27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
Christian belief means little if is not reflected in Christian behavior, a recurring theme of Paul’s (see Eph 4:1, Col 1:10, 1 Thess 2:12). God is concerned about our deeds as well as our doctrine. To be sure, our deeds do not save us, but our deeds reflect the reality of what we believe, namely God’s grace working through faith. So Paul’s message was holistic in that sense.
The manner in which we behave ought to be consistent with the gospel of Christ; in fact, it should reflect well on the gospel. In other words, our life witness must demonstrate the excellence of the message just as much as our words explain the truth of the message. Now the message is not a social gospel, but a gospel of grace, where God has wonderfully saved us through no merit of our own, but freely through His love for us. This message is wonderful, because it not only saves us, but changes us as well, giving us a new purpose and mission in life (this message saturates Paul’s letter to the Philippians).
The apostle’s admonition is that this behavior he asks of them becomes intrinsic (motivated from within), rather than extrinsic (motivated by Paul’s presence). It is not Paul who judges in the end, but the Lord whom we ought to please, for unlike Paul, the Lord is always with us.
In particular, Paul was thinking of the unity in life and witness for the gospel. Those familiar with this letter can see the anticipation of chapter two in these words, “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind …” Maturing faith remind us of our Lord in the upper room where He prayed, “… that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21). Oh, that this would be more apparent among believers today!
This kind of unity among believers, staying together as a herd, provides two things for the believers. First, unity is a sign that their enemies are defeated, for their persecution cannot divide the Christian community. Indeed a common attack principle of the enemy is to divide the opponent, and then it is easier to conquer. Second, unity confirms salvation to the church, a community confirmation. As Christians, we stand more strongly together than we do apart.
Lord, thank You for like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. The strength from living and growing together encourages me to walk worthy of the gospel.
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