Philippians

The book of Philippians features several connections with Acts 16. In Acts 16, Paul was in a Philippian jail because of his witness for Jesus (vv. 19–24), but the apostle didn’t allow his imprisonment to stop his witness for Him (vv. 25–34). Philippians was written from a Roman jail and, once again, the gospel was advanced through Paul, the prisoner (Philippians 1:12–14). While the geographical venue was different, the situation was the same—jail time for speaking about Jesus. The apostle was transformed from a Pharisee and persecutor of Christ and His church (3:5–6) to one who wholeheartedly testified, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (1:21). Furthermore, Paul’s passionate pursuit of Jesus warranted the use of the athletic metaphor of an undistracted runner in pursuit of a prize (3:13–14). For Paul, Christ was the prize!

Arthur Jackson