Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
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,
Paul is challenging believer to
conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (vs 27). The
actual word used is to live as good citizens. Philppi was a retirement
community for Roman veterans. The Philippians knew what it meant to live as
citizens of Rome, but what did it mean to live as citizens of Heaven? We know
what it means to be good patriotic citizens of the United States of America, or
of Canada, or whatever our nation of origin is, but what does it mean to be
citizens of Heaven, and what does living lives worthy of the gospel look like?
In Philippians 1:27-30 there are
three descriptive phrases that explain what living a life worthy of the gospel
looks like, unity, purpose, and peace. We are called to stand “firm in one
spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” The
Roman soldiers used a formation in which the soldiers would stand side-by-side
closely packed together. They held their shields such that it protected the
person to their left. As they entered battle, if a soldier fell his spot was
immediately filled by the soldier behind him. These retired soldiers in
Philippi know exactly what Paul was talking about when he says we are to be standing
together or striving side-by-side. Bob Smietana in his book Reorganized
Religion wrote, “as religious groups decline, they often turn on one
another—consumed by internal conflict rather than facing the challenges that
threaten their future.” Imagine soldiers going into battle who start
squabbling. But too often that is exactly what happens in church. We turn on
one another and fight over things that have no eternal significance.
Have we forgotten that we have an
enemy—that we are at war? Have we forgotten the gospel? Have we forgotten why
we are even a church? What do citizens of heaven look like? What does it mean
to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel? It means unity. It means
that we have the same spirit, the same mind, the same purpose. It means that we
lock arms and walk through this world together. It means we stop thinking of
each other as enemies or competitors and realize that the strength of our position
is that we are walking into the face of opposition together. We are one.
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