"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake."
Philippians 1:29
In our verse for today, Paul is talking to the church at Philippi and telling them how he longs to see them again but he doesn’t know if that will be possible. They knew well that his life as a believer had been one of great suffering. He knew what it is like to be hated, hounded, and hunted, only to be killed if found. And yet we see his attitude is one of settled trust in the Lord. In fact a recurring topic in this letter is joy. He was joyful even while suffering. He realized that the worst that man could do to him was to take his physical life; but then he would be with Christ, his gain, (v. 21).
Paul gives the Philippians reasons that they should not fear the persecution they were facing. It was a gift to them with two purposes—two privileges.
They were called “to trust (believe in) Jesus Christ.”
They were called “to suffer for His sake.”
The privilege of believing in Him: To become a child of God it is imperative that the sinner believe in Him. That is to completely rest in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is “by grace through faith in Him,” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Then as the new believer grows he/she quickly learns that we also trust Jesus and depend upon Him for every facet of our Christian life. We lean on Him and ask Him to guide us through all that comes to us. We know that we do not belong to ourselves and must trust Him with our lives—come what may. We are here to love and serve Him. Yes, our lives are not about us, but about Him. The Philippians saw this exemplified in Paul’s life.
The privilege of suffering for Him: After believing, the Philippians learned that God also granted to them the privilege of suffering for Him. Vincent said, “Suffering is a gift of grace, ‘It is given’ should be ‘it was given,’ referring to the gift bestowed when they became Christians.”1 The gift is not the suffering per se, but the privilege to suffer for Him, “for His sake.” To suffer for our Redeemer and for His cause is a blessing.
Paul said, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you…,” (Colossians 1:24).
Peter understood it, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings…,” (1 Peter 4:13).
James experienced it, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations…,” (James 1:2).
When we suffer for Jesus’ sake it is a privilege, because someone sees something in us that resembles Him.
1. M. R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, electronic version in eSword.