Common misinterpretations treat saints as a select group of canonized super-spiritual elites rather than ordinary believers sanctified in Christ, impose a rigid top-down hierarchy on bishops and deacons akin to later denominational structures instead of recognizing them as functional servant-leaders among the saints, or overlook the radical humility of Paul and Timothy's self-designation as slaves, using the verse to justify authoritarian control rather than mutual service within the body of Christ.
Philippians 1:1
King James Version (1769)
1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
Paul and Timothy humbly identify themselves as servants of Jesus Christ, addressing all believers in Philippi—called saints because they are set apart in Christ—along with the overseers and deacons, emphasizing the unity of the entire church body under Christ's lordship, the sanctity of every believer, and the importance of humble service and structured leadership in the early Christian community as the epistle opens.