You Are Being Transformed: Philippians in About 200 Words
Paul was an essayist. That vital point gets lost in the way his work is often presented. The chapter-and-verse divisions of modern bibles work to pixelate these writings, encouraging single-sentence excerpts as well as sermons or devotions built upon tiny increments of text. All this runs contrary to what Paul was doing when he sat down to write these works. With each of the letters from Paul that survive today in the New Testament, the apostle had one big idea he was trying to express—a single important theme he was writing the letter to explore and develop.
Yet who can be blamed for excerpting these works? Paul’s writings are powerful and profound; they are inspired. The separate lines out of these letters do offer implication and insight beyond the reach of just the letter’s context.
So what follows is something different: not an excerpt, but rather the theme of one of Paul’s letters developed through something like the sequence of points by which he developed it, in a passage not much longer than a fragmentary excerpt.
I have chosen the letter to the Philippians. While Paul was imprisoned, he wrote letters to communities of Christ-followers in various cities across the Roman world. Upon receiving a gift of financial support from the church in Philippi, he wrote back to them with a letter addressing one of the huge, often-unasked questions hanging over Christian faith. Namely, why isn’t coming to faith the end of it? Why do we remain here—imprisoned, in a way—within this world and also within our own continuing failure, sin, and suffering? The larger answer is that the world is being remade; the new creation is now underway. But the more immediate answer, the theme Paul chose to develop, is that each of us is being transformed. You are being transformed.
Here, then, is my own condensed paraphrase of the work. The letter as written actually comes from Paul and Timothy; the latter’s presence is one example of a detail I have pruned out of this paraphrase, because so much of the work seems to come in first-person singular. Of course what follows is no substitute for the original, but here is an excerpt-sized attempt at bringing the full theme of the essay closer:
To the Philippians, from Paul:
You are being transformed.
I hope that transformation will include the ability to see past all the messages you’re hearing that are false. I am being transformed, too—my own struggle is in the area of shame.
My life continues for Christ, for fruitfulness for his sake. And your life continues for the same reason. The way is not easy! Proceed in humility: Look out for others’ interests along with your own.
God is giving you the desire and ability to do what he would have you do. Keep going despite your internal resistance.
Do not complain or argue. Be noteworthy for this.
God has taken hold of me, so I want to be completed in knowing him. You should wish for the same thing. We are different from the world, you and I, and our destiny is to be transformed free of this world.
Now I want to give you personal reassurance: I love you.
The Lord is present with us. Rejoice in him and let others see us rejoicing.
Do not worry. It’s hard not to do so, but here is the way: Keep on letting God know what you want.
Let me stress again my hope: That you recognize what is superior and turn your thoughts to this. Be transformed, and God will be with you.
What I love about this letter is the way the spiritual meets the practical, the way the divine and the dreary can both be seen as real parts of the Christian experience. The awakening into faith is not an on-switch activating happiness, confidence, ease, or even goodness. Rather, it is the beginning of a process of our own transformation that is both an aspect of, and an aid to, the transformation of the world as the kingdom comes and God reclaims his own. Our suffering might be great during this passage, even greater than if we had never had faith. To be sad, to face times when the way forward is difficult or gray, is not to experience a failure of faith, but perhaps instead to experience it working.
Now here are lines from my brief paraphrase above with some of the related quotes from Paul’s letter:
You are being transformed.
I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. —Phil 1:6
I hope that transformation will include the ability to see past all the messages you’re hearing that are false.
And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. —Phil 1:9-11
I am being transformed, too—my own struggle is in the area of shame.
My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. —Phil 1:20-21
My life continues for Christ, for fruitfulness for his sake.
Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me. —Phil 1:22
...your life continues for the same reason.
It has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him. —Phil 1:29
Proceed in humility: Look out for others’ interests along with your own.
Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus. —Phil 2:3-5
God is giving you the desire and ability to do what he would have you do. Keep going despite your internal resistance.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. —Phil 2:12-13
Do not complain or argue. Be noteworthy for this.
Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world. Hold firmly to the message of life. —Phil 2:14-15
God has taken hold of me, so I want to be completed in knowing him.
My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. —Phil 3:10-12
You should wish for the same thing.
Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. We should live up to whatever truth we have attained. —Phil 3:13-16
We are different from the world....
Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven. —Phil 3:18-20
...our destiny is to be transformed free of this world.
We also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself. —Phil 3:20-21
...I want to give you personal reassurance, Philippians: I love you.
My brothers, you are dearly loved and longed for—my joy and crown. —Phil 4:1
The Lord is present with us. Rejoice in him and let others see us rejoicing.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. —Phil 4:4-5
Do not worry. It’s hard not to do so, but here is the way: Keep on letting God know what you want.
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. —Phil 4:6-7
Let me stress again my hope: That you recognize what is superior and turn your thoughts to this.
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. —Phil 4:8
Be transformed, and God will be with you.
Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. —Phil 4:9