What is the fruit that increases to their credit?

Explanation:

After acknowledging that the Philippians have given to Paul’s ministry, Paul says that he seeks the fruit that increases to their credit. We can understand what he means by noticing that the phrase carries the notion of a business transaction, including the accrual of interest. We can detect this because the phrase the fruit that increases is used to denote something like accumulating interest. Further, the final phrase of the clause is to your credit, a technical expression used in business transactions to denote one’s account.⁴ Paul is saying that he seeks the interest that accumulates in the account of the Philippians. Of course, accruing interest has both daily and long-term benefits. On a daily basis, there is the benefit of the increase of interest, and long-term there is the total accumulation when the account is cashed out. In other words, the Philippians benefit spiritually on a daily basis, while the accumulated total will be rewarded when Christ returns.⁵

Counterargument:

Paul has nothing to say about the Philippians’ reward. Rather, he simply notes that while he benefits from their gift, his real interest is not in his own physical health but in their spiritual health.⁶ We can see that this is Paul’s meaning because the term he uses to denote the increase of interest is fruit. Of course, in other places, Paul refers to spiritual inclinations as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Also, Jesus teaches that every good tree produces good fruit, and every bad tree bad fruit, suggesting a connection between behaviour and one’s fruit. Thus, the increase of fruit to their account is an increase of spiritual fruit.

Response to counterargument:

This argument is fine as far as it goes, except that it fails to consider the meaning of the final phrase to your credit. Paul seeks not only the increase of their fruit but that the fruit increases to their account.⁷ That the fruit increases to their account suggests an accumulation of fruit that can someday be cashed out. In other words, the fruit is accumulating in the account until the day Christ returns.

Response to response to counterargument:

Of course, Paul does say that the fruit increases to their account, but he says nothing about it increasing to their account in order for it to be eventually cashed out. Rather, that the accumulation will one day be cashed out is an assumption being placed on the text. All Paul says is that the fruit will increase to their account, which is to say, it will increase to their accumulated benefit. The accumulated benefit may simply be the accumulation of spiritual growth that they experience.

Explanation:

When Paul says that he seeks for the fruit that increases to the account of the Philippians, he brings together two aspects of his thinking that he has already mentioned in the letter. First, in Philippians 1:9–11 he says it is his prayer that the Philippians’ love may abound until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness. In other words, Paul prays that the Philippians will be found filled with fruit on the day when Christ returns.⁸ Added to this, in Philippians 1:25 he says that he knows he will not die but will remain with the Philippians for their progress and joy in the faith. That is, Paul will help them grow spiritually.⁹ By the time we reach Philippians 4:17, we notice that he has combined these themes. That is, he says that he seeks the increase of fruit to their account. What he means is that he seeks for them to make progress in the faith and grow spiritually, so that they will be filled with fruit on the day of Christ. Of course, that they will be filled with fruit when Christ returns means that they will be rewarded according to their fruit.¹⁰

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it conflates being filled with fruit, with receiving a reward. In fact, Philippians 1:10–11 supports the notion that when Paul refers to the fruit that increases to their account, he has in mind their spiritual development but says nothing about a reward. For in Philippians 1:9–11, Paul says that he prays the Philippians will abound in love so they may be pure on the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness. Notice, Paul does not say that he prays that they may be fruitful so that they will be rewarded on the day of Christ. Rather, he prays they will be filled with the fruit of righteousness on the day of Christ. Likewise, in Philippians 4:17 he is saying that he seeks the increase of the Philippians’ fruit. Still, he says nothing about a reward in either Philippians 1:11 or Philippians 4:17.

Response to counterargument:

While it might be that Paul does not have a reward in mind in Philippians 1:11 or Philippians 4:17, he does seem to have in mind the accumulation that culminates on the day of Christ. We can detect this because Paul does express an anticipation for Christ’s return in Philippians 1:11, implying that being filled with the fruit of righteousness culminates on the day of Christ. So whether or not Paul has a reward in mind is not to the point. The point is, Paul seeks for the Philippians to increase in spiritual fruit until that righteousness reaches its fulness on the day of Christ.

The weakness of this view is that Paul says nothing about the coming of Christ in Philippians 4:17. Rather, if we simply interpret Paul based on what he says, he says he seeks the fruit that increases to their account. This can easily be taken to mean that he seeks their increased spiritual growth. Of course, this spiritual growth accumulates, at least until the day of their death, but Paul does not say anything here about Christ’s return.

Explanation:

When Paul says he seeks the fruit that increases to the credit of the Philippians, he has in mind a theological principle of reaping and sowing. That is, Paul is saying that by giving material gifts to Paul’s ministry, they reap spiritual growth. We can deduce that Paul has in mind something like reaping and sowing because he introduces this principle in his other letters when discussing giving financial gifts. For example, in 2 Corinthians 9:6 he says that the one who sows sparingly when it comes to giving to the ministry will also reap sparingly. Likewise, in Gal 6:8, he writes that the one who sows to his flesh reaps corruption, while the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life.¹⁴ Relatedly, when Paul says that he seeks the fruit that increases to the Philippians’ credit, he means that he seeks for the Philippians to give, which is to sow to the Spirit, and thus be rewarded with spiritual growth.

Counterargument:

Interestingly, while Paul might have in mind the principle of reaping and sowing, this does not mean that he has spiritual growth in mind. According to this view, Paul is saying that if Philippians sow by giving gifts to Paul’s ministry, they will reap spiritual growth. Of course, this is not exactly what Paul says in Philippians 4:17. Rather, what Paul says is that Paul seeks the fruit that increases to their benefit. In other words, Paul seeks whatever the Philippians might reap by giving to his ministry, but he does not say that what they will reap is spiritual growth. This leaves open the possibility that what they will reap is something else, for instance, eternal life.¹⁵ In other words, Paul might be saying that he seeks the fruit that increases to their account, which turns out to be eternal life. Such a notion would align with Galatians 6:8, where Paul says that those who sow in the Spirit, reap eternal life.

Response to counterargument:

When we apply the principle of reaping and sowing to Philippians 4:17, we see that what the Philippians reap is not a one-time reward such as eternal life. Rather, what they reap is something that increases, and so is ongoing. We can deduce this because Paul says he seeks the fruit that increases to their credit.¹⁶ Thus, Paul is saying that by giving to his ministry, he seeks the continual increase of the Philippians' fruit, which is to their account, or credit.

This view is fine as far as it goes. Paul does want the Philippians to develop spiritually, which is the result of joyfully giving to his ministry. The one weakness is that it overlooks the business-like language, which implies the accumulation of fruit to the Philippians' account. Such an image suggests that the bank account is continually filled to some end purpose, such as being found filled with the fruit of righteousness at the return of Christ.

Explanation:

Paul says that he seeks the fruit that increases to the Philippians’ credit. To understand what he means, it helps to notice that he uses the same term, fruit, in Philippians 1:11. There Paul refers to the Philippians’ fruit of righteousness on the final day. Given that Paul refers to the fruit of righteousness on the final day in Philippians 1:11 and the Philippians’ fruit increasing in Philippians 4:17, he likely has in mind the final day when the Philippians will give an account to Christ.¹⁷

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that Paul does not refer to the fruit of righteousness on the final day in Philippians 1:11. Rather, he says that he prays that the Philippians will be pure on the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ. In other words, Paul prays that the Philippians will increase in the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ, so that they will be filled with the fruit of righteousness when Christ returns. The fact is, he says nothing about receiving a reward for that righteousness or giving an account to Christ. Thus, one cannot use Philippians 1:11 to argue that when Paul refers to the fruit that increases to their account in Philippians 4:17, he has in mind the Philippians’ being rewarded on the day of Christ.

The weakness of this view is that it does not try to understand Paul’s meaning based on the immediate context or grammar of Philippians 4:17. If it did, it would notice that the fruit increases, and that Paul does not actually mention the Philippians’ receiving an award.