Philippians 1:27–30 · King James Version

Worthy of the gospel

Whether Paul comes or not, they are to live as citizens worthy of the gospel, standing together and unafraid of their opponents, since suffering for Christ is given to them as faith is, in the same contest they saw in Paul.

4 verses · 15 glosses · All commentators

1:27

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Commentary · 4 glosses

Having ended his Preface, he descendeth now to exhortation; and first of all, he exhorteth to unity and consent, that being knit together with common bonds, they continue through the strength of faith to bear all adversity in such sort, that they do nothing unworthy the profession of the Gospel. stand fast in one spirit – It is a metaphor taken from wrestlers, that keep their ground, and shrink not a foot.

The original phrase as afterwards in this Epistle, 3:20; 4:8, and elsewhere, Acts 23:1, imports, that their deportment should be answerable to their Citizenship, that they should behave themselves as might be most to the public good of the Society to which they do relate, not being of the World here, any more than their Head, John 15:19; 17:16.

on 1:27–30

Observe, Those who profess the gospel of Christ should have their conversation as becomes the gospel, or in a suitableness and agreeableness to it. … Our religion must not be bound up in the hands of our ministers: “Whether I come or no, let me hear well of you, and do you stand fast.” … There is that in the faith of the gospel which is worth striving for. If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything. There is much opposition, and there is need of striving. A man may sleep and go to hell; but he who will go to heaven must look about him and be diligent.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ – Or “behave as citizens worthy of the Gospel”; … The allusion is to cities which have their peculiar laws and rules, to which the citizens are to conform; and such as behave according to them act up to the character of good citizens, and becoming, and worthy of the charter by which they hold their privileges and immunities. A church of Christ is as a city, and is often so called.

1:28

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

Commentary · 4 glosses

in nothing terrified by your adversaries – We ought not to be disheartened, but rather encouraged by the persecutions which the enemies of the Gospel threaten and raise against us, seeing that they are certain witnesses and evidences from God himself, both of our salvation, and of their destruction.

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries – The original word which the Apostle useth, imports, they should not be appalled or affrighted, as Men and Horses are apt to be when furiously charged by their deadly enemies, but stoutly receive them, keeping their ground, Matt 10:28; Luke 12:32.

on 1:27–30

Those who oppose the gospel of Christ, and injure the professors of it, are marked out for ruin. But being persecuted is a token of salvation. Not that it is a certain mark; many hypocrites have suffered for their religion; but it is a good sign that we are in good earnest in religion, and designed for salvation, when we are enabled in a right manner to suffer for the cause of Christ.

but to you of salvation; when men are reproached and ridiculed, are threatened and persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, and are enabled to take all patiently, and persevere in the truth with constancy, it is a manifest token that such are counted worthy of the kingdom of God; that God has a design of salvation for them, and that they shall be saved with an everlasting one.

1:29

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Commentary · 4 glosses

For unto you it is given … He proveth what he said before, that sufferings persecution is a token of our salvation, because it is a gift of God to suffer for Christ, which gift he bestoweth upon his own, as he doth the gift of faith.

not only to believe on him – That they did not only believe Christ, but believe on him, was not from any power of their own, John 6:37, 44, but of God’s free gift, Eph 2:8, as they had an instance amongst them in Lydia, Acts 16:14, unto Her and others was this victorious Grace of Faith freely given by the hearing of the Word, which was not unto many others that heard, Matt 13:11; 2 Thess 3:2; Titus 1:1, and as the grace itself was given, so was the exercise of it.

on 1:27–30

1. To believe in him. Faith is God’s gift on the behalf of Christ, who purchased for us not only the blessedness which is the object of faith, but the grace of faith itself: the ability or disposition to believe is from God. 2. To suffer for the sake of Christ is a valuable gift too: it is a great honour and a great advantage; for we may be very serviceable to the glory of God, which is the end of our creation, and encourage and confirm the faith of others.

now to suffer in name and character, in estate or person, not as an evildoer, but as a Christian, is a gift of God, as faith in Christ is; … The same persons to whom it is given to believe in Christ, to them it is given to suffer for him; and they all do in some shape or another, though some more, others less.

1:30

Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Commentary · 3 glosses

Having the same conflict which you saw in me … At my being with you, whereof we read, Acts 16:19–⁠40. and now hear to be in me – By the relation of others what I now endure in my bonds there at Rome.

on 1:27–30

It is not simply the suffering, but the cause, and not only the cause, but the spirit, which makes the martyr. A man may suffer in a bad cause, and then he suffers justly; or in a good cause, but with a wrong mind, and then his sufferings lose their value.

For it seems that the Philippians were now under persecution for the Gospel of Christ; but this was no new or strange thing; it was the same the apostle was under formerly, and at that time.

Sources & sigla

Excerpts keep their writers’ wording. ☞ marks the editor’s voice. A siglum opens its source at any point in the passage.

EA: English Annotations · 1645
The Westminster Assembly's committee of annotators, Annotations upon all the books of the Old and New Testament. First edition (London, 1645), EEBO-TCP A36467. Source text
P: Poole · 1685
Richard Adams, Matthew Poole's Annotations (Philippians and Colossians; Calamy, Account, 1713). Annotations upon the Holy Bible, vol. II (London, 1685), EEBO-TCP A55368. Source text
H: Henry (W. Harris) · 1710s
William Harris, Matthew Henry's Exposition of the Old and New Testament (vol. 6, completed after Henry's death). lyteword mhenry-complete Markdown (CC0). Source text
G: Gill · 1746–48
John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament. Good Books Free digital edition, checked against scans. Source text

Scripture: King James Version (1769). About this text and its editorial conventions

The commentators, introduced

Texts public domain · notes © 2026. The King James Version and the four commentaries are in the public domain in the United States. The selection and arrangement of the excerpts, their light modernization, the passage summaries, the introductions, the editor’s notes and the footnotes are © 2026 Baptist Seminarian; all rights in the new material reserved.