Philippians 1:29

For (or, because) unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ. — The force lies, first, in the phrase “it is given” (rather, it was given, from the beginning) — for the original signifies “it was granted as a privilege” or “favour” (as in Acts 27:24; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Galatians 3:18) — and next in the words “on behalf of Christ.” The fearlessness of the Christian is a gift of God, not an inherent stoic self-sufficiency. It rests indeed upon the sense that it is a privilege to suffer (see Acts 5:41) in the cause of truth, yet still more on the belief that such suffering is for no abstract principle, but on behalf of Christ and with Christ. (See Philippians 2:17.)

Not only to believe... — The original shows that St. Paul speaks as if he originally intended simply to say “it is given on behalf of Christ to suffer.” But to show whence the impulse of that brave willingness to suffer proceeds, he inserts “not only to believe on Him,” and then finishes the sentence, “but on His behalf to suffer.”