God’s Word for You
Philippians 1:14 Confident in the Lord
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, February 18, 2026
14 On account of my chains, most of the brothers have become much more confident in the Lord about daring to speak the word of God fearlessly.
Paul has said that the Gospel has gotten out and around on account of his chains, and the Roman guards were talking about him. Now he expands the circle of messengers to “the brothers.” These are Paul’s companions and other Christian pastors and teachers who had become “much more confident in the Lord.” The devil’s opposition showed them that Paul’s message was right; the Gospel is powerful and effective. Paul had jabbed at the devil and now others were throwing punches, and the old lying rascal was on the ropes.
Let’s talk a little about Greek grammar. Some translations cautiously say “the brothers in the Lord became more confident.” This takes the phrase “in the Lord” as modifying (going with) “brothers.” That’s perfectly good theology. We certainly think of one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord, which means that on account of our faith in Jesus, we are united as a family. However, this wording, with the preposition (“in…”) depending directly on “brothers,” doesn’t occur in the New Testament anyplace else—nor in the Old, or the Apocrypha, or the Apostolic Fathers. Also, “brothers in the Lord” would not contribute much to the sentence, since it is implied, or rather it is obvious and inevitable, simply using “brothers.” Paul has no other kind of brothers except brothers of faith in the Lord Jesus. But the phrase “in the Lord” is also connected by its position in the sentence with “confident.” In fact, the sentence could be misunderstood if “in the Lord” were not modifying “confident,” since someone could argue that these brothers were getting more confident “in Paul” or in Paul’s preaching, style of preaching, etc., on account of his chains. But taking “confident in the Lord” as a string throws all of the emphasis on the Lord as the one who makes these brothers more and more confident. And the message? It is the message about Christ. The style of preaching? Irrelevant! They preach the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Whether they use racing and boxing language like Paul, or sailing language like Luke, or put all of their expressions into groups of three like Jude, it doesn’t matter. That’s just style. Christ is the message.
To dare to speak the word of God fearlessly is something Paul sees as one of the greatest blessings of his imprisonment.
There is something else we can infer from Paul’s words. The brothers who were now more confident in the Lord (that is, in their faith and resolve) and were speaking fearlessly, were not banding together in some remote hideaway. They did not become monks in the desert, preaching fearlessly to owls and jackals. They preached where they were called; they stood up in the churches where they lived. And this reminds us of something important about the ministry and attitude of pastors. Permit me to quote the great Missouri Synod pastor and founder, C.F.W. Walther:
“When a place has been assigned to a Lutheran candidate of theology where he is to discharge the office of a Lutheran minister, that place ought to be to him the dearest, most beautiful, and most precious spot on earth. He should be unwilling to exchange it for a kingdom. Whether it is in a metropolis or in a small town, on a bleak prairie or in a clearing in the forest, in a flourishing settlement or in a desert, to him it should be a miniature paradise. Do not the blessed angels descend from heaven with great joy whenever the Father in heaven sends them to minister to those who are to be heirs of salvation? Why, then, should we poor sinners be unwilling to hurry after them with great joy to any place where we can lead other men, our fellow-sinners, to salvation?”
The Apostle had already said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” Romans 1:16). Now, if Paul’s chains could encourage five or six, or a dozen, or scores of ministers to preach Christ crucified with courage, what a blessing! What genius in the mind of God! Such is the best apple for the horse.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.