Philippians 1:27-30 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved — and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Paul knew the Philippians were in danger of facing the same persecution and threats he had experienced. Paul was in prison at this time in Rome, some say house arrest. Regardless, he experienced incarceration because of his testimony that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God and Savior of all who call upon his name. Of course, neither the Romans nor the Jews wanted to hear these claims, for they had killed Jesus in Jerusalem. For the Jews and the Romans, Paul's pronouncements, his preaching and teaching, could destabilize their authority in the region if Paul's message was accepted by the majority of the people. Paul was preaching, Jesus is Lord, and IN HIM ALONE is eternal life. Of course, Caesar was God to the Romans, and the Law established the authority and hierarchy in the Jewish community. Consequently, Paul was not only a threat to the Jewish world, but also a threat to the secular world. Under this stress, Paul has already indicated his dichotomous feelings about life and its value: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Chapter 1:21-24) In today's scripture, he tells the Philippians that this message you have heard and have accepted will also bring you trouble. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. He tells them, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. He is encouraging them as their spiritual father.
How do we conduct ourselves so that we are worthy of the gospel of Christ? What does Jesus say about his message when He is preparing to leave this earth? My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13) If you hate your brother, you are a murderer. If you do not love, you remain in death. God is not in you if you do not love others. We know we are alive in Christ, that we have eternal life, when we are loving mankind as God loves his creation. What is the epitome of love, the apex of love: to lay our lives down for others? This is what Jesus did for us. He revealed God's love to us, a sacrificial love, one that is absolute and eternal. We in the flesh fall far short of this kind of love. We normally focus our lives around our needs and wants. We have a difficult time putting other people's needs before ours. This is why we are not like God; this is why we have trouble understanding who God is and exemplifying his likeness, for we are not like him. Our lives tread around our interests, not the needs of others. But IN CHRIST, we are known as the children of God, learning his interests, not ours, becoming as He is, not as we are in the natural. He is changing us by the indwelling Holy Spirit little by little, step by step. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2) Someday we will be completely like him, clothed in his complete cloak of love. His visage will be our visage, his likeness, our likeness, God in us and loving through us. We are called to be his servants. We are free in Christ, free from the sinful nature through faith in him. Paul told the church in Galatia, For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Despite their glorious freedom in the Lord, the Philippians and all generations since have experienced some kind of persecution, isolation, and threats because of God's ministry of love to the world: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. How nonsensical is it to resist such a message. Jesus predicted the rejection Christians would face: If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:18-19) His message was and is unacceptable in this world of self-interest, and self-engrandisement. The world has rejected this message of love and peace in favor of violence and mayhem. In Noah's time, as it has always been since the Fall, this earth has been filled with turmoil and upheaval. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. (Genesis 6:11-13) Christ came to bring a new way of living, a final solution to this marred, sinful creation. He came to establish peace, hope, and love in the hearts of men. We are his peacemakers, the children of God. We reveal Christ to the world. We do not obfuscate this message by giving in to our fleshly desires or fears. Even in our closest relationships, our lives are based on love and servitude. Paul knew Christ's message would be rejected by fleshly men and the demonic spirits of this world. The self says my way or the highway: it is my authority, my uniqueness, and so on. The word "I" will always be preeminent in the spirits of men who are led by fleshly desires. But Paul's words to the Philippians remind us that regardless of the threats, fears, disappointments, and persecutions, we should conduct ourselves as Christ conducted himself as He went to the cross. We should love all people: treat them as we would want to be treated, a command we often ignore in our lives. We have read: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) Christian companions at this table, gather yourself together more often as you see this world fall apart. All of us need help to stand boldly for Christ, to be strengthened in our innermost selves, to love as God loves. We need each other to accomplish our god-given tasks on this earth.
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