Learning How to Study an Epistle with the Book of Philippians #5 We are now in the fifth week of our study in the epistle of Philippians. For the past four weeks we have gathered tools such as commentaries and study bibles, and we have learned new processes to help us use these tools well. So far we have learned what an epistle is, how to outline it, and last week we added a new process in learning how to trace the argument throughout an epistle. Study Overview In this study, we will be adding a new process called diagramming to help us understand the argument and meaning of the text. This process will help to simplify the phrases so that we can see the flow of the text. There are two kinds of diagramming that we can use, block diagramming and sentence diagramming. For this week, we are going to focus on block diagramming. Block Diagramming Block diagramming can seem extremely tedious unless we understand why we would do this. While it is possible to understand the meaning of the text without diagramming, it will help us understand the grammar of the text. Block diagramming will make us consider how every single word and phrase functions and relates in a sentence. In order to help us with block diagramming, some terms and definitions have been written out for reference. Here is a list of steps that will help you work through block diagramming the text. 1. Identify independent clauses 2. Identify dependent clauses 3. Indentify phrases Following these three steps will set you up for success as you diagram. Now, for those of you who don’t know or remember what clauses and phrases are, here are some definitions to help you out. •
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Clause – A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a verb. o Independent clause – A clause that can stand alone as its own sentence o Dependent clause – A clause that begins with a coordinating adjective Phrase – A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and a verb. Philippians 1:27a-­‐Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, Only conduct yourselves In a manner Worthy of the gospel Of Christ 1 | P a g e Notice that the independent clause is the first in the diagram, and everything else is subordinate to that clause. The rest of the text is phrases describing the conduct of the Philippians. Step One: Highlight Clauses and Phrases Remember the three steps that will help you block diagram: 1. Identify independent clauses (Yellow) 2. Identify dependent clauses (Red) 3. Indentify phrases (Green) The way you are going to identify them is by highlighting them in different colors. You will start with the independent clause, but since there is only one, it has been highlighted for you. Notice that everything following this independent clause describes this clause and is subordinate to it. Paul’s main point to the Philippian church was for them to only conduct themselves. 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God, 29 for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Now that we have the one independent clause, highlight all of the dependent clauses in red. Every one of these clauses describes the clause only conduct yourselves. The first one has been highlighted for you (Clue: there is another dependent clause in between the one that has been highlighted already.) There are 6 dependent clauses… 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God, 29 for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Lastly, highlight all of the phrases in the passage. Notice that every phrase will either describe a clause or another phrase. The first couple phrases have been highlighted for you. 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God, 29 for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Step Two: Block Diagramming Now that you have the passage highlighted and all of the clauses and phrases identified, try putting the passage into a block diagram. The first verse has been done for you. Everyone’s will look a little different, but the key is that you understand where the clauses and phrases break and what they modify in the sentence. This will help you understand the meaning of Paul’s message. (Clue: Every phrase or clause after only conduct yourselves is in some way subordinate to that and describing it. 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God, 29 for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that I will hear whether I come and see you or remain absent of you that you are standing firm in one spirit striving together with one mind for the faith of the gospel QUESTION: Did block diagramming help you better understand the flow of the argument? General Notes Phil 1:27-­‐28 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God, BIG PICTURE: Paul’s first and foremost command to the Philippian church was to only conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Everything else flows from this statement. Paul’s desire was to see the church standing firm in unity as they strive together without fear for the gospel. Paul’s argument is that if the church would work on their personal conduct, then the result would be their standing firm in unity. Paul gave them two ways to know if they were standing firm and those were to see if they were striving together for the gospel and if they were not living in fear of their opponents. Apparently the church was struggling with quarrels among themselves as well as fear of persecution. Everyone was considering their own needs and desires rather than striving for unity, so Paul called them out in their conduct so that they would be able to stand firm in unity. REFLECTION QUESTION: What preferences and struggles keep you from striving in unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ? REFLECTION QUESTION: As a believer, what are your greatest fears of persecution? REFLECTION QUESTION: What truth from Scripture can you use to combat your specific fears? REFLECTION QUESTION: What is the most encouraging portion of this passage to you? Phil 1:29-­‐30 29 for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. BIG PICTURE: Verses 29-­‐30 were meant to be an encouragement to the church in Philippi. Just a few verses earlier, Paul was joyfully exclaiming what God was doing through his suffering (1:12). Paul was encouraging the Philippians to respond in a similar fashion, but in order to do that, Paul needed to remind them that suffering for Christ was actually a gift…it was a privilege to suffer for Christ! Apparently, the church was struggling to see that their suffering was good. Their definition of good and God’s definition of good were different. God wanted to use their suffering to further His message of the gospel! REFLECTION QUESTION: What complaints do you have in your suffering? REFLECTION QUESTION: What sufferings do you have that God can use to further the gospel? REFLECTION QUESTION: Memorize Philippians 1:29 REFLECTION QUESTION: What was the most encouraging part of this study?