Philippians 1:1 - Part 2 - Position

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:“ Philippians 1:1 NIV

I mentioned earlier that this verse speaks volumes about Paul’s character. By placing Timothy on the same footing as himself, he exudes the important virtue of humility. His posture is the same as his coworkers and even his students.

Secondly, his Position. He calls himself a servant. This is mind blowing. This is the apostle who has taken the gospel to the then known world. There can be no other greater missionary than Paul himself in the Bible . He is second, only to our Lord. The number of churches he had planted, the amount of suffering for the sales of the gospel. Even the highest tiles given to the clergy these days would still fall short of all his accomplishment for the Kingdom. This is the man who has defended his faith before kings and brought the gospel to the gentile world. More than 2/3 of the New Testerment is attributed to him.

How unlike us these days. We chase after titles, we want to be recognised and the feeling of jealousy when someone else is praised. I call it the "Saul syndrome". After David had killed Goliath, the women sang, “Saul had killed the thousands but David his ten thousands ”The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 18:8-9 - ”Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought,“but me with only thousands.What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.“

But the Apostle Paul was in the other end of the equilibrium. In fact in another place he would describe himself as the “chiefest of sinner”

But there is another meaning to the Greek word used for the word servant - doulos . It means a slave or a bond servant.

The Webster's Dictionary defines a slave as - "A person who is held in bondage to another; one who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who is held as a chattel; one who has no freedom of action, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another."

Paul condenses it further in Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

That reminds me, no matter what I could have done or achieved in life, it’s all by the grace of God. In my barest element, I am a sinner saved by grace.And like Paul we must realize that we are but slaves of the most high God. No matter how much honor people may bestow os, we should remain like David, who said in 2 Samuel 7:18 - ”Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?“

And why would Paul call himself a servant of the Lord Jesus. its because while we were enemies, while we were sinners, while we were ungodly - Christ died for us (Romans 5:6,8,10).

"Amazing love, how can it be. That you my King would die for me"