The Fundamental Identity of the Philippians

Union with Christ

In recent years, many biblical scholars and theologians have recognized that the essential reality of union with Christ is the cornerstone of our salvation.¹ Yet this recognition is a recovery of what John Calvin and other Reformers emphasized centuries ago. In his Institutes, Calvin reminds us that union with Christ is at the center of salvation:

That joining together of Head and members, that indwelling of Christ in our hearts—in short, that mystical union—are accorded by us the highest degree of importance, so that Christ, having been made ours, makes us sharers with him in the gifts with which he has been endowed. We do not, therefore, contemplate him outside ourselves from afar in order that his righteousness may be imputed to us but because we put on Christ and are engrafted into his body—in short, because he deigns to make us one with him. For this reason, we glory that we have fellowship of righteousness with him.²

The glorious truth of Christ’s righteousness being counted to us is rooted in our actual union with him. If this is the case, then the diversity of the metaphors that the New Testament uses to portray salvation are all united in the foundation that is union with Christ. This concept lies at the heart of salvation in all of Paul’s letters and in all the Bible.³

It is unsurprising, therefore, to see this key theme near the surface of all of Paul’s letters, including Philippians. We know that the suffering and exalted Christ is foundational for the letter. We should also see that Paul’s Christology and his soteriology are closely linked. The Philippian Christians were truly united to the risen and reigning Christ, and this union is foundational for everything else in the letter.

Mere Metaphor?

Throughout the epistle, the fundamental identity of the Philippian Christians is that they are “in Christ.” The letter opens in Philippians 1:1 by addressing its recipients as “the saints in Christ Jesus” (tois hagiois ev Christō Iēsou). This language is certainly not unusual in Paul’s letter openings.⁴ However, the phrase is repeated in the letter’s closing in Philippians 4:21, with another reference to “every saint in Christ Jesus” (panta hagion ev Christō Iēsou). In addition to these two verses, some reference to union with Christ (with or without the phrase “in Christ”) appears twenty-one times.⁵ Other Pauline letters have more references to union with Christ, but the high Christology of Philippians coupled with the exhortations grounded in unity with the risen Christ make this theme prominent in this letter.

But before we engage with this concept, we need to discuss briefly the breadth of union with Christ, for as we will see, some are not convinced of its prominence in Philippians. Moreover, some understand “in Christ” to be a metaphor. Although it is possible that “in Christ” could be metaphorical, the New Testament and particularly Paul’s letters point to a real spiritual union between Christ and the Christian. This is not to say that it can be quantified in precise terms; however, this union is more than metaphorical.⁶ Paul describes this real spiritual union in Romans 6:1–11, one of the fundamental texts on union with Christ in his letters. In this text, Paul emphasizes the spiritual connection between Christ and his church. We are truly united with him in his death and his resurrection (Rom. 6:5). In other words, there is a spiritual bond between Christ and the believer that is beyond metaphorical. It is a real union that results in the Christian sharing in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And this real union is covenantal, as Paul describes it in Romans 5.

In Romans 5, Paul explains that the human race shares the sin of Adam because we all are united to him in his sin. God created Adam and Eve in his image, which points to our union with him (Gen. 1:27–28). More to our point, the creation of Eve from Adam also indicates a fundamental union with each other (Gen. 2:21–25). However, the introduction of sin into the world shattered this union, for the curse that resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin shattered their relationship with each other (Gen. 3:16). In spite of the brokenness that sin introduced into the world, all humans continued as members of a covenant with Adam as their representative (Rom 5:12–21). We do not need to enter into the debates about how exactly we are united to Adam, but it is clear that our union with Adam in the fall is not a mere metaphor. We are truly united to Adam and consequently share in his curse. The inverse of this is our real union with Christ. We are truly united to him and share in his blessings. In our modern, individualistic society it is difficult to wrap our minds around this concept. However, the Scriptures are clear, and Paul’s emphasis throughout his letters is clear. All who have trusted Christ and followed him in baptism are really, if mysteriously, united to him.

Without this clear foundation in place, one might minimize the references to union with Christ in a book like Philippians, for several of the references to being “in Christ” or “in him” appear somewhat prosaic, especially in our modern English translations. However, if our starting place in understanding this phrase is the fundamental spiritual union that we share with the risen and exalted Messiah, then our perspective on these references will be anything but prosaic. Yet one need not look only to Romans to see this, for we can observe the importance of union with Christ in Philippians by considering more carefully how it frames the letter.

Union with Christ from Beginning to End

As noted above, the letter begins and ends with references to union with Christ (Phil. 1:1; 4:21). The Philippians’ fundamental identity is that they are found in Christ. Some claim that it is overreading to see union with Christ in this phrase, arguing that it probably means something like “Christian saints.”⁷ However, it is important to note the parallel between being “in Christ Jesus” (ev Christō Iēsou) and “in Philippi” (ev Philippois). They both indicate the location of the church, albeit in different ways. In the latter, Paul is referring to their physical location: the Roman city of Philippi. In the former, he is pointing to their spiritual location: They are found in Christ. An important implication of this is a contrast between citizenship in heaven and in Rome (Phil. 3:20). More fundamental than citizenship, however, is union with Christ.

Paul’s theology in Philippians is rooted in the risen Christ, the divine Son of God who humbled himself to the cross and is now exalted as Lord (Phil. 2:5–11).

If the risen and exalted Christ is the foundation for Paul’s biblical theology in this letter and his first description of the Philippians is “the saints in Christ Jesus,” then it follows that union with Christ is the foundation for how the Philippians are to conceive of themselves in all situations. As the letter unfolds, this identity will be the basis for their attitudes toward Christian ministry, each other, outsiders, and their own conduct. All of Paul’s instructions to the Philippians are grounded in this identity.

​​All who have trusted Christ and followed him in baptism are really, if mysteriously, united to him.

Union with Christ results in the Philippian Christians being “saints.”⁸ These two identity markers are closely linked, for through this union with the risen Christ, the Philippians receive the status that Christ himself has. Again, as Romans 5–6 emphasizes, union with Christ means that we are united with him in both his death and his resurrected life. Consequently, we share the status that Christ himself has. Because he was obedient to the point of death and subsequently exalted, we too share in his humiliation and exaltation; and we are set apart to God as his servants, just as Christ himself is. As we will see below, the Philippians’ other identities are subservient to their identity in Christ. They are Philippians and, as such, are citizens of a Roman colony. Their citizenship, however, is secondary to their identity in Christ. Any other status, as master or slave, male or female, is secondary to their union with Christ.

The letter not only begins with an emphasis on this union with Christ, but it also closes with a similar emphasis. Paul instructs the church, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:21). We might be tempted to read this final greeting as incidental. It is not uncommon for me to receive an email or letter in which the sender includes the closing “In Christ” or “Love in Christ.” When we use these signature lines, our intent is usually not to communicate a deep love that is found in our mystical union with the risen Messiah; consequently, we may tend to think of this line in a similar way, as an incidental closing. However, given the parallels with the letter opening, it is likely that Paul intended to connote a deep love that is found in our mystical union with the risen Messiah.

It is not immediately clear whether the phrase “in Christ Jesus” modifies the command “greet” or the noun “saint.” If it modifies the verb, then the meaning would be something akin to closing an email with “Love in Christ.” The command would be essentially saying that the Philippians ought to give a greeting that is somehow associated with Christ to the saints. But it is much more likely that the phrase modifies “every saint.” This would increase the parallel with the letter opening, for both the first and last descriptions of the Christians in Philippi would be as saints in Christ. As he closes the letter, in light of all of his instructions, Paul reminds the church that they are saints, separated to God, because of their union with Christ. The letter is framed by this fundamental identifier. The Philippian Christians, and all other Christians, are first and foremost identified by their union with Christ.

This article is adapted from Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow: A Theology of Philippians by Chris Bruno.

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