Philippians 1.27-28
“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, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”
The apostle Paul gives us six directives in this passage:
- Live the standards of the gospel.
- Be an example.
- Stand firm.
- Be unified.
- Work together.
- Defeat fear.
Today we look at #4…
4) Be unified.
The big message is that when Jesus calls us to himself, he also calls into relationship with each other. The Christian faith is deeply and profoundly relational. Authentic Christians demonstrate observable love and unity toward other Christians.
The text tells us to “stand firm in one spirit.” This is an essential element of the call of Christ: The Lord does not call us to stand firm alone; rather, he calls us to stand firm together.
Authentic Christianity is individual, but it is not individualistic. When we trust in Jesus we are brought into a unique and transforming relationship with the Lord, and we are also called into a unique and transforming relationship with other Christians. The call of Christ is a call into the fellowship of the Christian community.
Authentic Christianity happens in fellowship and community with other Christians. There is no lone ranger Christianity. We need each other.
The corporate nature of the Christian faith is evident in the way the NT is written. The NT is written not just to individual Christians, but to the Body of Christ as a whole. This is much more evident in the Greek text of the NT than in the English text. In English we use the same word “you” for singular and for plural. However, in Greek the plural “you” is a different word than the singular “you.”
It should be noted that in the NT the plural “you” is used more than twice as often as the singular. In the passage we are currently studying — Philippians 1.27-28 — the “you” is plural. The apostle Paul is addressing the community of Christians, not just individual believers.
When you read the Bible, always keep in mind the Lord is talking to the whole church … the Body of Christ.
The Lord is calling.
