Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Philippians · About this commentary
I Know That I Will Remain
Philippians 1:25-26
25 Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, · WEB
Having decided what would be better for them, Paul concludes he will get it — and the purpose is their joy, not his safety.
Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all.
The reasoning runs from the previous verse rather than from any information about his case. Paul has concluded that his staying is more needful for them, and from that he infers the outcome. It is not a prediction drawn from legal advice; it is drawn from a judgment about what the churches need.
That is a striking way to reason, and the letter lets it stand without further support. Whether he was right, Scripture does not say here — though he was released and imprisoned again 2 Timothy 4:6.
The purpose of remaining is stated twice: for your progress and joy in the faith. Progress is the same word used of the gospel's advance in verse 12, so what his imprisonment did for the message, his release would do for them.
And verse 26 gives the result in terms that put nothing to his own credit: that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me, through my presence with you again. The boasting is theirs, its object is Christ, and Paul is merely the occasion.
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