2 Paul's Prayer and Thanksgiving

The key theme of this book is Joy. That word appears sixteen times in the four chapters of this book. We see joy in Christ’s work for us; joy in the Holy Spirit’s work in us, and God’s plan for us. We have every reason to be joyful of what is being done for us and within us. Additional evidence of this sense of wonder and praise to God for all His efforts toward us is the way Paul sends his greeting to the Philippians. He says, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Interestingly, Paul includes his disciple Timothy as the authors but throughout the book he uses the first person singular term I as he writes. Therefore, Timothy probably just conferred with Paul on the letter instead of actually putting pen to parchment. Additionally, Paul has personal references that appear in chapter 3:4-11 and chapter 4:10-16 that clearly identify him as the sole author.