09 July 2008

The Sprightly Life of Joy

Read this today in Adolf Schlatter's (see here or here if you don't know much about him) commentary on Philippians, part of a commentary series directed at the general German populace of the day. On Phil 3:1 ("Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord"), Schlatter writes:

We need the sprightly, fruitful life of joy. This Paul holds out before the Philippians, that they through Christ in God might have the ever-existing ground for joy. Not apart from God, in us ourselves, or in mankind or in things, should we seek joy; it must arise out of God himself, because Jesus has connected us with God, and with him we find joy in every circumstance.

--Erlauterungen zum Neuen Testament, Band 8: Die Briefe an die Thessalonicher, Philipper, Timotheus, und Titus (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1987).

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