Paul is using a comparison to get the Philippian church gathering to consider where Christ Jesus has taken them since Paul planted this church.
Since he knows that there has been actual
spiritual growth happening here previously, he doesn’t let them off the hook but confronts
them directly.
Paul
may have been concerned about the Christian Judaizers from Jerusalem, such as
those he had written against long ago. It is possible that he also ran into
conflict with them during his trip to Jerusalem that resulted in his imprisonment.
There were the false teachers who came from the Lycus Valley, who influenced the believers at Philippi and taught circumcision and diet rules, forcing the Gentile believers to adhere to
different forms of the Old Testament law.
The
internal conflicts in Philippi did not warrant harsh discipline. Still, they
were disruptive and unproductive. Self-centered, unloving conflict is never
acceptable among fellow believers. Paul spent a substantial amount of space
writing and emphasizing the importance of unity and love in the gatherings and in the personal lives of believers.
It is vital to be communicative with others without being hurtful or
self-promoting. The same passage above from the NIV reads a bit differently,
which addresses this:
“Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
of the others”.
Philippians
2:3-4 (NIV)
Humility
is what Paul is looking for in these verses; to allow the Holy Spirit to direct
one’s life to elevate and promote one other instead of tearing each other
down. It is essential to see Christ revealed in other brothers and sisters so
that they can take their place amongst the gathering and share in the collective
ministry of the spirit so that everyone may benefit.
“Because God has
given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not
think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the
amount of faith God has given you. Each one of us has a body with many parts,
and these parts all have different uses. In the same way, we are many, but in
Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part
belongs to all the other parts.”
Romans 12:3-5 (NCV)
Trusting
the Lord to speak through other believers can be disconcerting for some because
we are all learners and need to guided and nurtured by each other. We don’t
always get it right, and sometimes we say the wrong things, but that is where
love and patience come into play.
“Tolerate the
weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same
way Jesus Christ has graciously forgiven you. If you find fault with someone,
release this same gift of forgiveness to them. For love is supreme and must
flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity. Let
your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to
peace as part of his one body. And always be thankful.”
Colossians
3:13-15 (TPT)
No one ever said that
being a Christian was about being perfect; none of us are. But we serve a God
who is, and He has modeled that perfection through His son Jesus. As we stay
connected to Jesus and with each other, we can learn to grow in faith and love
together and become a holy habitation of the Lord as He seeks us out, and flows
through us like a river.
“We have known and
believed that God loves us. God is love. Those who live in God’s love live in
God, and God lives in them.”
1 John 4:16 (GW)
Our purpose as followers of Jesus is, and always will be to live in God’s love.
Be
Blessed;
Stephen
Barnett
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