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witness. There is no doubt whatsoever that this thought completes the precious unities of
the Spirit, faith and body in Eph. 4:, which form such an important part of the believer's
"worthy walk". To talk about guarding these, at the same time to do anything that spoils
the group-unity in service, is to delude oneself.
To enforce this truth, Paul's vivid mind quickly turns from the figure of civic
privileges to a team of athletes united in mind and spirit:
"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come
and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with
one soul striving for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries
. . . . ." (1: 27, 28 R.V.),
and this thought is repeated in 4: 1, "stand fast in the Lord". Any possibility of the
spoiling of internal harmony, such as had occurred in the Corinthian church, was dreaded
by the Apostle. He knew only too well how such disruptive work played into the hands
of Satan and ruined the witness for the Lord. The Philippians must stand not only
individually, but together as a company in one soul (literally) and one spirit. They must
strive together, "sunathleo", a term connected with the games, which Paul uses again in
II Tim. 2: 5 R.V.:
"And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended
lawfully."
They must do this together, and this is the recurring thought in this most practical
letter, which we ignore to our peril. Such united steadfastness, in spite of all attempts
to scare them, would be a "manifest token of perdition" to their opponents. Moffatt
vividly translates "fighting side by side", and over all this the Lord was presiding,
overruling all to the Philippians' ultimate salvation and their being "more than
conquerors" (Rom. 8: 37), while allowing the enemies, with the powers of darkness
behind them (Eph. 6: 12), to manifest their own perdition.
The "faith of the gospel" is surely all that "good deposit" of truth which they had
received through Paul's ministry, and which the enemies were seeking to overthrow. It
was a privilege, not only to receive this by faith, but to suffer for it. The word "given",
echaristhe, is formed on the stem of the noun charis, grace. To suffer for God-given
truth is not something to be regarded with dread, but a mark of His signal favour, granted
for Christ's sake. Such a view would transform the situation and enable the Philippian
church to come through with flying colours whatever persecution they were called upon
to endure. One is reminded here of Peter and John, who, after being flogged, departed
from the Sanhedrin "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His
Name" (Acts 5: 41).
Such suffering then did not come by accident. The Lord was in control, and rather
than being a mark of His displeasure, it was one of His approval. And moreover, the
Lord identified Himself with the suffering of His children, as Paul doubtless remembered
from the words of the Saviour when He arrested him so dramatically on the road to
Damascus, and said "I am Jesus, Whom thou persecutest" (Acts 9: 4, 5). Paul reminds