Try to imagine yourself in the role of a mum or dad living in the 1920s, before our modern means of communication were readily available to everyone. You are standing on the platform of a railway station, and your seventeen-year-old daughter is leaning out of a train window. The whistle blows and you know that any minute your little girl will be leaving you to go on a long journey hundreds of miles away to a foreign country. You are naturally very anxious about her because you know very little about the people she is going to work for. They have no phone and your only means of communicating with your daughter is going to be by letters, which will take many days to reach her. What are your parting words going to be as the train starts to move away? I suspect they will be something like, ‘Goodbye, darling. Look after yourself, and whatever happens …’ Well, what would you say? ‘Whatever happens …’—what? In other words, what one thing would you want her to do, or refrain from doing, while she was in that far-off land?
Paul was in a similar situation. He was writing what might prove to be his final communication to his friends at Philippi. He knew that it was possible that he would soon be taken outside the prison and be executed. On the other hand, he might be set free and allowed to visit them once again. So what message does he give the believers at Philippi? He tells them, ‘Whatever happens [whether I live or die], conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ’ (1:27) (Bentley, M. (1997). Shining in the Darkness: Philippians Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (53–54). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.).
For each of us, a new year means new opportunity. For us to best utilize the time that we have we must recognize the tremendous opportunities and resources at our disposal. We must be consistent in our resolve and look out and care for each other. Our mutual determination will change us and our world for God’s glory.
In this passage, the apostle gives four characteristics of believers who live in “1 Spirit” of Christ in their: 1) Status in Christ (Philippians 1:27a), 2) Standing firm in Him (Philippians 1:27b); 3) Sharing with one another because of Him (Philippians 1:27c); and 4) Striving together in obedience to Him (Philippians 1:27d)
1) Status in Christ (Philippians 1:27a)
Philippians 1:27 [27]Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, (I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel) (ESV) “We’ll spend most of our time in this section”
Because he believed it was necessary for their spiritual well-being, Paul was confident that the Lord would allow him to “remain and continue with [them] for [their] progress and joy in the faith, so that [their] proud confidence in [him] may abound in Christ Jesus through [his] coming to [them] again” (1:25–26). But regardless of what happened to him, he implored, Only let your manner of life/conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ…. What truly mattered was their consistent, holy conduct. The emphatic position with the adverb “only” states Paul’s purpose for which he desires to remain alive. Whatever may happen, make this your chief business (KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2435). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
This “manner of life/conduct” (Politeuomai) is the main verb in Philippians 1, which in the Greek is a single sentence. It comes from the root word polis (city), which in earlier times usually referred to the city-states to which inhabitants gave their primary allegiance. The verb carries the basic meaning of being a citizen. To the ancient Greeks, the state (ἡ πόλις) was by no means merely a place to live. It was rather a sort of partnership (κοινωνίαν τινά) formed with a view to having people attain the highest of all human goods (so Aristotle, Pol. 1252a). Here in the state the individual citizen developed his gifts and realized his potential, not in isolation but in cooperation. Here he was able to maximize his abilities, not by himself or for himself but in community and for the good of the community (see Beare). As a consequence, mutuality and interdependence were important ideas inhering in the concept of πόλις. πολιτεύεσθαι, “to live as a citizen,” therefore, meant for the Greek (and later the Roman) rights and privileges but also duties and responsibilities. To the Jew the idea of πόλις had as its focal point the “city of the great king” (Ps 48:2; cf. Matt 5:32). Originally Jerusalem was this ideal city, localized and restricted in scope. But under the influence of psalmist and prophet the concept of “city” was expanded until Jerusalem was not only home for every member of the commonwealth of Israel but a spiritual fellowship into which the nations of the world eventually would enter (cf. Ps 87), a universal center of worship of Israel’s God, the God of the whole earth (Isa 66:20; Amos 9:11–12; Zech 14:8–11; see Winter, Seek the Welfare of the City, esp. 98–100, on Phil 1:27–2:18) (Hawthorne, G. F. (2004). Vol. 43: Philippians. Word Biblical Commentary (69). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.).
Please turn to Ephesians 2 (p.976)
Paul is here making a play on their “dual citizenship”—of the empire by virtue of their being Philippians; of heaven by virtue of their faith in Christ and incorporation into the believing community. On the one hand, the city boasted of its privileged status as a Roman colony, made so by Octavian (later the emperor Augustus) after his decisive victory on the plains of Philippi; hence its people thereby had Roman citizenship conferred on them, a matter in which they took considerable pride. The contrast made in 3:17–20, where “our ‘citizenship’ is in heaven,” in contrast to those whose minds are set on “earthly things.” As Philippi was a colony of Rome in Macedonia, so the church was a “colony of heaven” in Philippi, whose members were to live as its citizens in Philippi. This suggests a missionary outlook on the one hand (they are “contending for the gospel” in Philippi; cf. 2:14–16), but a concern for the “welfare of the state”—the believing community itself—on the other. Thus this is the fitting verb for the setting. It would be full of meaning in light of their privileged status as Roman citizens, now addressing them as to their “civic” responsibilities to the new “polis,” the believing community, of which they are a part and whose responsibilities will be spelled out in what follows (Fee, G. D. (1995). Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (161–162). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Ephesians 2:11-21 [11]Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- [12]remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13]But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14]For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15]by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16]and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17]And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. [18]For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. [19]So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20]built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21]in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (ESV)
If the citizens of Philippi were so devoted to the honor of their human kingdom, how much more should believers be devoted to the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:12–13) Therefore, Paul charged them to live as faithful citizens of heaven (3:20). The church, though imperfect and temporal, is the earthly manifestation of that perfect and eternal kingdom of heaven in this present age (Col. 1:13). Heavenly “manner of life/conduct” (politeuomai). is characterized by being “blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (2:15).To live in a manner of life/conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ is to live a life consistent with God’s revealed Word. To exercise their citizenship “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” means to conduct it in harmony with the responsibilities which that gospel imposes and with the blessings which it brings (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 5: Exposition of Philippians. New Testament Commentary (81). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
To be ‘worthy’ is not, of course, to try to merit its grace, but to harmonize with it so as to display it to advantage, neither disfiguring it nor contradicting it by word or deed which are not in keeping with its spirit or character (see Matt. 10:37–38; Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10). To be evangelical therefore means more than to subscribe to those doctrines which present the way of salvation. There is an evangelical life as well as an evangelical faith. Because of this good news of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and triumphant resurrection from the dead, Christians are to be zealous for the faith of the gospel (Jones, H. R. (2010). For the Sake of the Gospel: Philippians Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (59–60). Darlington, England: EP Books.).
The church’s greatest testimony before the world is spiritual integrity. When Christians live below the standards of biblical morality and reverence for their Lord, they compromise the full biblical truth concerning the character, plan, and will of God. By so doing, they seriously weaken the credibility of the gospel and lessen their impact on the world. God’s people have always been at enmity with the world, because the world is at enmity with God (Rom. 1:28; 5:10; Eph. 2:3; Col. 1:21). But the world can hardly be expected to embrace a faith whose proponents so little emulate its standards of holiness and fail to manifest the transforming power of Christ. When the unsaved look at the church and do not see holiness, purity, and virtue, there appears to be no reason to believe the gospel it proclaims. When church members lie, steal, cheat, gossip, and quarrel; and when congregations seem to care little about such sin and hypocrisy in their midst, the world is understandably repulsed by their claims to love and serve God. And the name of Christ is sullied and dishonored.
But the gospel is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is the truth that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4). It is the message Paul describes as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The point here is that those who belong to Christ through saving faith in His gospel should demonstrate that power by their changed lives (2 Cor. 5:17).
Paul had just expressed his joyous expectation of visiting Philippi again (1:25–26); but that was not his primary concern. He understood that, like the church in Ephesus, the Philippians inevitably would be threatened by “savage wolves” and that, even from within their own congregation, false teachers would “arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29–30). He understood that, despite the general spiritual maturity of the congregation, some of its members would prove their lack of saving faith by deserting Christ for a different gospel. Others, who had been saved by the power of the Holy Spirit, would fall into the legalistic trap of trusting in their own fleshly achievements for their sanctification (Gal. 1:6; 3:3). Whether or not Paul visited his beloved church at Philippi, their accountability was not to him but to Christ. Neither he nor anyone else was the source of their spiritual strength. His appeal therefore was that whether he was to come and see them or absent, they were to trust the Lord and live worthy of Him in “1 Spirit”.
• There are so many sources this time of year for folksy pseudo wisdom. Being sucked into a psychobabble of new year’s resolutions sets one up for failure.
• The only goal and life worthy to channel our efforts in this year, is the one God promises to bless and strengthen, the one that shows and proclaims the wondrous Gospel of Christ.
Illustration: Every Christian must learn the principle that privilege implies responsibility. In Shakespeare’s history play Richard II, a king brings great trouble on himself by failing to live up to his responsibilities. He is a legitimate king; but he is impetuous, passionate, and arbitrary in the administration of justice. Such behavior is unfit for one who wears a crown, and Shakespeare tells how eventually he lost it. Privilege brought responsibility, but Richard II did not fulfill it.
The three Shakespeare plays involving King Henry V—Henry IV (parts I and II) and Henry V—show just the opposite character. In his early youth Henry is irresponsible and reckless. He spends much time partying with old John Falstaff. Then the old king dies, and Prince Henry begins to live as befits his kingly status. He does not hold the crown through any virtue in himself. But having the crown, he vows to live worthy of the possession: He says: “ The tide of blood in me Hath proudly flowed in vanity till now. Now doth it turn and ebb back to the sea, Where it shall mingle with the state of floods, And flow henceforth in formal majesty”. Becoming king produces a change in Henry. From this point on Henry V lives as one of the noblest kings of England.
In a similar way Christians are to live worthy of their spiritual possessions. If you are a Christian, you do not hold your possessions in Christ through any virtue of your own. What you have you only have from him who is the King of kings. But having it, you must live worthy of your calling. (Boice, J. M. (2000). Philippians: An expositional commentary (86–87). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
2) Standing firm in Christ (Philippians 1:27b)
Philippians 1:27 [27] (Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent,) I may hear of you that you are standing firm (in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel) (ESV)
Standing firm translates the single Greek verb stēkō, which refers to steadfastly holding one’s ground regardless of danger or opposition (v. 28 supports the emphasis on strength in the midst of opposition). The word was used of a soldier who defended his position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his life. Figuratively, it refers to holding fast to a belief, conviction, or principle without compromise, regardless of personal cost. Being firmly fixed in matters of biblical truth and holy living is included in this injunction. In a number of languages the positive idiom “to stand firm” must be expressed negatively as “not to be moved,” “not to change,” or “not to give up.” (Loh, I., & Nida, E. A. (1995). A handbook on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. UBS Handbook Series (39). New York: United Bible Societies.)
Please turn to Ephesians 6 (p.979)
Standing firm is both positive and negative. It is to stand for God and against Satan, to stand for truth and against falsehood, to stand for righteousness and against sin. The image is of people engaged in spiritual warfare (imagery that will hardly be lost on those who live in a military colony!), standing their ground firmly by the power of the Holy Spirit, who as the one Spirit is also the source of their unity (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) (Fee, G. D. (1999). Vol. 11: Philippians. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (78). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
In Ephesians he twice uses a related verb in calling on believers to:
Ephesians 6:11-13 [11]Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12]For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13]Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (ESV)
• From our own weakness, threats and temptations around us, to the invisible cosmic battle, only the resources of God can enable us to stand firm. Should we try to defeat our own weakness or anything we encounter with willpower, psychological positive thinking, or human resolutions etc, we are doomed to failure, for these neither have the power or resources of heaven to defeat our enemies.
Illustration: My Brother
A British soldier who had gone through the terrible ordeal of Dunkirk during World War II, when safely back in England, was asked, “What did it feel like out there on the beach with the sea in front of you, the German army in back of you, and bombs overhead?” He answered, “It was a strange feeling. I felt that every man on the beach was my brother.” (Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (363). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Every Christian is in a battle whether he or she knows it. They fight the world, the flesh and the devil. To fight our fellow soldier is to neglect the enemy that can over take us.
3) Sharing with one another because of Christ (Philippians 1:27c)
Philippians 1:27 [27] (Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm) in one spirit, with one mind (striving side by side for the faith of the gospel) (ESV)
Along with standing firm in the faith, there also must be unity within the church, a mutual sharing of convictions and responsibilities in one spirit, with one mind. ‘One spirit’ and ‘one mind’ (1:27) may be a way of designating wholeness, like ‘one heart and one soul’ (see Acts 4:32; 1 Thess. 5:23). Separate, ‘spirit’ can stand for the higher element in human consciousness, that which is Godward in its reference. It can therefore mean that Christians are to stand firm by means of their spiritual union with God, or even by the Spirit, understanding there to be a reference to the Third Person of the Godhead here. ‘Mind’, or ‘soul’, represents the human senses and energies which are to be used to the full in efforts on behalf of the gospel (Jones, H. R. (2010). For the Sake of the Gospel: Philippians Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (61–62). Darlington, England: EP Books.)
One spirit, with one mind (Psuchē ) refers to the experience of unity, harmony, and interdependence. From its inception the church was of one spirit, with one mind. Keep in mind that there was division in the church at Philippi. For one thing, two women were not getting along with each other (Phil. 4:2). Apparently the members of the fellowship were taking sides, as is often the case, and the resulting division was hindering the work of the church. The enemy is always happy to see internal divisions in a local ministry. “Divide and conquer!” is his motto, and too often he has his way. It is only as believers stand together that they can overcome the wicked one (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Php 1:27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Please turn to Galatians 5 (p.974)
Church strife does not always involve such flagrant sins as adultery, stealing, lying, or defamation. It is often generated by interpersonal sins as holding grudges over minor issues, unjust criticism, bitterness, dissatisfaction, and distrust. Sometimes disharmony arises that cannot even be clearly identified or attributed to any individual, incident, or issue.
Galatians 5:13-15 [13]For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [14]For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [15]But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (ESV)
• The only solution is to “walk by the Spirit, and [thereby] not carry out the desire of the flesh” (v. 16). It requires taking special effort to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32).
Illustration: (201)
The story is told of a time when a little child in an African tribe wandered off into the tall jungle grass and could not be found, although the tribe searched all day. The next day the tribal members all held hands and walked through the grass together. This enabled them to find the child, but due to the cold night he had not survived. In her anguish and through tears, the mother cried, “If only we would have held hands sooner.” It is not enough that we all share a common goal. We must all work together to accomplish it without hesitation. (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (68). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
4) Striving together in obedience to Christ (Philippians 1:27d)
Philippians 1:27 [27] (Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind) striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (ESV)
A fourth characteristic of worthy conduct in “1 Spirit” involves believers striving side by side/together. Sunathleō (striving side by side/together) is a compound Greek word, composed of the preposition sun (by/with) and the noun athleō, (side/together) which means to compete in a contest, especially in a sport such as wrestling. It is the term from which the English words athlete and athletics are derived. In the present passage, striving side by side/together obviously is the idea Paul has in mind, rather than the opposite one of striving or competing against, as the word could also be rendered. He is emphasizing the attitude not of taking advantage of another for one’s own benefit, but rather of sacrificing one’s own welfare to promote the welfare of others. The idea of contending against is implied, but only in the sense that the church must also be striving side by side/together against sin and the common enemy, Satan and his demon hosts.
Paul stresses here the positive relationship of believers with each other. More than one athletic team with many outstanding players has failed to win a championship because most of those players concentrated on their own success rather than the team’s. A less talented team can often win against one that is more talented because the weaker team works efficiently together to achieve a common objective. A player with outstanding talent may be temporarily sidelined or even put off the team, because, impressive as his individual efforts might be, he does his team more harm than good. Striving side by side/together in the church means playing as a team to advance the truth of God.
Genuine unity of any sort must have a purpose. Trying to achieve unity for unity’s sake is an exercise in futility, because it must have the motivation and focus of a common cause and objective. The church’s only true unity is grounded in the faith of the gospel, which refers to the Christian faith. In other places, Paul calls it “the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7) and “the glorious gospel of the blessed God,” with which he and Timothy, as well as all other believers, have been entrusted (1 Tim. 1:11; 6:20; Rom. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:14; 4:7). Jude refers to it as “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). The reference is to the objective faith (i.e., the body of truth) embodied in the gospel message. They are to be “contending” for it, a positive statement of their need to promote and protect the message of Christ, while at the same time implying that adversaries must be faced (Kent, H. A., Jr. (1981). Philippians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (118). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Please turn to Acts 4 (p.912)
Being in “1 Spirit” not only advances the faith of the gospel but also halts the advance of whatever opposes it. The positive goal of striving together is proclaiming the faith of the gospel.
Acts 4:10-12 [10]let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well. [11]This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. [12]And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (ESV)
As we have seen in Philippians 1, Paul does not impose a long list of rules; he presents the person of Christ. The good news of Christ, the story of Christ, is the rule for the community of believers. That is why, at the center of this ethical section (1:27–2:18), Paul sets forth the narrative of Christ (2:6–11). The imperatives are based on the indicatives of who Christ is and what he has already done. The gospel of Christ proclaims that Jesus is the exalted Lord of all and that this Lord of all emptied himself, humbled himself and was obedient unto death on a cross. The gospel of Christ provides the motive and the pattern for all Christian behavior (Hansen, G. W. (2009). The Letter to the Philippians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary (93–94). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.).
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2001). Philippians. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (83–94). Chicago: Moody Press.)
