To the Philippians

Contents

1. 0Polycarp and his fellow presbyters greet the church at Philippi.
2. 1.1Polycarp praises the Philippians for receiving and helping on their way the prisoners, Ignatius among them, who passed through their city.
3. 1.2The Philippians' long-standing faith still bears fruit in Christ, who died for our sins and was raised by God.
4. 1.3Believers rejoice in the unseen Christ, knowing they are saved by grace and not by works.
5. 2.1Serve God faithfully, believing in the God who raised Christ, who now reigns and will come to judge the living and the dead.
6. 2.2God will raise us as he raised Christ if we do his will, love what he loved, and refuse to repay evil for evil.
7. 2.3Polycarp quotes Jesus's teaching on not judging, on forgiving, and on the blessedness of the poor and the persecuted.
8. 3.1Polycarp explains that he writes about righteousness only because the Philippians asked him to.
9. 3.2No one can match the wisdom of Paul, who taught the Philippians in person and then wrote them letters that still build up their faith.
10. 3.3Faith is the mother of us all, followed by hope and led by love, and whoever loves has fulfilled the commandment of righteousness.
11. 4.1Love of money is the root of every trouble, so believers should arm themselves with righteousness and first learn to keep the Lord's commandment themselves.
12. 4.2Wives are to be taught to live in faith, love, and purity, to cherish their husbands, and to raise their children in the fear of God.
13. 4.3Widows are to pray constantly and avoid slander and greed, knowing that they are God's altar and that God sees every secret thought.
14. 5.1Because God is not mocked, believers must live worthily of his commandment.
15. 5.2Deacons must be blameless servants of God, following the Lord who became the servant of all and who promises that the faithful will reign with him.
16. 5.3Young men must live pure lives, because the sexually immoral will not inherit God's kingdom, and they must be subject to the presbyters and deacons; the virgins must keep a pure conscience.
17. 6.1Presbyters must be merciful shepherds who seek the lost, care for the weak, and judge fairly, remembering that all are sinners.
18. 6.2Those who ask forgiveness must forgive, since all will stand before Christ's judgment seat.
19. 6.3Serve Christ reverently as the Lord, apostles, and prophets taught, and avoid false brothers and hypocrites who mislead the unwary.
20. 7.1Polycarp condemns those who deny that Christ came in the flesh, who deny the witness of the cross, and who twist the Lord's words to deny resurrection and judgment.
21. 7.2Believers should hold to the teaching handed down from the beginning, watching in prayer and fasting as the Lord taught.
22. 8.1Christ, our hope, bore our sins on the cross without sin of his own and endured everything so that we might live in him.
23. 8.2Believers should imitate Christ's endurance and glorify him when they suffer for his name.
24. 9.1Polycarp urges endurance like that the Philippians saw in Ignatius, Zosimus, Rufus, Paul, and the apostles.
25. 9.2The martyrs did not run in vain; they are now with the Lord, because they loved Christ rather than this world.
26. 10.1Stand firm and follow the Lord's example, loving one another and despising no one.
27. 10.2Do good without delay, since almsgiving delivers from death, and live blamelessly so that the Lord is not blasphemed.
28. 10.3Woe to anyone who brings the Lord's name into contempt; teach and practice sober living.
29. 11.1Polycarp grieves over Valens, a presbyter at Philippi who misused his office, and warns the church against greed.
30. 11.2A leader who cannot control his own greed cannot teach others, for greed is idolatry and the saints will judge the world.
31. 11.3Polycarp has heard nothing of such faults among the Philippians, whom Paul praised and boasted about when few churches yet existed.
32. 11.4Polycarp prays that Valens and his wife repent and urges the church to restore them as straying members rather than treat them as enemies.
33. 12.1Polycarp trusts the Philippians' knowledge of Scripture and reminds them to be angry without sinning and not to let the sun go down on their anger.
34. 12.2Polycarp prays that God the Father and Jesus Christ the eternal high priest build the Philippians up and give them a share among the saints.
35. 12.3Pray for all believers, for rulers, for persecutors, and for the enemies of the cross.
36. 13.1Polycarp agrees to forward the Philippians' letter to Syria, as they and Ignatius asked.
37. 13.2Polycarp sends the Philippians a collection of Ignatius's letters and asks for any firm news of Ignatius.
38. 14.1Polycarp commends the letter-carrier Crescens and his sister and says farewell.