Loving, Pointing, and Standing

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.—Philippians 4:1

Paul exhorts his readers to stand firm in the Lord because of the things he has spoken above. What things? What things provide a foundation upon which to establish confidence to stand firm in the Lord?

1:6 … he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

1:11 … filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

1:28 … not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

2:15–16 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

3:3 For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Christ subjects all things to himself. Therefore—stand firm in the Lord. He cannot be overcome. That’s the kind of Lord one is warranted to stand firm in. Paul is not exhorting his readers to stand firm in some second-rate deity, hoping against hope, psyching themselves up into some imagined security.

And how does Paul describe the people to whom he writes about this sure foundation?

• Brothers.
• Those whom he loves.
• Those whom he longs for.
• His joy.
• His crown.
• His beloved.

If you truly love someone, what do you do to show it? Answer: You point them to a sure foundation on which they can stand firm.