‘And so, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.'
This may be seen as closing off this passage with a final exhortation to rejoice, and as linking back to ‘receive him in the Lord ', conveying the same idea of them all being ‘in the Lord' together, especially in their joint rejoicing (Philippians 2:28-29). It clearly also echoes Paul's constant calls for joy, now stressing that such joy must be ‘in the Lord'. Compare how he ended the section Philippians 1:27 to Philippians 2:18 with a similar injunction to joy.
The words translated ‘finally' by many versions (to loipon) are equally used in koine Greek to conclude a passage with the significance ‘and so'. Here it is a fitting conclusion to a passage where joy is emphasised (Philippians 2:28-29). These words therefore satisfactorily conclude his words about Epaphroditus, while also leading into the new subject that he is about to bring up.
‘To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.'
There is a good deal of disagreement as to what this phrase refers to. The main difficulty is as to the meaning of ‘the same things'. Some see it having in mind his exhortation to ‘rejoice' in Philippians 3:1 a and as referring back to the constant call on the Philippians to rejoice and be joyful (Philippians 1:25; Philippians 2:18; Philippians 2:28-29; Philippians 3:1 a). On this view he has clearly been seeking to lift their spirits and fix their eyes on the Lord and on the Gospel, which are their grounds of rejoicing, and lest they feel that he is overdoing the call to rejoice he is now stressing that it is not a bother to him, but is safe for them, for as Jesus Christ Himself had taught, joy is the antidote to facing testing and trial and bad news (compare Matthew 5:12; James 1:2). He knows that if they maintain their joy in the Lord they will be able to withstand great pressures, and will not themselves get depressed.
Others see it as having in mind something previously taught to them, either when Paul was with them, or by letter or emissary, to do with the subject that follows, with ‘the same things' referring to the warning concerning false teachers, and the counter to their ideas.
The Philippians Are To Recognise That The Way Of Salvation Is Not To Be Found Through Striving To Keep The Law, But Through Oneness With Christ In His Death, Resurrection and Exaltation (Philippians 3:1).
In Philippians 2:5-23 the Philippians have been told to ‘work out their salvation' (Philippians 2:12) by having the mind of Christ and partaking with Him of His self-emptying, His obedience unto death, and in His resurrection and exaltation (Philippians 2:5-11) while recognising that success will be the result of the fact that it is God Who is at work within them to will and do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Now they are warned against any attempt to achieve that salvation by self effort, something illustrated by Paul from his own experience, and the passage concludes with the idea that he had chosen the way of suffering loss, and of partaking in Christ's death and resurrection because there was no other way of sharing in His exaltation.
We may divide the passage into two parts, the first countering the ideas of the Judaisers (Philippians 3:2-9), and the second emphasising participation with Christ (Philippians 3:10-21).