Marginal Notes

in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.  Philippians 1:5  NASB

Participation – Paul applauds the believers in Philippi for their “participation” in the gospel.  What does that mean?  Why don’t you make a list of the things that you associate with “participation in the gospel”?  Would you include going to church, taking an active role in some ministry, praying, studying the Bible or witnessing?  Don’t forget tithing (of course).  Are these the things that qualify you for Paul’s accolades?  Let’s take a look at his choice of words and see what we find.

“Participation in the gospel” in Greek is koinonia eis to euangelion.  Certainly you will recognize the two nouns, koinonia and euangelion.  Literally this is “the sharing of glad tidings” or “the association or community of good news.”  This is why the NASB has a marginal note stating that this word means “sharing in the preaching of the gospel.”  But that is a bit too evangelical.  There is nothing here that suggests this assembly preached the good news.  NIV renders the verse with “partnership in the gospel,” avoiding the extension that these believers were preaching the gospel message.  Since the text indicates only that these believers shared in the glad tidings, what could that mean?  The answer lies in the cultural context.

Paul is writing to believers in Philippi.  Founded in 356 BC, Philippi was originally established to control the mining of gold in the area and act as a strategic military outpost.  By the time of the Roman Empire, Philippi was considered a miniature Rome, wealthy in spite of its small size.  When Paul visited (Acts 16), we know that there was a considerable economic influence from pagan worship.  We can safely assume that Paul is writing to both Jews and Gentile converts residing in the city.  This means that Paul’s choice of koinonia is rooted in the Hebrew concept of qehelah, the assembly of the synagogue found in the city.  Since it was Paul’s custom to preach the euangelion in the synagogue, we should not be surprised that he addresses his letter to the same assembly.  Now we have the context for his comment about “participation.”  Gentiles left their pagan practices and join the group of Jews who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah.  These Gentiles were included in the community that continued to worship according to Torah instructions.  The code of conduct governing life for this assembly was Torah observance.  If fact, James notes that this is the expected acculturation process for all Gentile converts (cf. Acts 15).  When Paul commends these believers for their faithfulness in the glad tidings, there is no reason to doubt that he is speaking about their commitment to God’s instructions about life.  This is not about preaching.  It is about living out the Mosaic code.  In fact, if we were to translate the words as “sharing in the good news,” we would recognize the immediate connection to the idea of the tribal division of the Land.  These Gentiles have become co-inheritors with their Jewish brethren.  They share in the news about the Messiah and they have transformed their lives accordingly.

Today most of us are Gentiles.  We are just like those pagans in Philippi who converted and joined the assembly of believers in Yeshua HaMashiach.  No matter what we might call ourselves, if we are participants in the glad tidings, if we are partners in the good news, then we will have entered into the life Yeshua demonstrated – a life governed by Torah.  If we claim to be participants but we reject the only clear distinction between Philippian pagans and Philippian followers, then it is difficult to see how our claim can be valid.  In the end, it has almost nothing to do with what we say or preach.  It is all about how we live.

Topical Index:  participation, koinonia, Philippians 1:5, euangelion