Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow E-Book

Chris Bruno

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 170

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

An Introduction to the Theology and Themes of Philippians "To live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). This bold and countercultural statement captures the central message of Philippians. In this New Testament letter, Paul offers practical advice for godly living and encourages believers to stay connected to the gospel amid hardship. Because the church shares in the sufferings of Christ, believers can experience joy even in suffering as they wait for the Lord to make all things new.  In this volume of the New Testament Theology series, author Chris Bruno explores the theology and themes of Philippians and highlights how this letter fits into broader biblical theology. Through clear and engaging examinations, Bruno expounds on predominant themes—the church's union with Christ, the church as ambassadors of the kingdom, the gospel proclaimed and opposed, the hope of life with Christ, and suffering with joy.  - For Those Interested in Biblical Theology: Ideal for college and seminary students, pastors, and professors  - Helpful Bible Study Resource: A great companion to commentaries on Philippians  - Part of the New Testament Theology Series: Other volumes include Ministry in the New Realm; United to Christ, Walking in the Spirit; and more 

Leseprobe

Thank you for downloading this Crossway book.

Sign up for the Crossway Newsletter for updates on special offers, new resources, and exciting global ministry initiatives:

Crossway Newsletter

Or, if you prefer, we would love to connect with you online:

“In Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow, Chris Bruno helpfully takes us to the heart of Paul’s theology in the letter to the Philippians: our union with the suffering and exalted Christ, from which flow our strength, hope, and calling as God’s people. As a skilled teacher, Bruno draws out the many theological and pastoral riches of Paul’s short letter. This is an encouraging book!”

Uche Anizor, Professor of Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

“Philippians is known for many things—citizenship, joy, suffering, partnership, the church, and Christ’s own example. Chris Bruno skillfully integrates these realities and shows that they find their commonality ‘in Christ,’ whose joy and sorrow form the logic of the letter. From Christology flows ecclesiology, ethics, mission, and eschatology. This is a great introduction to the letter to the Philippians.”

Patrick Schreiner, Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, The Mission of the Triune God and The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross

“With his characteristic clarity, sound judgment, and fresh insight, Chris Bruno guides his readers on a whistle-stop tour of the central teachings in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Along the way, Bruno makes sure we see that the Christian’s good, like the letter itself, begins and ends with our union with Christ. It’s what gives us our status as God’s children, guarantees our resurrection in the life to come, and, in the meantime, enables us to live lives that can—wonder of wonders—find joy in sorrow and even put others before ourselves. I was refreshed by reading this book.”

Jared Compton, Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Bethlehem College and Seminary

“Chris Bruno’s theology of Philippians is Christ-centered, clearly built on a foundation of careful exegesis. It displays deep familiarity with the text of Philippians and Paul’s teaching generally. If you are a pastor or teacher planning on working through Philippians, this book is a must-have. I frequently teach a class on Philippians, and this book is now required. You won’t find platitudes and slogans about suffering and joy, but you will find the risen Christ in whom you may have joy in the midst of sorrow.”

Brian Vickers, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow

New Testament Theology

Edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Brian S. Rosner

The Beginning of the Gospel: A Theology of Mark, Peter Orr

From the Manger to the Throne: A Theology of Luke, Benjamin L. Gladd

The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts, Patrick Schreiner

Ministry in the New Realm: A Theology of 2 Corinthians, Dane C. Ortlund

Christ Crucified: A Theology of Galatians, Thomas R. Schreiner

United to Christ, Walking in the Spirit: A Theology of Ephesians, Benjamin L. Merkle

Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow: A Theology of Philippians, Chris Bruno

Hidden with Christ in God: A Theology of Colossians and Philemon, Kevin W. McFadden

To Walk and to Please God: A Theology of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Andrew S. Malone

The Appearing of God Our Savior: A Theology of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, Claire S. Smith

Perfect Priest for Weary Pilgrims: A Theology of Hebrews, Dennis E. Johnson

The God Who Judges and Saves: A Theology of 2 Peter and Jude, Matthew S. Harmon

The Joy of Hearing: A Theology of the Book of Revelation, Thomas R. Schreiner

Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow

A Theology of Philippians

Chris Bruno

Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow: A Theology of Philippians

© 2025 by Christopher R. Bruno

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Kevin Lipp

First printing 2025

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NASB 1995 are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7527-3 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7530-3 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7528-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Bruno, Chris, 1980- author. 

Title: Sharing Christ in joy and sorrow : a theology of Philippians / Chris Bruno. 

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2025. | Series: New Testament theology | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2024031714 (print) | LCCN 2024031715 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433575273 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433575280 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433575303 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Philippians—Commentaries. | Bible. Epistles of Paul—Theology. 

Classification: LCC BS2705.53 .B77 2025 (print) | LCC BS2705.53 (ebook) | DDC 227/.607—dc23/eng/20250206

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024031714

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024031715

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2025-05-15 03:52:04 PM

For my dad, Jerry Bruno†.

To live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Contents

Series Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

1  The Suffering and Exalted Christ

2  Union with the Risen Christ

3  The Church as United Ambassadors of the Kingdom

4  The Sovereign God and the Gospel Proclaimed and Opposed

5  The Hope of Life with Christ

6  Joy and Sorrow

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Recommended Resources

General Index

Scripture Index

Series Preface

There are remarkably few treatments of the big ideas of single books of the New Testament. Readers can find brief coverage in Bible dictionaries, in some commentaries, and in New Testament theologies, but such books are filled with other information and are not devoted to unpacking the theology of each New Testament book in its own right. Technical works concentrating on various themes of New Testament theology often have a narrow focus, treating some aspect of the teaching of, say, Matthew or Hebrews in isolation from the rest of the book’s theology.

The New Testament Theology series seeks to fill this gap by providing students of Scripture with readable book-length treatments of the distinctive teaching of each New Testament book or collection of books. The volumes approach the text from the perspective of biblical theology. They pay due attention to the historical and literary dimensions of the text, but their main focus is on presenting the teaching of particular New Testament books about God and his relations to the world on their own terms, maintaining sight of the Bible’s overarching narrative and Christocentric focus. Such biblical theology is of fundamental importance to biblical and expository preaching and informs exegesis, systematic theology, and Christian ethics.

The twenty volumes in the series supply comprehensive, scholarly, and accessible treatments of theological themes from an evangelical perspective. We envision them being of value to students, preachers, and interested laypeople. When preparing an expository sermon series, for example, pastors can find a healthy supply of informative commentaries, but there are few options for coming to terms with the overall teaching of each book of the New Testament. As well as being useful in sermon and Bible study preparation, the volumes will also be of value as textbooks in college and seminary exegesis classes. Our prayer is that they contribute to a deeper understanding of and commitment to the kingdom and glory of God in Christ.

Chris Bruno’s theology of Philippians rightly captures the heart of Paul’s letter: the joy that pulsates throughout the letter, the focus on the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, the centrality of union with Christ, the righteousness that comes from being united to Christ, and the transformation that takes place in those who belong to Christ. What it means to follow Christ and to live for him is woven into the fabric of the letter; and we see the imitation of a life devoted to Christ in the lives of Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. Of course, the supreme example of living for the glory of God and for the good of others is Christ himself, who humbled himself for our salvation and was exalted by God as a result. The humiliation and exaltation of Christ, however, are not limited to him, for the same pattern is replicated in the lives of disciples. When we live humbly and for the sake of others, God promises to reward us as well. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we are equal to Christ, who is the God-man, but it does mean that our union with Christ speaks to both the present and the future. We are reminded in Philippians that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Chris Bruno catches both the theology and the pastoral vision of Paul in this remarkable letter.

Thomas R. Schreiner and Brian S. Rosner

Abbreviations

ATIAmerican Theological Inquiry

BDAG  Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

BECNT  Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

BNTC  Black’s New Testament Commentary

BTCB  Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible

CBR  Currents in Biblical Research

CTJ  Calvin Theological Journal

EGGNT  Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament

IVPNTC  IVP New Testament Commentary

JBTMJournal for Baptist Theology and Ministry

JSPL  Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters

JTS  Journal of Theological Studies

LXX  Septuagint

NAC  New American Commentary

Neot  Neotestamentica

NCBC  New Cambridge Bible Commentary

NICNT  New International Commentary on the New Testament

NIGTC  New International Greek Testament Commentary

NIVAC  NIV Application Commentary

NSBT  New Studies in Biblical Theology

NTC  New Testament in Context

PAST  Pauline Studies

PNTC  Pillar New Testament Commentary

TNTC  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

TOTC  Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

Them  Themelios

TynBul  Tyndale Bulletin

WTJ  Westminster Theological Journal

WUNT  Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

ZECNT  Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Introduction

When I was completingthis book, my dad was hospitalized with late-stage cancer. As I write these words, I’m sitting in his hospital room while we prepare for the Lord to take him home. The message of Philippians takes deep root in circumstances like these. This short letter teaches theology and application that extend far beyond its first audience because it makes an amazing claim. Paul and the Philippians were mysteriously and truly united to the divine Messiah who humbled himself by dying on a Roman cross but emerged victorious from the grave. Christians throughout the centuries and around the world continue to share in that mysterious union with Christ in both suffering and glory. This, in short, is the theology of Philippians, and the truth of this theology gives us great hope in and through our sorrow.

Though Philippians contains specific instructions, encouragements, and greetings for that first-century church, it nonetheless continues to speak into many other situations and circumstances with power and authority. For the letter was not only written by Paul but also inspired by God to give his people hope and encouragement to remain united and steadfast in the gospel through both joy and sorrow. This is the hope that gave my father comfort during the last days of his life and gives me comfort as we wait for the day of the Lord, when our joy in Christ will push away all earthly sorrow and pain.

Background

Before we consider the theology of the book, it will be instructive to note a few points of background. First, Paul likely wrote the letter in the early 60s from his Roman imprisonment. Though some have suggested that Paul was imprisoned in either Caesarea or Ephesus, the references to the “imperial guard” in Philippians 1:13 and “Caesar’s household” in 4:22 strongly suggest that he was in Rome (perhaps during the imprisonment mentioned in Acts 28:16, 30–31).1 Therefore, I will assume that Paul was in prison in Rome throughout this book. If Paul was indeed writing from Rome, then the connections between Rome and Philippi may have been on his mind at several points in the letter.

During the expansion of Macedonian power under Philip II and his son Alexander in the fourth century BC, Philippi was a prominent city in Macedonia due to its strategic location near mineral sources and fertile agriculture. As Rome’s power increased, the city came under Roman rule in 168 BC and was later “refounded” by Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) after he and Mark Antony won a key victory near the city. Philippi was declared a Roman colony, and its citizens were granted Roman citizenship.2 Thus, the shadows of Caesar and his empire loomed large over the city when Paul first arrived. Philippi likely included both Greek and Roman citizens along with a relatively insignificant Jewish population.3

Paul’s first arrival in Philippi is recounted in Acts 16:11–34, when both the household of Lydia and that of the Philippian jailer heard and believed the gospel. I will discuss these circumstances more below, but if Paul arrived in Philippi the first time around AD 49 and the letter was written in the early 60s, then the church would have been ten to fifteen years old. If the congregation reflected the city, it would have been composed of both Jews and Gentiles, and it is possible that a majority of the congregation was Gentile.4 As the letter indicates, the church had apparently continued to support Paul’s ministry and partner with him in significant ways. In fact, the letter was written because they had sent one of their own, Epaphroditus, with a gift from them. Though Epaphroditus had become quite sick while he was with Paul in Rome, he had recovered and returned to Philippi with a letter of thanksgiving, encouragement, and exhortation.5

Key Themes and Overview

As we consider some of the key biblical-theological themes in the book, I will begin by noting that the letter to the Philippians, like all of Paul’s letters, is intensely Christological. Seeing the centrality of Christ and our real union with him is crucial for understanding the book and its exhortations, for union with Christ in joy and sorrow lies at the center of the themes that I will highlight throughout this study. As we will see, these themes overlap in significant ways, so we can portray their relationship in a Venn diagram in which union with Christ is at the center (see figure 1):

Figure 1. Key themes in Philippians with “union with Christ” at the center

We will begin in chapter 1 by considering the humiliation and exaltation of Christ in Philippians 2:1–11 as foundational for much of the rest of the letter. From this we will see how Paul, the Philippians, and all Christians are called to imitate Christ in joy and sorrow.

Chapter 2 will look more closely at union with Christ, a theme that appears over twenty times in the letter and is foundational for all of Paul’s instructions for the church. We will see the central role that union with Christ plays in the theology of Philippians, from beginning (“To all the saints in Christ Jesus,” 1:1) to end (“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus,” 4:21). The chapters that follow flow from our union with Jesus in both his suffering and exaltation.

In chapter 3, we will see that Paul calls the church to unity and shared humility because of its shared union with Christ (2:2–3). As a result, the church ought to recognize and honor the pastors and teachers whom God uses in her midst (2:19–30). In addition, the church is an outpost of the coming kingdom, not Rome (3:20–21); therefore, it ought to strive for unity among its members (4:2–3) and with other congregations (4:14–19).

Chapter 4 considers Paul’s instructions about gospel proclamation in view of both our union with Christ and his robust confidence in the sovereignty of God in salvation (2:12–13). His theology of gospel proclamation in Philippians includes both positives and negatives. Examples of the latter include those who preach from wrong motives and false teachers who oppose the gospel (1:12–17; 2:14–15; 3:2–3; 3:17–21).

In chapter 5, we will see how the hope of Christ’s return and the new creation animates our life in this age. Paul emphasizes “the day of Christ” in his opening (1:10), and several times in the letter he highlights themes related to the return of Christ and our eschatological life with him (1:19–26; 2:10–11; 3:11, 20–21; 4:5). The fundamental hope of the last day in Philippians is fellowship and greater experience of our present union with Christ.

In chapter 6, we will conclude by considering how Paul calls the Philippians to ongoing joy through their suffering. He himself rejoices even while in prison, for his union with Christ and the outcome of the gospel is secure (1:12–18). Because of God’s sovereign hand, the Philippians can rejoice in any circumstance (2:14–18; 3:1; 4:11–13). For all believers, our greatest joy is Christ, and this joy will overcome any other hardship or loss (3:8–16).

Finally, a brief word on the biblical-theological content of Philippians. As Moisés Silva notes, there are no explicit quotations of and few allusions to the Old Testament in the letter.6 Nonetheless, Philippians has deep roots in the Old Testament and the story of Israel. Though I will not be able to dredge these allusions thoroughly, I will touch on them as I encounter them. In so doing, we will see that there are indeed deep connections to the story of the Bible in this letter. However, the soundings on these biblical-theological connections—not to mention interaction with other scholars and debated views—will be limited due to the scope of this project.

As we enter this theological overview of Philippians, I invite you to consider afresh what it means to be united with Christ in your joy and sorrow. May the Lord open our eyes to see afresh how this short letter written from a Roman prison almost two thousand years ago continues to speak to us of the Lord’s grace through our union with the risen and exalted Christ.

1  Gordon Fee is correct to note that “the natural reading of these texts implies a Roman provenance to the letter.” Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 34. This was also the assumption of John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, trans. John Pringle, vol. 21 in Calvin’s Commentaries (repr., Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003), 35–36.

2