Philippians 4:18

For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God. 

This is about giving credit to whom credit is due. Paul recognized this church and highlighted the value of their contribution.

Credit and account; these two words that Paul used in the previous verse are financial terms. As we described in our exploration of the last verse, they refer to how God regards what they gave.

When people harmed Israel during their journey from Egypt, God said it should be recorded in the negative ledger (debit), and they would be subject to retribution later.

The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in Joshua’s hearing; for I will surely wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” (Exodus 17:14)

The opposite happened with this church: a credit is being posted to their account.

There are examples of that concept in the scriptures.

Mordecai saved the king's life, and it was recorded in a book (Esther 6). One day, when the king could not sleep, he had the book of historical records read to him. He was reminded that Mordecai had done him a big favor, but nothing was done to repay him.

Haman, the enemy of the Jews, recommended that Mordecai ride on the King's horse and be paraded publicly by a prestigious person and praised. The king approved, and that was what happened, with Haman doing the honors.

So we have things written that require the balancing of the account, either for favor (Mordecai) or for judgment (Amalekites).

David received help from Jehoshaphat when Saul sought to kill him, and after Jehoshaphat's death, David favored Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. That favor was because of something credited to Jehoshaphat's account.

Similarly, the righteousness and obedience of Jesus were credited to our account, and we have favor poured on us because of our relationship with Christ through faith. God has to balance that account.

God did not know us from Adam in a relational sense, just as David did not know Mephibosheth. But because of our own connection with Jesus by faith, we receive favor from God because of Him. Just as Mephibosheth received favor/grace (instead of deserved judgment) from David because of Jonathan.

It’s as simple as that. That is the gospel in a nutshell.

There are four phrases starting with 'I' in this verse.

• I have received everything.
• I have plenty
• I have all I need
• I received from Epaphroditus what you sent.

Why this repeated emphasis? It is so that we would not glide over this point when it comes to giving and receiving.

It’s almost like water in a patched ground. And Paul wanted to convey the emotional impact and the value of what they have done.

And that is the human effect of the giving, the meeting of needs, the giving by one party and receiving by the other. Paul called it plenty. So we know it was a generous supply.

That is the human aspect.

Then there is the God side.

Paul called it

• a fragrant offering
• an acceptable sacrifice
• very pleasing to God

There is a smell, a sacrifice, and God on the other side of the giving.

Paul received it on earth because this church met his critical needs. We have no confusion about whether the giving was to God. The church knew they were giving to Paul. Paul knows they are giving to him.

So why is it called a fragrant offering, acceptable, pleasing to God? It’s because God has an opinion on it, and Paul is telling us that opinion.

Paul's language echoes how the bible described the aftermath of Noah's sacrifice of a lot of animals after the flood swept off humanity (Genesis 8:20-21).

It was a sweet-smelling sacrifice. God sees the sacrifice (the cost) and smells the concern/love/heart of the Philippian church behind the giving; the combination pleases God.

We now have more information about the credit balance in this church's account.

God measures things. He measures things by love, since God is love, and by sacrifice, which is a measure of loss.

If there is no love, it has no value before God (1Corinthians 13:1-3).

Jesus said a widow gave all she had (sacrificed), meaning 100%, and that was significant (Mark 12:41-44).

It is interesting that the Bible speaks against giving to the rich.

The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain. And the one who gives to the rich—both end up only in poverty. (Proverbs 22:16)

Based on that last part, it is wrong to say it's the rich men of God that you need to give money to so that they can bless you.

Also, compare it with the admonition to remember the poor that the apostles gave to Paul, something he said he was eager to do and had been doing (Galatians 2:10).

Now, churches have massive building maintenance needs to address, salaries to pay, and other logistical costs to cover.

I have no problem with that because it is reasonable to expect that the church would have changed somewhat in its presentation thousands of years after Christ. But the message of Christ cannot change.

There are structural necessities to the church. Nevertheless, we need to watch how we persuade people. We can use plain language, not manipulative language, and avoid using the name of God to extract money from people.

God Bless you!