given to them both for the passive and active sides of the Christian life—both in endurance of suffering and in propagating the gospel. Thus there seems to be no reference in the words "defense and confirmation'' to his public defense before Caesar (which probably had not yet taken place), but generally to his work of preaching the gospel, which was both apologetic, meeting the objections of adversaries, and aggressive, asserting the truth.