Magazines · The Epistle to the Philippians

Epaphroditus had brought a gift from the saints in Philippi to the Apostle in prison, which he viewed as "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God", and as he thought of the needs of the saints at Philippi, he wrote, "But my God shall abundantly supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:18-19). All the resources of God, His riches in glory, are in Christ Jesus, and from those infinite stores God is able to meet our every need, whether spiritual or material. As in chapter 1:1, so at the close of the Epistle the saints are again viewed as "in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:21). It was a delight for Paul to view the saints as in Christ, where they are seen in all that He is, in His perfections and as the Beloved of the Father. This is how we too should take account of the saints of God.