“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.”
Now we come to the conclusion and farewell of the book of Philippians (4:21-23).
Greetings come from several sources. First, Paul sent his own greeting.
4:21
“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.”
Final greetings came to the Philippians from Paul, from his fellow workers, from other believers, and the Praetorian Guard.
“Every saint” means every individual believer in Philippi. No matter how humble that believer might have been, Paul wanted to make sure they received his greeting. Every individual received his greeting. No one was unimportant to him.
“The brethren who are with me greet you.”
Paul’s companions greeted the Philippians. This was the second greeting. They were probably Paul’s traveling companions, such as Timothy.
4:22a
“all the saints greet you”
The third category of people who greeted the Philippians were the “saints.” “All the saints” are probably the believers in the church at Rome (Php 1:1). Next time, we will study the fourth and last greeting, the greeting from a powerful political force in the Roman Empire.
Greetings are characteristic of Paul’s letters. He was considerate of people. He loved people.
Principle:
Greeting shows consideration of others.
Application:
The thoughtfulness of people is a core value of Christianity. Today when you pass by others, will you honor their presence with a greeting? Will you show interest in others and their concerns? Is everyone in your purview important to you, no matter how “insignificant” to others they may be?
