Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 14
March 21, 1963
NUMBER 45, PAGE 1,12a

The Saints At Philippi

Robert C. Welch

Philippi was a city of Macedonia, a Roman colony, a city of primary importance at the time of Paul. (Acts 16:12) It was the first city on the European continent to be visited by Paul with the establishing of the church. (Acts 16:11) He arrived at this place on his second great evangelistic tour, (Acts 15:36, 40) as the result of God's explicit direction. (Acts 16:6-10) It was to the people composing the church in this city that Paul and Timothy wrote: "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." (Phil. 1:1)

According to Conybeare and Howson, in The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, the city was first established by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. It was on the road through the mountain pass which separated the west from the east; the shortest route from Rome to the Asian continent. The reason can be easily seen for the Romans' making it one of their colonies. Being practically a Roman fort, it is understandable why the city did not contain a Jewish synagogue as was characteristic of nearly all other cities at that period. The place of prayer was naturally outside the gate (Acts 16:13); but that the worshippers had no building is but supposition.

Lydia's Heart

One of the saints at Philippi, together with her household, was Lydia. If not a Jew, she was at least a proselyte. The personnel of the city was a natural market for her trade. She sold the type of goods which was used by officials of the Roman government. (Acts 16:14) Thus this Asiatic (Acts 16:14) together with a Roman (Acts 16:23) are among the first to compose the church at Philippi.

The Lord opened Lydia's heart to give heed to the things spoken by Paul. (Acts 16:14) How does the Lord open hearts? Some suppose that he does it by some miraculous movement, enabling them to listen and understand the preached word. That is not the way the Lord says he does it. Long ago the psalmist sang; "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth undemanding to the simple." (Psa. 119:130) The Lord's parable of the sower teaches that the seed, the word of God, sown in an honest and good heart will bring forth fruit. (Luke 8:11, 15) The heart is moved by the word to obey the word. (1 Pet. 1:22-25; Rom. 6:17; John 6:44, 45) The gospel is God's power unto salvation. (Rom. 1:16) Lydia's heart was opened by this word of God spoken by Paul to give heed to it, to obey it, and not merely to hear it.

Lydia's household did the same thing that Lydia did; she and her household were baptized. (Acts 16:15) Paul taught that baptism is a burial. (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12) He baptized believers. (Acts 13:39; 18:8; 19:2-5) By the Holy Spirit's direction he taught that they were baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13); and that this is the church. (Eph. 1:22, 23) It is but bold assumption and cold contradiction of the teaching of the apostle to say that infants were sprinkled because the household of Lydia was baptized. Infants could not believe what Paul preached, and sprinkling is not a burial. The Spirit does not teach this, hence one is by the Spirit baptized into the church and that one is not a member of the church who has in his infancy been sprinkled.

The Jailor's Faith

The jailor had exactly the same thing preached to him which was preached to Lydia and all the others by Paul. The word of the Lord was preached to him. (Acts 16:32) The word of the Lord is; "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." (Mark 16: 15, 16) Hence the man who assumes that the jailor at Philippi was saved by faith only because faith is the only condition stated in verse 31, is contradicting what is said in the next verse, what was taught by Paul always, and the word of the Lord. The jailor and his household believed and were baptized. (Acts 16: 33, 34)

These two households are the beginning of the church at Philippi, the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, for they have been baptized into Christ. (Horn. 6:3; Gal. 3:26, 27) Lightfoot assumes that the slave girl from whom Paul cast the spirit of divination (Acts 16:16-18) was a third party composing these first saints at Philippi. He thus speaks of her; "The three converts, who are specially mentioned, stand in marked contrast each to the other in national descent, in social rank, in religious education.... In relations of everyday life they have nothing in common; the first is engaged in an important and lucrative branch of traffic; the second, treated by the law as a mere chattel without any social or political rights, is employed by her masters to trade upon the credulous superstition of the ignorant; the third, equally removed from both the one and the other, holds a subordinate office under government." The fact is, however, that Holy Writ says nothing of her conversion to Christ; it is mere assumption to say that she was one of the saints.

Living Saints

Paul addressed them as saints while they were still alive, and without any recorded proof (?) that they had performed any supernatural stunts which had been critically and scientifically examined to determine such a category. The Roman Catholic system of pronouncing certain of their number saints after they have died is an evident farce when compared with the teaching of the Bible. The word literally means holy; and the related word sanctify means, to separate to a holy life. Because of this, some have invented the doctrine that God sends a second working of grace upon men after they have been saved which removes even the inclination to sin. The word does not signify absolute sinlessness; that would be infinity, a characteristic belonging solely to God.

The saints at Philippi had been sanctified by the truth, the word of God. (John 17:17) They had freed themselves from the power of sin and had become the servants of righteousness in their obedience from the heart to that word. (Rom. 6:17) Having embarked on this holy life, they are to carry out this instruction in God's word; "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in fear of God." (2 Cor. 7:1) These saints at Philippi were to carry out the instructions given in the letter addressed to them in the process of perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

If you are in Christ, If you have obeyed the form of doctrine which is given in the Bible, if you have by faith been baptized into Christ, then you are a saint. You may not be all that God wills that you be; but you need to start from this point behaving in a manner worthy of this holy calling to which you have been separated. You, with the saints at Philippi, need to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12)

— 1932 S. Weller, Springfield, Missouri