Paul starts a new part of his letter here. He addresses the church members as brothers. The sisters of the church are not mentioned separately here, but they are included in the word brothers. In Greek there is only one letter difference between brothers and sisters. In Philippians 4 Paul admonishes two sisters (Philippians 4:2), he also begins that part with brothers (Philippians 4:1). Brothers was the common title for the entire church. For this reason, some Bible translations use the rendering brothers and sisters.

Paul tells how the preaching of the gospel is going now that he is in prison. He is sober about his personal circumstances. The Philippians knew his situation through the information of Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25–30). It is not his captivity that is the subject, but the gospel.

It is obvious to think that Paul’s imprisonment is detrimental to the spread of the gospel. The apostle who travels is detained, so the proclamation stagnates. Surprisingly, this is the very way in which the gospel spreads further. Paul can now share his message with people he would not otherwise have met.