Purpose Of Paul's Letter To Philippians

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Isagogics
Paul writes the book of Philippians as an apostle of Jesus. He fully understands the message that needs to be spread to the Church because of the history of his faith in his conversion. Paul is well known for persecuting Christians before he became a part of the faith himself. His faith life became so significant to him that it was the reason he was thrown in jail while he was on a missionary journey in Rome. In fact, Paul writes his letter to the Philippians from his jail cell in Rome. He composes his epistle to the people of Philippi to inform them that he is planning to visit. Paul also states in his letter that one should not attempt to gain salvation through works and good deeds, but rather should try to attain his salvation by faith. Some other purposes Paul states for writing his letters are to report his own circumstances of being in prison, to encourage …show more content…

In chapter 2 verses 12 and 13, Paul explains that one does not earn salvation through works but through spiritual growth and development. This book was written by Paul about 50 years after the death of Christ, so by this time one could be considered righteous through faith alone because Jesus died to save us from our own sins. Christ opened the gates to heaven for us by sacrificing his own life so that all Christians will be able to get to heaven through their spiritual growth and faith that what Jesus did is enough to get them into Heaven. Understanding this concept, this passage does not suggest that one attempt to gain salvation through works, such as good deeds for random people, but these two verses suggest for Christians to gain their salvation through the opposite, which is faith in Jesus Christ shown through perseverance, spiritual growth, and maturation.

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