Partners in the Gospel (VIII)

I’m going to “fill in the blanks” below with discussion on the text.  Enjoy!

“Humble Unity as the Glue of Gospel Partnership”

Philippians 1:27-2:4

Main Idea- God designed your gospel partnership to be a steadfast, humble team effort.

(1:27-30) As gospel partners, you are also heavenly citizens, living here in steadfast unity, even in suffering.(27-28) Stand firm in togetherness in the face of opposition.

“Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the sake of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.  This is evidence of their destruction, but of your deliverance–and this is from God.”

The wording “live your life” is not Paul’s normal word for lifestlye.  Instead, it means literally “to live as a citizen.”  It is the verbal cousin of “citizenship” in Phil. 3:20.  The significance of it appearing here is because Philippi was a Roman colonia.  That means the city of Philippi had the same legal status as the imperial city of Rome.  Here, Paul is contrasting the Christian’s life as a citizen of heaven and God’s kingdom with Christians who just live like the unsaved world around us.

Paul makes a key point that it is not possible to live in a manner worthy of the gospel if you are not living and ministering in unity.  This point would have been particularly pointed toward his gospel partners Euodia and Syntyche, who were not getting along (4:2-3).

We do not know for sure who the opponents in Philippi were.  It may well have been the Jewish false teachers of the early part of ch. 3.  But, it is somewhat more likely that is the Roman Empire that is in mind, given that verse 30 directly compares the Philippians’ present suffering to his own, which, of course, is at the hands of the Romans.

Interestingly, it is believers’ unified willingness to suffer for the gospel together which is the sign of salvation (translated “deliverance”), whether they live or die (see 1:21-24 for Paul’s personal perspective.  And, by contrast, because of their opposition to the gospel, the opponents show they are headed to “perdition” because of their aggressive unbelief.

(29-30) Be aware that suffering for Christ is nothing unusual.

“For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear about me.”

These verses reflect the same kind of perspective Paul displayed about himself in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body… .”  Neither verse should be taken to mean that Christ’s death on the Cross was somehow insufficient to pay for all our sins.  Instead, these sufferings are more likely referring ot the kind of sufferings Jesus went through before He went to the Cross.  He is our example in facing undeserved sufffering in this life.

(2:1-4) As gospel partners, your shared blessings mean you must do your best to build loving humble unity.

(1) You have so many spiritual resources in common with your Christian brethren.

“If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affections and mercy,”

 The “if” in each of these clauses is better translated “since.”  Paul is not doubting that each of these things is true.  Instead, he is saying in effect “Given that every Christian has all these wonderful resources to live out… “  Particularly significant here is the word translated “fellowship.”  It is the same word rendered “partnership” in 1:5.  And, I think it should be understood as “partnership” here also.  Given that John 15:26-27 makes it clear how Christians are partners with the Holy Spirit in sharing the gospel, is it not likely that this verse is making a very similar point?

(2) It produces joy for brethren to have a single-minded focus on life and ministry.

“fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.”

In 1:4, Paul had said “… always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer.”  So, Paul already had joy in regard to the Philippian church.  However, that joy would not be complete until the currently fragmenting church body in Philippi was re-cemented in love, emotional concern for each other and the common goal of their gospel partnership.

(3-4) Rivalry, pride and selfishness have no legitimate place in Christ’s Body.

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.  Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” 

These were the kinds of attitudes and actions that had caused so much trouble in Rome, as Paul had just reported (see 1:15, 17).   Instead, it is only through selfless love for others that the Body can function as Christ designed it.  Also, as will be seen next week, this is the perspective Jesus took in becoming a man (see 2:5-11).  Thus, Jesus is not only our example in suffering (1:30), but also in humble selflessness (2:5-8).