Unity Through Humility Philippians 2:1-4
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The Threat of Division
The Threat of Division
A young, ambitious guy at Amoco got a promotion that required a transfer to Cairo. He went home to his new wife and young baby and said, “Great news, we’re moving to Cairo.”
Appalled, his wife said, “You’re moving alone. I’m going home to my mother.”
That was the first test of leadership in that family. There was no apparent compromise. If he gave up his promotion, he would resent his wife for ruining his career. But if she went along with the move, she would hate him for squashing her ideals for the baby and herself. What to do?
The unity of the family was threatened by division between husband and wife. The husband had a vision for his career. The wife had a different vision for her home. The two visions collided creating division.
That man and his wife had to find a way to protect the unity of their family when division reared its head. They had to have a long discussion, going back to the fundamentals, asking questions such as, Is this my career or ours? Is the baby yours or mine? Are we individuals, or do we operate as a team? What are our values? Did God unite us as one flesh in our marriage? If that is so, what must we do to protect that unity of our God ordained family?
The truth is, division threatens unity everywhere it exists in the church, community, and home.
Regarding the church, theologian Wayne Grudem says,
The unity of the church is its degree of freedom from divisions among true Christians.
Wayne Grudem
Paul sees that freedom in the Philippian church being threatened. He is well aware of the pressures of the church is enduring outside. Moreover, he sees the break that is happening on the inside. Paul addresses two women in the church who are relationally divided in Philippians 4:2-3
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Here we have two sisters in Christ who are allowing division to threaten the unity of the church. So, Paul sets out to help theses two women, and he entire church for that matter, to seek unity through Christ-like humility. That is,
Set your mind to seek unity in the church through Christ-like humility.
Set your mind to seek unity in the church through Christ-like humility.
Setting your mind to seek unity in the church through Christ-like humility is the responsibility of every brother and sister in the church. We cannot enjoy the fruit of unity, nor can we stand firm in the unity of the faith, as Paul taught us last week, if we do not set our minds o to do it. This week Paul explains how to protect the church from division by seeking unity through Christ-like humility. In the first four verses of Philippians 2, Paul offers three ways to seek unity through Christ-like humility.
Have your mind set on unity. (Philippians 2:1-2)
Have your mind set on unity. (Philippians 2:1-2)
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Paul introduces three clauses inside a first class conditional clause that expresses God’s work in the believer and the church. The first class conditional uses a combination of the if/then to express something that is likely true. For example, I might say, “If the sun rises, then it will be hot.” The sun is likely going to rise. We can assume that is true. Therefore, we can also assume it will be hot. So, when Paul says if there is any encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the Spirit, he is not casting doubt on the Philippians. He assumes it to be true. What does he assume to be true? That God is at work in the Philippian church. For unity to be genuine and consistent in the church, God must be at work in the lives of the saints. The three clauses, therefore, are expressing a the work of God. What is the God’s work?
Encouragement in Christ
Encouragement in Christ
The word for encouragement means “comfort” or “consolation.” It refers to the comfort God gives his people, especially when they suffer. This sentence makes sense in light of Philippians 1:28-29
28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
Christ comforts those who suffer for his name sake, and since he comforts you, you can now comfort each other. Paul speaks to this in 2 Cor 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
God provides comfort for your soul in your affliction. It is a gift. It is a gift that you are not to hoard for yourself, but you are to share with others who are afflicted. With the same encouragement Jesus gives you, set your mind on encouraging others in the church. This is a work of God in your life that helps you actively sustain the unity of the church by expressing love for your brothers and sisters.
Comfort in love
Comfort in love
Paul uses the same root word in this phrase as he did in the last phrase. This time the comfort is in love. It ‘s likely not Christ love considering he just covered Christ’s encouragement. He is referring to the mutual love the Philippians have for one another. Timothy George notes
The result of the transforming, sanctifying ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is just this: that we are enabled to love one another with the same kind of love that God loves us.
Timothy George
God provides your encouragement and compels you to comfort others with the same love he has shown you and has for them. Where does that kind of love and affection come? How do I love someone the way God loves them and comfort them with the comfort of God? It happens, says Paul, when you have a common fellowship with the Spirit.
Fellowship in the Spirit
Fellowship in the Spirit
Once again, Paul uses a form of Koinonia to describe our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus giving us His Spirit, we enjoy a special fellowship with God and each other. The Spirit of God unites us to the Trinity, to heaven, and to each other. The Spirit of Jesus gives us a bond that eternally unites our souls together. Even if we are struggling to love one another, our fellowship with the Spirit helps us to maintain our love for each other. Paul says,
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
The Spirit of God lives inside of each of us encouraging us in our time of affliction and bonding us together in mutual love for one another. The Spirit also stirs up affection and sympathy in our hearts for each other.
Affection and sympathy for each other
Affection and sympathy for each other
Philippians 2:1 (ESV)
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
Look back at Philippians 1:8
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul alludes to the same idea in 2:1. Just as Paul yearned with the affections of Christ for the Philippians, he assumed the Philippian church yearned for each other with the same affections. If we are fellowshipping with the Spirit, then we love those whom the Spirit loves. We have affections and sympathy for those whom God has affections for, namely His elect.
So, Paul assumes this to be true about the Philippians: Christ’s Spirit lives inside each of them and He encourages their hearts toward mutual love with God honoring affections and sympathy for each other as they koinonia with the Holy Spirit. If this is true, which Paul assumed it was, then he expected the church to complete his joy by setting their minds on unity. Paul says, Phil 2:2
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Paul’s joy is ultimately in Jesus. Paul, however, gets more joy when the church cooperates with Jesus in unity together. He appealed to the Philippians to fill his heart with joy by cultivating a single minded, heart united, loyal love for Jesus and each other that expressed itself in unity.
Paul is not advocating a passive play for unity, as if it will just cultivate itself. Paul’s tone is clear. It’s imperatival. Take the initiative to be a brother or sister who is deeply committed to unity among the saints. Strive for unity. Work hard for it. Purpose in your heart to be an agent of unity. Set your mind to not move to the left or the right in your pursuit of unity.
Kent Hughes wisely reminds us about the initiative factor of setting your mind of something. He says
We must also remember that our mind-set is a deliberate act of the will. We set our minds on taking a vacation. We set our minds on buying an object. We set our minds on finishing a project. We can set our minds on “things above.
R. Kent Hughes
I don’t understand people in the church who claim to fellowship with the Spirit, and yet stir up strife in the church. You cannot purpose in your heart to strive for unity while at the same time having an unhealthy spirit of confrontation about you. The proverbs say hatred stirs up quarrels, but love covers all offenses. You cannot love your brother and hate him at the same time. That, my friends, is a divided heart. Keep in mind, genuine brothers and sister have encouragement in Christ, comfort in mutual love for one another, fellowship in the Holy Spirit, and affections and sympathy for one another. There is no place for hatred or strife in a heart ruled by Jesus.
William Law is so helpful in the fight for unity in your heart when he says
6385 From morning to night keep Jesus in your heart, long for nothing, desire nothing, hope for nothing, but to have all that is within you changed into the spirit and temper of the Holy Jesus.
William Law
With that in mind, Paul moves on to the intentional hard work of seeking to set your mind on unity. To set your mind on unity, you will need to purpose in your heart to do two things. You will need to have a humble view of yourself and an exalted view of others.
Have a humble view of yourself (Philippians 2:3).
Have a humble view of yourself (Philippians 2:3).
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
If look at this verse and say to yourself, “This may be impossible for me,” you would understand the work it takes to seek unity through humility. We are sinners by nature. That means our hearts are desperately wicked. We are filled to the brim with arrogance and pride. it is natural for us to be self-seeking, self-centered, and conceited. Furthermore, we live in a society that believes your can thrive on selfish ambition and conceit. In Paul’s day it was no different.
Keep in mind the honor culture the Philippian church is functioning at the time. It was normal in Roman culture to be preoccupied with social advantage, or to step on others to get yourself to the top. There are were constant rivalries with friends, family members, and neighbors. It was normal to be driven by vein glory, which is what the word “conceit” means in out text. Its the kind of glory supposed to be given to God, but instead you seek it for yourself. Nothing has changed under the sun. As it was in Rome 2,000 years ago so it is today in the U.S.A., and the Western World. Yet, in verse 3, Paul says “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” and in verse four, he says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests...” Good grief! How do I dod such an impossible thing? How do I fight against my natural instinct that the world approves?
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in mutual love, and fellowship with the Spirit, and affections and sympathy for your brothers and sisters, that is if God is at work in your life to conform you into the image of His Son, then you must take a humble view of yourself.
Take a humble view of yourself by counting others more significant than yourself ,and looking after their interests with the same care you would look after your own interests. Humble yourself and see your brother or sister as superior to you to such a degree that you are eager to give them honor. Empty yourself, like the Lord Jesus, and do not hold onto your position as something that needs to be grasped, as if your joy is dependent on the approval or opinions of others.
Charles Swindoll once wrote of an encounter with a Christian colleague of who made him nauseated to his stomach. He said,
“This individual was a widely traveled, well-educated, much-experienced Christian in his fifties. He is engaged in ministry that touches many lives. He is fundamental in faith, biblical in belief, and evangelical in emphasis. For a number of years he has held a respected position that carries with it a good deal of responsibility and a great deal of time logged in the limelight. Such credentials deserve a measure of respect like the rank on the shoulders of a military officer or the rows of medals on his chest. Both merit a salute in spite of the man inside the uniform. In no way do I wish to diminish the significance of his position nor his record of achievement. But my point here is this. He knew better. He had the ability to correct himself, but he chose to be, quite frankly, a pompous preacher!
You got the distinct impression that when the two of you were together, the more important one was not you. Little mistakes irked him. Slight omissions irritated him. The attitude of a servant was conspicuous by its absence. It was highly important to him that everyone knew who he was, where he’d been, how he’d done, and what he thought. While everyone else much preferred to be on a first-name basis (rather than “Reverend” or “Mister”) he demanded, “Call me Doctor.” His voice had a professional tone. As humorous things occurred, he found no reason to smile, and as the group got closer and closer in spirit, he became increasingly more threatened.”
Now maybe in a blue collar church we can be particularly critical of an educated pompous preacher. The same pride and self-exaltation in his heart is in yours as well. How often have you belittle someone whose faith is in its early stages, and they say something that is obviously not kosher with scripture? How often have you been irritated when you’ve not been recognized by the church for something you did or a ministry you served? How often do you dominate the conversation in Sunday school to or Bible study to let everyone know you know the answer? How often do you seek to move away from the church body because you are jealous of the growth of others? How often are you able to laugh at yourself and not take offense when someone humorously critiques the church over some corky thing we do?
Seek unity through a humble view of yourself and an exalted view of others.
Have an exalted view of others (Philippians 2:4).
Have an exalted view of others (Philippians 2:4).
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Paul does not forbid the Christian to take care of his own affairs. He is, however, saying that in some ways your are your brothers keeper. Its an exhortation to not be selfish. Paul flows in the same vein as James 2:15-16
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Exalting yourself leads to neglecting your brothers and sisters. Exalting your brothers and sisters above yourself is an expression of the love of Christ. Paul offers Jesus as the par excellent example in Philippians 2:5-10
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
We will get more into this text next week. For now, notice how Jesus had an exalted view of others. Although Jesus is the highest and most exalted God, he lowers himself, does not hold onto his deserved exaltation, empties himself by taking the form of a slave, going so far as to take on flesh. He takes on flesh not only to be like us, but so he can serve us in the highest capacity. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life. He never broke the law, once. He is the only perfect human being, so much so, that he obeyed his fathers will for him to die as a criminal, a substitute in our place, on a cross, to atone for our sin. John Murray reminds us,
He humbled himself to the accursed death of the cross. There were no lower depths possible, for the cross bespeaks the whole curse of God upon sin. It is humiliation inimitable, unrepeated, unrepeatable.
John Murray
What honor given to sinners that the Son of God would view us so highly as to lower himself to take on flesh, conquer death’s sin, so that we can have eternal life. Jesus is our example of how to have a humble view of ourself and at the same time have an exalted view of your brothers and sisters.
“What unity through humility looks like is serving one another. Giving your life as a ransom for the joy of others to know the joy of Jesus.”
“What unity through humility looks like is serving one another. Giving your life as a ransom for the joy of others to know the joy of Jesus.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
The couple ended up going to Cairo, but not before their relationship had been transformed—she understanding that his career was important to her, and he recommitting to his values as a participant in the family. They protected the unity of their family by both the husband and the wife on the one hand having a humble view of themsleves, and on the other hand having an exalted view of the other. They were able to serve each other, value each other, and come to a place to trust the Lord with this massive decision in their life.
The church is no different. Jesus died to free us from an exalted view of ourselves and set the pattern for us to humble our hearts and serve the interest of others. With his Spirit he encourages each of us, stirs us up to love each other with deep and abiding affections so that we sympathize with each other, meaning we can see each others point of view. With His Spirit inside of us and our love for Him, we protect the unity of our church body by having a humble view of ourselves and an exalted view of each other. By doing this we are bing conformed into the image of the Son, and this lost world sees Jesus in us as believers and as the body of Christ.