1. Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does Paul exhort the Philippians to think about the list of virtues?

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

In short

Paul exhorts the Philippians to think about the list of virtues because

  1. he wants them to avoid sin by cultivating a virtuous mind; or

  2. he wants them not to abandon the culture.

Most likely, Paul is encouraging the Philippians to right Christian conduct. Paul knows that what is on a person’s mind will influence his behaviour, so if the Philippians dwell on what is excellent, honourable, and praiseworthy, this will influence their conduct toward right Christian behaviour. Interestingly, the virtues listed by Paul are also found in secular Greek philosophers, and we know from other passages that it is not unlike Paul to encourage behaviour by leaning on the example of secular culture (Romans 13:1; 1 Corinthians 5:1–2).

Some contend that since the virtue list is found in secular thinkers, Paul likely wants the Philippians to see that they should not abandon worldly culture wholesale. These contend that the Philippians were likely opposed by those in the city, and this might cause the Philippians to conclude that all secular culture is bad. Paul does not want the Philippians to think that all secular culture is bad, so he exhorts them to think carefully about the virtues extoled by secular philosophers.

The problem with this view is that it confuses Paul’s method with his intent. While Paul’s method is to utilize the virtue list of Greek philosophers, this does not mean that he intends to show that secular culture should not be abandoned. For there is nothing from the context to suggest that the Philippians had a problem with secular culture. Rather, the context suggests that Paul wants to motivate right Christian behaviour (Philippians 2:3–5; Philippians 3:17–21), which reflection on the virtues encourages.

Thus, the reason Paul calls on the Philippians to think carefully about the virtue list is because he wants them to develop right Christian behaviour.

Interpretation 1:
Paul wants the Philippians to avoid sin by cultivating a virtuous mind.

Summary:

In many ways, sin originates with the mind. Thus, Paul encourages the Philippians to cultivate a life of purity by exhorting them to continually fill their minds with virtues, beauty, and excellencies.

God created us with a reasoning faculty that allows us to contemplate the world, and what we contemplate affects our behaviour. It is all too easy to contemplate wicked things, leading to sinful conduct. Instead, we ought to set our minds on the virtues of excellence and beauty, leading to right Christian conduct.

Advocates:

  • Michael Bird

  • Peter O’Brien

  • Bonnie Thurston

Minor differences:

Our authors agree that the reason Paul exhorts the Philippians to think about the list of virtues and excellencies is to cultivate right thinking and behaviour. Still, there are some minor differences.

On Michael Bird’s account, the Philippian church faces fracture and internal strife, so Paul leans on the psychological notion of positive thinking to get them through these challenges. Paul knows that negative thoughts can aggravate current challenges, so he exhorts them to positive thinking to help them get past their anxieties and to avoid infighting.1

Peter O’Brien has a broader view in mind. That is, he thinks not that Paul addresses internal fighting or current anxieties but that he desires for the Philippians to cultivate good behaviour. By taking into account and reflecting on the virtues and excellencies he describes (whatever is true, honourable, excellent, etc.), the Philippians' conduct will be shaped by these positive characteristics.2

Arguments

Possible weaknesses

Interpretation 2:
Paul exhorts the Philippians not to abandon the culture.

Summary:

The Philippians are being persecuted by non-believers, but Paul does not want them to infer that all worldly culture is bad. So he presents a list of Greek morals and exhorts the Philippians to reflect on these, implying that there are aspects of the world that are not to be abandoned.

Advocates:

  • Gordon Fee

  • Walter Hansen

  • Frank Thielman

Minor differences:

Our authors agree that by exhorting the Philippians to think of the list of virtues, Paul is telling them not to abandon the world entirely.

According to Gordon Fee, Paul utilizes the language of Greek moralism in order to demonstrate to the Philippians that, although they are citizens of heaven, they do not altogether abandon the world in which they used to, and still do, live.11 Rather, Christians embrace the best of worldly culture, understood in light of the cross.

Frank Thielman has a similar thought in mind. He surmises that the Philippians were opposed by the world, and so may have been inclined to think everything in the world was tainted with evil.12 Thus, by exhorting the Philippians to think about Greek morals, Paul reminds the Philippians that, although society sometimes seems hostile and evil, it is still part of God’s world and contains much good that the believer can affirm.13

Walter Hansen generally agrees with Fee and Thielman. For Hansen, Paul has purposely presented a list of Greek morals and virtues so that he can help the Philippians see that although the church experiences opposition from the culture (Philippians 1:28), this opposition should not lead to a totally negative judgment and repudiation of culture.14 Still, Hansen does not think that the only reason Paul exhorts the Philippians to think about the Greek morals is to demonstrate that worldly culture should not be abandoned. Rather, he also wants them to develop these virtuous characteristics.15

Arguments

Possible weaknesses