“Bishop” is another word to identify an elder in the church. There are several ways to know this, and the usage in Philippians 1:1 is one way to know. The bishops and deacons are addressed by Paul along with all the saints. If bishops were something different than elders, it would bring up the question of why Paul ignored the elders in his salutation.
Elders are the leaders of the church. They are to care for the flock. They are responsible for properly feeding the flock. They are to be the leaders in defending the truth. The word in our verse translated bishop is “episkopoi.” This word means to oversee and direct or to superintend. In secular usage it described those responsible for overseeing and guiding a newly acquired territory. In the first century, the church was definitely a newly acquired spiritual territory by Jesus Christ.
What is of particular interest is that our verse is the first usage of this word in chronological time in the New Testament. It was used for the elders in Philippi. This was the first congregation established in Europe. Paul had not intended to go there on his second missionary journey. He wanted to go to Asia. However, the Holy Spirit directed him to go east. Then, Paul wanted to go north to the south coast of the Black Sea. Instead, he got a vision of a man asking him to come to Macedonia to help people there. So, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke traveled to Philippi.
A few years later, Paul wrote to this first European congregation and used a word for elders that would reinforce to them their newly acquired distinction of being God’s territory. They indeed had been helped by Paul and the others with him. They were now saints in God’s church.
Study your Bible. Learn about the important role of elders or bishops in the church. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
