IN NO WAY ALARMED BY YOUR OPPONENTS
(those continually lining themselves
up against you): kai me pturomenoi (PPPMPN) en medeni hupo ton
antikeimenon (PMPMPG):
(Isa 51:7, 51:12; Mt 10:28; Lk 12:4, 5, 6, 7; 21:12, 13, 14, 15,16, 17,
18, 19; Acts 4:19-31; 5:40, 41, 42; 1Th 2:2; 2Ti 1:7;1:8 Heb 13:6; Rev
2:10)
without being frightened in any way
by those who oppose you (Lightfoot)
and that no assault of your antagonists makes you waver
(Lightfoot 2)
and that you are not put into fluttering alarm by any of your
adversaries. For your steadfastness is a proof to them that they are
doomed to defeat, while you are destined for salvation—and that from
God. (Barclay)
not caring two straws for your enemies. (Phillips),
And do not be terrified in even one
thing by those who are entrenched in their opposition against you
(Wuest)
Jesus had warned His disciples to
expect opposition (Jn 15:18)
In a similar manner Paul warned Timothy (2Ti 3:12-note)
In no way alarmed - The NAS
omits the "and" which marks this as a continuation of the
previous fact Paul has just stated - that they were with one soul to
contend like a team of athletes against the "other team" or a battalion of
soldiers against the enemy.
John Phillips paraphrases this
verse...
"Don't be scared out of your
determination to live out your heavenly citizenship by anything your
enemies might try to do to you...Their opposition to you is their own
condemnation. Your calm collective courage in the face of danger and
persecution is a sure token to your enemies of the perdition that awaits
them."
Paul's call to courage in the face of
danger has been heeded down through the centuries by millions of
believers whose exploits have earned them mention on the honor roll of
Heaven. Foxe's Book of Martyrs, although out of vogue now, is still a
tribute to the often supernatural bravery of God's people in the face of
terrifying ordeals. Nowhere has man's inhumanity to man been more
dreadfully displayed than in the persecution of believers. In lands
where freedom reigns, Christians do not have to fear police brutality,
but in other lands they are still being tortured and tormented for their
faith. Our fathers were brought up on doses of John Foxe's classic,
complete with harrowing illustrations....It has been said that more
people have died for Christ in the twentieth century than in all the
other centuries of the Christian era combined. We could dwell on our
danger, but it is better to heed Paul's exhortation not to be afraid of
our enemies. (Phillips,
John: Exploring Philippians: An Expository Commentary)
Alarmed
(4426)
(pturo from ptoeo = scare: frighten; terrify)
in the active voice means to frighten or to scare, but it is used more
often in a passive sense which means to let oneself be intimidated, to
be frightened or to be terrified. Pturo was used to describe a
frightened horse shying away on the battlefield and about to stampede.
Paul is saying they are not to be fearful as the result of being
intimidated. Don't be afraid, scared, frightened or
terrified like a horse shying in battle. Don't be startled.
Present tense calls for this to be our continual attitude.
Diodorus Siculus, speaking of chariot-horses of Darius at battle of
Issus
Frightened (pturomenoi)
by reason of the multitude of the dead heaped round them, they shook off
their reins.
Plutarch says
The multitude is not easy to handle
so that it is safe for any one to take the reins; but it should be held
sufficient, if, not being scared by sight or sound, like a shy
and fickle animal, it accept mastery.
Barclay has a picturesque translation
that you are not put into
fluttering alarm
Perhaps there is an allusion to
Cassius who at the battle of Philippi committed suicide at the fear of
defeat. In any event Paul is saying that the Philippians are not to be
startled, frightened or terrified like an uncontrollable stampede of
horses. God wants fearless fighters with undaunted courage, who will not
be startled or intimidated by anything. Such holy boldness is produced
by the Holy Spirit. (see Torrey's Topic
Holy
Boldness)
Opponents
(480)
(antikeimai
[word study]
from antí = against, opposite + keímai
=be placed, lie) literally means to line up face to face with or to lie
opposite. It means to confront or bring face to face especially
with a challenging attitude.
Antikeimai - 8x in 8v -
STUDY THESE OTHER NT USES FOR SOME
INTERESTING INSIGHTS -
Luke 13:17; 21:15; 1 Cor 16:9; Gal 5:17; Phil 1:28; 2 Thess 2:4; 1 Tim
1:10; 5:14. NAS = adversaries(1), contrary(1), enemy(1),
opponents(3), opposes(1), opposition(1).
Antikeimai
means to be set over
against, to be opposed or be in opposition and is often used as a
"verbal noun" variously translated as opponent, enemy or
adversary. Note that in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(specifically in
Zechariah 3:1), this verb is used to describe the opposition of the
Adversary, Satan. In the NT,
antikeimai
is also used to describe the action of the Antichrist once he has
been revealed for who he really is in (2Th 2:4). Little wonder that
these men oppose the Philippian saints who are striving for the faith of
the gospel. And we will also be opposed so do not be dismayed but be
encouraged by the apostle's concluding remarks. There is no middle
ground for as Jesus said a person is either for Him or against Him (Mt 12:30).
This meaning of the word
antikeimai
presents a vivid picture that
might make any saint consider stampeding, especially if they chose to
focus on the adversary (antikeimai)
rather than on the Almighty (Shaddai
). Who you
focus on will determine your perspective (cp Paul's declaration in 2Ti
1:12-note)
and your response. Faith is the best antidote for fear and here Paul
records truths (the fate of the saints contrasted dramatically with the
fate of their adversaries), which should serve to fortify their heart
and mind to fight the good fight of faith. Faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the Word of Christ (cp Ro 10:17-note). When we take our focus off
of the Word of faith, we are in danger of falling prey to the
worry of fear. Ultimately the worst our adversary can do to us
(death) is in fact the best (present with the Lord - 2Co 5:6, 8), so why
should we fear!
A. T. Robertson adds that
Any preacher who attacks evil will have opposition.
Or like Dr. Wayne Barber likes to say
"Preach the word and duck!"
John Eadie comments that the
saints at Philippi...
were to feel a panic in no respect,
or in nothing were they to manifest trepidation or alarm. As those
“adversaries” were known to themselves, the apostle does not specify
them, and whatever their number, stratagem, or ferocity, the Philippian
athletes were not to waver for a moment, far less to retreat. Their
enemies were either the malignant Jewish or Pagan population which
surrounded them, and made them “suffer,” and before whose machinations
some might be tempted to a compromise, or even to a relapse. (Philippians Commentary
online)
Don't yield to the world around but
take to heart the words of the poet who wrote...
Nay, world, I turn away,
Though thou seem fair and good,
That friendly, outstretched hand of thine,
Is stained with Jesus' blood
J Ligon Duncan paraphrases
Paul as saying in essence
‘You are facing, and you will face,
great conflict and opposition because you’re Christians. Don’t be
frightened about that. Don’t be discouraged by that. Don’t feel
threatened by that, because you’ve been given the gift of faith, you’ve
been given the gift of suffering, and you’re going through the same
thing that I’m going through.’ He gives three encouragements in
verses 29-30, so that they can follow the exhortation that he gave them
in verse 28.
If you’ll allow me to do a little imaginative paraphrase of this passage
just to re-emphasize the flow of thought, it would go something like
this. Paul says to these Philippian Christians, and to you,
‘These conflicts that you are experiencing with unbelieving Gentiles who
are persecuting you, and who will persecute you, and with the Judaizers
who want to tear you apart from one another, and they want to tear you
away from the gospel…don’t be frightened or threatened, or discouraged
by the fact that you are experiencing those conflicts.’
Now let me just stop right there and
say something. Any time you come to a place in the Bible where God says,
“Don’t be afraid…don’t be frightened…don’t be discouraged,” understand
this very encouraging truth: Paul and God are not saying that there is
nothing frightening, nothing threatening, nothing fearful in the
Christian life. They’re saying the exact opposite. They’re saying that
because there are things that are frightening and threatening, and
fearful, and discouraging, here’s an encouragement to you. Here’s an
encouragement from God. The very fact that God tells you in the word,
“Don’t be frightened,” lets you know that God knows that you struggle
with being frightened sometimes. And the very fact that He tells you
“Don’t be discouraged” is not an indication that discouragement should
play no part in the Christian life. It’s an indication that it’s all
over the Christian life! And God in His love and kindness, and
encouraging mercy, wants to comfort His people and give them reasons
why, despite the fact that they do have reasons that they could be
discouraged, they have greater reasons why they should not be
discouraged. And that’s exactly what the Apostle Paul is doing here.
‘Don’t be frightened,’ he’s saying.
‘I understand that you are in a threatening, frightening, discouraging
situation, but don’t be frightened.’ He goes on, ‘You may be tempted to
view these kinds of conflicts as an indication that God is displeased
with you, and He is punishing you for something.’ The Apostle Paul says,
‘Don’t do that.’ ‘Or, you may be tempted to look at your circumstances
and say, ‘God has abandoned us.’ And the Apostle Paul is saying, ‘Don’t
do that. That’s exactly wrong. That’s exactly the opposite of what is
happening here. That could not be farther from the truth. In fact,’ Paul
says [I’m still paraphrasing], ‘you need to understand this suffering is
under the sovereign control of God. He is the one who has ordained it,
not for your destruction, but for your everlasting good. Indeed, this
kind of suffering [suffering for Christ’s sake] is just another proof of
your salvation, because unbelievers persecuted the Lord Jesus Christ,
and what happens to the master happens to disciples. And what did Jesus
Himself say in the first words of the greatest sermon ever preached?
‘Blessed are you when you are persecuted for My sake.’’ The Apostle Paul
says, ‘The fact that you are being persecuted for Christ’s sake is a
proof of your salvation. It is a confirmation that God is saving and
will save you. Indeed, dear friends,’ the Apostle Paul goes on to say,
‘both your faith and your suffering for Christ are gifts of our loving
heavenly Father, and suffering is the way to glory.’
That’s my extended paraphrase of
verses 28-30. (Philippians
1:29-30 Not Only to Believe, But to Suffer)
><>><>><>
Robert Hall:—“Nothing
terrified by your adversaries” (Php 1:28). Having Jesus Christ
present with the Father, as an advocate, what was there to terrify them?
They knew that He was at the head of all—principalities and powers,
thrones and dominions, being made subject to Him. That Christian, my
brethren, who views Jesus Christ as the Lord of men, of angels, and of
glory, how firm and undaunted may he look around him, and consider kings
and princes but as common dust; for they must submit themselves to His
authority or perish. See Ps 2:10, 11, 12.
WHICH IS A SIGN OF DESTRUCTION
(loss of all that gives meaning to existence) FOR THEM BUT OF THEM
BUT OF SALVATION FOR YOU AND THAT TOO FROM GOD:
etis estin (3SPAI) autois
endeixis apoleias
humon de soterias, kai touto apo theou:
(2Th 1:5; 1:6 1Pet 4:12, 13, 14) (Mt 5:10, 11, 12; Ro 8:17; 2Ti 2:11,
12) (Ge 49:18; Ps 50:23; 68:19, 20; Isa 12:2; Lk 3:6; Acts 28:28)
This is a sign to them that they will
be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God (Lightfoot 1)
for this will be a sure omen to them of utter defeat, to you of life
and safety: an omen, I say, sent by God himself." (Lightfoot 2)
The very fact that they are your
enemies is plain proof that they are lost to God, while the fact that
you have such men as enemies is plain proof that you yourselves are
being saved by God" (Phillips)
which failure on your part to be
frightened is an indication of such a nature as to present clear
evidence to them of [their] utter destruction, also clear evidence of
your salvation, and this [evidence] from God (Wuest)
Sign
(1732)
(endeixis
[word study]
from endeíknumi = show forth <> en = in,
to + deíknumi = expose to eyes and give proof , make known by
visual, auditory, or linguistic means) (also translated "omen")
means a pointing out
(particularly with the finger) or a proof. It is "evidence marked and
manifest." (Eadie) It is something that points
to or serves as an indicator of something else and hence is synonymous
with a sign, an indication, evidence, verification. It describes the
means by which one knows that something is a fact. It is something that
compels acceptance of something mentally or emotionally and thus serves
as a demonstration or a proof.
Endeixis - 4x in 4v - Ro 3:25,
26, 2Co 8:24; Php 1:28. NAS = demonstration(1), proof(1),
sign(1).
In secular Greek endeixis
meant a pointing out and was used as a legal term, meaning a laying out
of information against one who discharged public functions for which he
was legally disqualified.
In this case endeixis refers
to a pointing out of the failure of the Philippian saints to be alarmed
even in face of the real opposition they were experiencing. By their very
hostility to believers and to the gospel, the opponents of the gospel
were giving twofold evidence that testified against them
and for believers...
First, the sign shows that the enemies of God and His people are
under His severe judgment (everlasting suffering in hell, eternal
punishment, not annihilation).
Secondly opposition to the
gospel gives evidence of the salvation of those who suffer hostility. In
other words, persecution for the sake of Christ proves believers belong
to Him. Therefore persecution that tends to be discouraging to believers
should in fact be a source of confidence and joy because it shows they
are saved.
Dear saint
"called, beloved in God the
Father, and kept for Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:1), are you
suffering for Christ's sake?
Take heart, remembering Paul's exhortation to...
be
(present
imperative =
Command for this to be your everyday attitude and action) steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your
toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1Cor 15:58) (Do
you believe what God promises through Paul - that you work for Christ is
not futile but fertile in the future?
What we believe will impact how we
behave. If we believe these truths, we will press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus! It's always too
soon to quit in Christ!)
Endeixis was a Greek law
term, denoting proof or
evidence obtained by an appeal to facts.
Vincent
adds that endeixis was
used in Attic law of a writ of
indictment. A demonstration or proof
The Philippians' refusal to be
intimidated by external foes was evidence that the salvation they had
experienced was real and even more ominous, that their enemies were
doomed to eternal loss and destruction. Steadfastness at any time is a
compelling witness to the Gospel’s trustworthiness, but is especially
notable when the steadfastness is in the face of stiff opposition. Some
of us have enough trouble holding fast from day to day. These saints at
Philippi did so even with the winds of opposition blowing in their face!
Eadie...
The courage of the sufferer is proof
to the persecutor of his sin, whether he will take it or not, and is
also a witness to himself of his final bliss and safety...The token to
the adversary of his perdition must be, that in the unshaken
steadfastness of the Christian sufferer, he may infer the truth of the
belief which sustains him (Ed: the suffering saint) so to do and
dare, and learn what must be his own doom, if he continue to oppose it,
and persecute its adherents. On the other hand, were the adversary to
terrify the convert, or induce him to hesitate or recant, then such
cowardice or vacillation would naturally lead him to despise a religion
which could be so easily renounced, or was valued less than life (cp
Paul's attitude Acts 20:24), and he would be confirmed in his blindness
and cruelty (Philippians Commentary
online)
Lightfoot sees an allusion, in accord with striving together, to the
sign of life or death given by the crowds in the amphitheater when a
gladiator was vanquished, giving the sign of either thumbs up or thumbs
down. This could be a possible allusion and if so Paul is saying that
the "Christian gladiator" does not anxiously await the signal of life or
death from the fickle crowd. The great Director of the contest Himself
has given us a sure token of deliverance. When believers willingly
suffer without being “terrified,” it is a sign that God’s enemies will
be destroyed and eternally lost (2Th 1:4-8). Thus the failure of
the saints to be terrified by the antagonism of their adversaries, was
clear evidence of such a nature as to convince these pagans that they
were on the road to utter destruction, and clear evidence of the
salvation of the Philippian believers.
The destruction of God’s enemies is
certain and a foregone conclusion, but when Christians stand strong
against intimidation against the world, the flesh and the devil, it
shows those spiritual enemies that their ultimate destruction is
certain. When our spiritual enemies fail to make us afraid, they have
failed completely, because they really have no other weapon than fear
and intimidation.
Destruction for them, but of
salvation - Spiritual ruin versus spiritual rescue!
Destruction
(684)
(apoleia
[word study] from apo = marker of separation, away from +
olethros = ruin, death but not annihilation <> from ollumi
= destroy) does not mean annihilation but instead refers to the state
after death wherein exclusion from salvation is a realized fact, wherein
man, instead of becoming what he might have been, is lost and ruined.
This is tragic! It describes a human life created in the image of God,
corrupted by the sin of Adam, unredeemed by the blood of the Lamb and
who is therefore ruined and is no longer usable by his Creator for the
intended purpose to glorify God. This destruction is accompanied by
everlasting torment and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 13:42, 50).
Apoleia - 18x in 17v - Matt
7:13; 26:8; Mark 14:4; John 17:12; Acts 8:20; Rom 9:22; Phil 1:28; 3:19;
2 Thess 2:3; 1 Tim 6:9; Heb 10:39; 2 Pet 2:1, 3; 3:7, 16; Rev 17:8, 11.
NAS = destruction(13), destructive(1), perdition(1), perish(1),
waste(1), wasted(1).
Through His prophet Isaiah Jehovah
gave orders to bring back His sons and daughters (those of Israel who
had believed in Messiah)...
Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." (Isaiah 43:7)
All people are created by God for His
glory, but when they refuse to come to Him for salvation they lose their
opportunity for redemption and the thus the opportunity of becoming what
God intends for them to be. They are then fit only for condemnation and
destruction. The opposition of the adversaries of was strong evidence
that the opponents of the Philippians saints were rushing headlong into
perdition.
Salvation (4991)
(soteria
[word study]
from
soter [word study] = Savior in turn from
sozo [word study] = save, rescue,
deliver) describes the rescue or
deliverance from danger, destruction and peril. "Salvation"
is a broader term in Greek than we often think of in English.
Other concepts that are inherent in soteria include restoration
to a state of safety, soundness, health and well being as well as
preservation from danger of destruction.
Psalm 37:39 (note)
(Context Ps 37:38-note)
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their
strength in time of trouble. (cp Jonah 2:9b)
Comment (Spurgeon):
Sound doctrine this. The very marrow of the gospel of free grace. By
salvation is meant deliverance of every kind; not only the
salvation which finally lands us in glory, but all the minor rescues
of the way; these are all to be ascribed unto the Lord, and to Him alone
(Ed: See related topic -
Three Tenses of Salvation). Let Him
have glory from those to whom He grants salvation.
He is their strength in the time of
trouble. While trouble overthrows the wicked, it only drives the
righteous to their strong Helper, Who rejoices to uphold them.
And that too from God - John
Eadie explains this passage as follows...
It is not the token itself
which is from God, but the token with what it points to, and what gives
it significance. The courageous constancy of the sufferer is a sign to
the adversary of his perdition, and to its own possessor of salvation,
and the whole is of God. Not simply salvation, but the token of
salvation; not simply perdition, but the token of it—this unique and
singular phenomenon is of God. (Philippians Commentary
online)
><>><>><>
THE MANNER OF LIFE WHICH
BECOMES THE GOSPEL
by F B
Meyer
Phil 1:27-30
A Time of Suspense.
The Apostle had been in suspense; on
the one hand, the supreme interest of living was that he might know and
serve Christ; on the other hand, to die would be gain because it would
usher him into an existence with wider horizons and opportunities. Which
of the two to choose had thrown him into difficulty and suspense.
Finally, however, he had come to the conclusion, that, in all
probability, the hour for striking his tent, weighing his anchor, and
departing to be with Christ had not come, and that he would have still
to abide in the flesh, staying at his post, maintaining his witness on
behalf of the Gospel, and bearing the burden and weight of the Churches
which looked to him as their father. As far as he was concerned, it was
infinitely better to go to be with Christ, but for the sake of the work
that needed him, he realised that it was more necessary to remain with
his fellow-believers, as their comrade and helper, so as to promote
their progress in the knowledge of God, and their joy in believing.
How to Live Meanwhile.
He counted, therefore, with almost
absolute certainty that he would return again to Philippi, and already
he seemed to hear their shouts of rejoicing as he disembarked at the
quay, and was welcomed by the membership of the Church which had come
down to Neapolis to greet him. In order that that glad hour might be a
sky without clouds, that there might be nothing to jar on the greatness
of their mutual gladness, he urged that their conversation (lit. their
citizenship) should be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether
he came to see them or was compelled still to be absent, he might hear
good tidings of their steadfastness, unity, undaunted courage, and
willingness to suffer.
Our "Conversation."
The word conversation is the
rendering of a Greek word, which is familiar to us in the terms
"police," "politics," "politicians." Its primary reference is to cities
and city life. The Apostle thought of the Philippian disciples as
citizens. They were citizens of Rome in the first instance, but they
were also citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem. Later on in this Epistle
he says, "Our conversation (lit. citizenship) is in heaven." Is not this
true of us all? Much as we glory in our earthly citizenship, we have
more to glory in when we remember that we are under a Divine Sovereign,
that we owe allegiance to Heavenly laws, and that we have burgess rights
in the City of God. This, Macaulay tells us, in his eloquent description
of the Puritans, was their pride and boast, and it may be ours. We
desire a better country, that is, an heavenly, and believe that God has
prepared for us a city. We confess that we are pilgrims and strangers on
the earth, because we greet from afar the Celestial City, the home of
God's elect.
The word, in the course of usage, obtained a wider significance than
citizenship, and refers to the manner of life which is incumbent on all
those, who by faith have become children of the Jerusalem which is
above. We have daily to live in a manner which becomes our high calling
and great profession.
We must be Steadfast.
"That ye stand fast." It is
comparatively easy to mount up with wings, to run without wearying, and
even to walk without fainting, but the hardest matter is to stand fast.
Not going back, not yielding to the pressure of circumstances, not
cowering before the foe, but quietly, resolutely, and determinedly
holding our ground. This note rings through the Apostle's writings.
"Having done all," he cries, "see that ye withstand in the evil day, and
stand" (Eph. 6:13-14). In this Epistle, we shall find him bidding his
brethren "stand fast in the Lord" (Phil. 4:1). Evidently, in his
judgment, steadfastness was of supreme importance in the make-up of
character.
It is good to begin, but it is better to keep on steadily to the end. It
is much when the young soldier, well equipped for battle, steps out into
the early dawn, with the light shining upon his weapons, but it is more
important far, if, in the late afternoon, he is found standing in the
long thin line, resisting the perpetual onset of the foe. We are told of
Daniel, that he "continued" (Dan. 1:21). This, perhaps, is the greatest
tribute to him, that through decades he did not swerve from his loyalty
to God, or devotion to the high interests which were committed to his
charge. The men that are steadfast in their loyalty to truth, in their
prosecution of duty, in their holding the post assigned to them by the
providence of God, are those which leave the deepest impression on their
contemporaries. It is not the flash of the meteor which the world really
wants, but the constant radiance of the fixed star. What though the
storm beats in your face, and every effort is made to dislodge you,
though it seems as if you were forgotten in that lone post of duty,
still stand fast: the whole situation may depend upon your tenacity of
purpose, the campaign may be decided by your holding your ground without
flinching. If the Master has put you as a light on the cellar stair,
never desert that post because it is lonely and distasteful, and because
the opportunity of service comes rarely. To be found doing your duty at
the unexpected moment, when His footfall is heard along the corridor,
will be a reward for years of patient waiting.
We must Preserve the Spirit of Unity.
"In one spirit, with one mind (R.V.
soul) striving together (lit. wrestling) for the faith of the Gospel."
The idea of the Apostle is derived
from the ancient games, when men might wrestle side by side against
those of another city or nation. We put each other in good heart when we
stand and strive shoulder to shoulder. The regiments which are drawn
from the same locality, are most likely to give a good account of
themselves in the battle. Every care should be taken to guard against
the outbreak of misunderstanding and jealousy, for these, more than
anything else, will induce a spirit of disunion, which is the sure
precursor of failure.
In the Home.
To use the illustration of our Lord,
the homes that are united are irresistible in their impact upon men, the
household which is divided against itself cannot stand. So it is with
the alliances, leagues, and parties of human politics; so it is with the
army, with federations of operatives, or in the administration of the
affairs of state. Directly there are suspicions, jealousies, envies; so
soon as men are alienated by the spirit of faction and intrigue;
directly parties are for themselves rather than for the
state;--paralysis ensues.
In the Church.
In Church life, it is of course
necessary that each should preserve his individuality. Each stone in the
foundation of the New Jerusalem must flash with its own lustre. Each
star must shine with its own glory; each ray in the prism must be
itself, or the pure beam of light cannot be produced. The very glory of
our common Church life is in the play and mutual interaction of
different temperaments, dispositions, and character. A dull uniformity
is much to be feared. "If the different members of each Church were
similar, if all held the same views, all spoke the same words, all
viewed truth from the same stand-point, they would have no unity, but
would be simply an aggregate of atoms--the sand pit over again." But
amid all these differences there may be a true unity, the different
notes may make one splendid burst of music, the different regiments may
be animated by a common heroism, the crowd of Medes, Parthians, Elamites,
Mesopotamians, Cretans and Arabians, Jews and Gentiles, may make one
Church, of whom it may be said "They continued with one accord in the
temple, and in breaking bread at home." Whatever we do as members of
Christian organisations, we should lay stress upon the things in which
we are agreed, and refuse to be alienated over inconsiderable matters,
about which we differ.
We must Show Courage in the Presence of our Enemies.
"In nothing affrighted by the
adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you
of salvation, and that from God."
The adversaries include the virulent
hate of Jews who dogged the footsteps of the Apostle, and sought to
overthrow his work, and the strong hatred of the Gentiles, which showed
itself in the cruel scourging and imprisonment to which Paul and Silas
had been subjected ten years before. The origin of the word translated
affrighted, suggests the behaviour of a horse when it becomes scared,
springs aside, or dashes off wildly. It is an expression of panic and
dismay; as if one should say, "It is vain to resist, the enemy is too
strong."
In point of fact, our adversaries bluster much, but effect very little.
They come near to us, as Goliath to David, threatening the terrible
things that they are prepared to perpetrate for our undoing, but when
they discover that we manfully hold our own, they recoil as the waves
from the rocks and cliffs of the shore. It seems, sometimes, as though
the ocean would prevail, the mighty waves, mountain high, come towering
towards the coast, but within a moment there is nothing to show for
their fury but a mass of foam. It was so with the Spanish Armada, when
with loud defiance it was hurled against Elizabeth; it was so with the
long strife that followed the burning of John Huss and Jerome at Prague,
when all Europe arrayed itself against their followers in vain. "Lo the
kings assemble themselves, they pass away together; they saw it and then
were they amazed; they were dismayed and were stricken with terror;
trembling took hold of them there, and pain as of a woman in travail;
with the east wind Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish."
Courage Becomes God's Servant.
Undaunted courage becomes the servant
of God. It shone in the faces of the three young men, who told the king
that they would not bow down to his graven image. It inspired the
apostles, who told the Sanhedrin that they must obey God rather than
men. It flamed forth in Luther's lonely stand against the papacy. "Be of
good comfort, Master Ridley," said Latimer, "and play the man, we shall
this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust
shall never be put out." In these words was evidence of the undaunted
courage which has never failed to animate the martyrs of Jesus. It is
impossible to ordinary flesh and blood, but, by faith, we may receive
the lion-heart of Him, who is not only the Lamb as it had been slain,
but the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
We must Accept Suffering as a Gift from God.
"To you it hath been granted in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer in His
behalf; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be
in me." How greatly these words must have encouraged the Philippian
Christians! They realised that the Apostle looked upon them as fellow
soldiers in the same fight as that in which for a life-time he had been
engaged. Their steadfastness and victory at Philippi would make his own
resistance easier, just as his heroism in Rome sent a thrill of courage
and hope into that far distant city. They were comrades, fellow
soldiers, entrusted with similar responsibility on behalf of the dear
Lord who was leading the fight.
Our Victories are Our Lord's.
The same thought was in the mind of
the Master, when, on the return of the seventy from casting out a few
demons, He said, "I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven." He
encouraged them by reminding them that their victories were His. So is
it always. There is not a single lad at whom shoes are thrown in the
bedroom by his school-fellows, because he says his prayers beside his
bed; there is not a girl who brings on herself the derisive epithets of
her fellow factory hands, because she reads her Testament in the dinner
hour; there is not a single working man who endures obloquy and
reproach, the hiding of his tools, and exclusion from the companionship
of his fellow workmen, because he dares to rebuke their blasphemous and
impure conversation, who is not sharing in that same conflict, which is
always raging between heaven and hell.
Suffering for Christ's Sake is a Gift.
In that conflict suffering is
inevitable, but let us dare to recognise that suffering for Christ's
sake is a gift. "It is given to you on behalf of Christ." He entrusts
money to some, learning to others, gifts of speech and organisation to
others, but to some, who may well stand in the inner circle, He gives
the prerogative to suffer. Accept your suffering as a precious gift from
His hand, and dare to believe that in and through it all, you are
filling up that which is behind of His own suffering, for His Body's
sake, which is the Church. You are being admitted into His Gethsemane to
watch with Him, your suffering is precious in His sight, and will have a
distinct and undoubted effect in hastening the advent of His Kingdom.
(F. B. Meyer. The Epistle to the Philippians)
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Alexander
Maclaren's Sermon...
Citizens of Heaven
Php 1:27, 28
WE read in the Acts of the Apostles
that Philippi was the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a
‘colony.’ Now, the connection between a Roman colony and Rome was a
great deal closer than that between an English colony and England. It
was, in fact, a bit of Rome on foreign soil.
The colonists and their children were Roman citizens. Their names were
enrolled on the lists of Roman tribes. They were governed not by the
provincial authorities, but by their own magistrates, and the law to
which they owed obedience was not that of the locality, but the law of
Rome.
No doubt some of the Philippian Christians possessed these privileges.
They knew what it was to live in a community to which they were less
closely bound than to the great city beyond the sea. They were members
of a mighty polity, though they had never seen its temples nor trod its
streets. They lived in Philippi, but they belonged to Rome. Hence there
is a peculiar significance in the first words of our text. The
rendering, ‘conversation,’ was inadequate even when it was made. It has
become more so now. The word then meant ‘conduct,’ It now means little
more than words. But though the phrase may express loosely the Apostle’s
general idea, it loses entirely the striking metaphor under which it is
couched. The Revised Version gives the literal rendering in its margin —
‘Behave as citizens’ — though it adopts in its text a rendering which
disregards the figure in the word, and contents itself with the less
picturesque and vivid phrase — ‘let your manner of life be worthy.’ But
there seems no reason for leaving out the metaphor; it entirely fits in
with the purpose of the Apostle and with the context.
The meaning is, Play the citizen in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Paul
does not, of course, mean, Discharge your civic duties as Christian men,
though some Christian Englishmen need that reminder; but the city of
which these Philippians were citizens was the heavenly Jerusalem, the
metropolis, the mother city of us all. He would kindle in them the
consciousness of belonging to another order of things than that around
them. He would stimulate their loyalty to obedience to the city’s laws.
As the outlying colonies of Rome had sometimes entrusted to them the
task of keeping the frontiers and extending the power of the imperial
city, so he stirs them up to aggressive warfare; and as in all their
conflicts the little colony felt that the Empire was at its back, and
therefore looked undaunted on shoals of barbarian foes, so he would have
his friends at Philippi animated by lofty courage, and ever confident of
final victory.
Such seems to be a general outline of these eager exhortations to the
citizens of heaven in this outlying colony of earth. Let us think of
them briefly in order now.
I. Keep fresh the sense of belonging to the mother city.
Paul was not only writing to
Philippi, but from Rome, where he might see how, even in degenerate
days, the consciousness of being a Roman gave dignity to a man, and how
the idea became almost a religion. He would kindle a similar feeling in
Christians.
We do belong to another polity or order of things than that with which
we are connected by the bonds of flesh and sense. Our true affinities
are with the mother city. True, we are here on earth, but far beyond the
blue waters is another community, of which we are really members, and
sometimes in calm weather we can · see, if we climb to a height above
the smoke of the valley where we dwell, the faint outline of the
mountains of that other land, lying bathed in sunlight and dreamlike on
the opal waves.
Therefore it is a great part of Christian discipline to keep a vivid
consciousness that there is such an unseen order of things at present in
existence. We speak popularly of’ the future life,’ and are apt to
forget that it is also the present life to an innumerable company. In
fact, this film of an earthly life floats in that greater sphere which
is all around it, above, beneath, touching it at every point.
It is, as Peter says, ‘ready to be unveiled.’ Yes, behind the thin
curtain, through which stray beams of the brightness sometimes shoot,
that other order stands, close to us, parted from us by a most slender
division, only a woven veil, no great gulf or iron barrier. And before
long His hand will draw it back, rattling with its rings as it is put
aside, and there will blaze out what has always been, though we saw it
not. It is so close, so real, so bright, so solemn, that it is worth
while to try to feel its nearness; and we are so purblind, and such
foolish slaves of mere sense, shaping our lives on the legal maxim that
things which are non-apparent must be treated as nonexistent, that it
needs a constant effort not to lose the feeling altogether.
There is a present connection between all Christian men and that
heavenly City. It not merely exists, but we belong to it in the measure
in which we are Christians. All these figurative expressions about our
citizenship being in heaven and the like, rest on the simple fact that
the life of Christian men on earth and in heaven is fundamentally the
same. The principles which guide, the motives which sway, the tastes and
desires, affections and impulses, the objects and aims, are
substantially one. A Christian man’s true affinities are with the things
not seen, and with the persons there, however his surface relationship
knit him to the earth. In the degree in which he is a Christian, he is a
stranger here and a native of the heavens. That great City is, like some
of the capitals of Europe, built on a broad river, with the mass of the
metropolis on the one bank, but a widespreading suburb on the other. As
the Trastevere is to Rome, as Southwark to London, so is earth to
heaven, the bit of the city on the other side the bridge. As Philippi
was to Rome, so is earth to heaven, the colony on the outskirts of the
empire, ringed round by barbarians, and separated by sounding seas, but
keeping open its communications, and one in citizenship.
Be it our care, then, to keep the sense of that city beyond the river
vivid and constant. Amid the shows and shams of earth look ever onward
to the realities, ‘the things which are,’ while all else only seems to
be The things which are seen are but smoke wreaths, floating for a
moment across space, and melting into nothingness while we look. We do
not belong to them or to the order of things to which they belong. There
is no kindred between us and them. Our true relation ships are
elsewhere. In this present visible world all other creatures find their
sufficient and homelike abode. ‘Foxes have holes, and birds their
roosting-places’; but man alone has not where to lay his head, nor can
he find in all the width of the created universe a place in which and
with which he can be satisfied. Our true habitat is elsewhere. So let us
set our thoughts and affections on things above. The descendants of the
original settlers in our colonies talk still of coming to England as
going ‘home,’ though they were born in Australia, and have lived there
all their lives. In like manner we Christian people should keep vigorous
in our minds the thought that our true home is there where we have never
been, and that here we are foreigners and wanderers.
Nor need that feeling of detachment
from the present sadden our spirits, or weaken our interest in the
things around us. To recognise our separation from the order of things
in which we ‘move,’ because we belong to that majestic unseen order in
which we really ‘have our being,’ makes life great and not small. It
clothes the present with dignity beyond what is possible to it if it be
not looked at in the light of its connection with ‘the regions beyond.’
From that connection life derives all its meaning. Surely nothing can be
conceived more unmeaning, more wearisome in its monotony, more tragic in
its joy, more purposeless in its efforts, than man’s life, if the life
of sense and time be all. Truly it is ‘like a tale told by an idiot,
full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’ ‘The white radiance of
eternity,’ streaming through it from above, gives all its beauty to the
‘dome of many-coloured glass’ which men call life. They who feel most
their connection with the city which hath foundations should be best
able to wring the last drop of pure sweetness out of all earthly joys,
to understand the meaning of all events, and to be interested most
keenly, because most intelligently and most nobly, in the homeliest and
smallest of the tasks and concerns of the present.
So, in all things, act as citizens of the great Mother of heroes and
saints beyond the sea. Ever feel that you belong to another order, and
let the thought, ‘Here we have no continuing city,’ be to you not merely
the bitter lesson taught by the transiency of earthly joys and treasures
and loves, but the happy result of ‘seeking for the city which hath the
foundations.’
II. Another exhortation which our text gives is, Live by the laws of
the city.
The Phllippian colonists were governed by the code of Rome. Whatever
might be the law of the province of Macedonia, they owed no obedience to
it. So Christian men are not to be governed By the maxims and rules of
conduct which prevail in the province, but to be governed from the
capital. We ought to get from on-lookers the same character that was
given to the Jews, that we are ‘a people whose laws are different from
all people that he on earth,’ and we ought to reckon such a character
our highest praise. Paul would have these Philippian Christians act
‘worthy of the gospel.’ That is our law.
The great good news of God manifest in the flesh, and of our salvation
through Christ Jesus, is not merely to be believed, but to he obeyed.
The gospel is not merely a message of deliverance, it is also a rule of
conduct.
It is not merely theology, it is also
ethics. Like some of the ancient municipal charters, the grant of
privileges and proclamation of freedom is also the sovereign code which
imposes duties and shapes life. A gospel of laziness and mere exemption
from hell was not Paul’s gospel. A gospel of doctrines, to he
investigated, spun into a system of theology, and accepted by the
understanding, and there an end, was not .Paul’s gospel. He believed
that the great facts which he proclaimed concerning the self-revelation
of God in Christ would unfold into a sovereign law of life for every
true believer, and so his one all-sufficient precept and standard of
conduct are in these simple words, ‘worthy of the gospel.’
That law is all-sufficient. In the truths which constituted Paul’s
gospel, that is to say, in the truths of the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, lies all that men need for conduct and
character. In Him we have the ‘realised ideal,’ the flawless example,
and instead of a thousand precepts, for us all duty is resolved into one
— be like Christ. In Him we have the mighty motive, powerful enough to
overcome all forces that would draw us away, and like some strong spring
to keep us in closest contact with right and goodness. Instead of a
confusing variety of appeals to manifold motives of interest and
conscience, and one knows not what beside, we have the one all-powerful
appeal, ‘If ye love Me, keep My commandments,’ and that draws all the
agitations and fluctuations of the soul after it, as the rounded fulness
of the moon does the heaped waters in the tidal wave that girdles the
world. In Him we have all the helps that weakness needs, for He Himself
will come and dwell with us and in us, and be our righteousness and our
strength.
Live ‘worthy of the gospel,’ then. How grand the unity and simplicity
thus breathed into our duties and through our lives! All duties are
capable of reduction to this one, and though we shall still need
detailed instruction and specific precepts, we shall be set free from
the pedantry of a small scrupulous casuistry, which fetters men’s limbs
with microscopic bands, and shall joyfully learn how much mightier and
happier is the life which is shaped by one fruitful principle, than that
which is hampered by a thousand regulations.
Nor is such an all-comprehensive precept a mere toothless generality.
Let a man try honestly to shape his life by it; and he will find soon
enough how close it grips him, and how wide it stretches, and how deep
it goes. The greatest principles Of the gospel are to be fitted to the
smallest duties.
Indeed that combination-great
principles and small duties — is the secret of all noble and calm life,
and nowhere should it be so beautifully exemplified as in the life of a
Christian man. The tiny round of the dew-drop is shaped by the same laws
that mould the giant sphere of the largest planet. You cannot make a map
of the poorest grass-field without celestial observations. The star is
not too high nor too brilliant to move before us and guide simple men’s
feet along their pilgrimage. ‘Worthy of the gospel’ is a most practical
and stringent law.
And it is an exclusive commandment too, shutting out obedience to other
codes, however common and fashionable they may be. We are governed from
home, and we give no submission to provincial authorities. Never mind
what people say about you, nor what may be the maxims and ways of men
around you. These are no guides for you. Public opinion (which only
means for most of us the hasty judgments of the half-dozen people who
happen to be nearest us), use and wont, the customs of our set, the
notions of the world about duty, with all these we have nothing to do.
The censures or the praise of men need not move us. We report to
headquarters, and subordinates’ estimate need be nothing to us. Let us
then say, ‘With me it is a very small matter that I should be judged of
men’s judgment. He that judgeth me is the Lord.’ When we may be
misunderstood or harshly dealt with, let us lift our eyes to the lofty
seat where the Emperor sits, and remove ourselves from men’s sentences
by our ‘appeal unto Caesar’; and, in all varieties of circumstances and
duty, let us take the Gospel which is the record of Christ’s life,
death, and character, for our only law, and labour that, whatever others
may think of us, we ‘may be well pleasing to Him.’
III. Further, our text bids the colonists fight for the advance of
the dominions of the City.
Like the armed colonists whom Russia and other empires had on their
frontier, who received their bits of land on condition of holding the
border against the enemy, and pushing it forward a league or two when
possible, Christian men are set down in their places to be ‘wardens of
the marches,’ citizen soldiers who hold their homesteads on a military
tenure, and are to ‘strive together for the faith of the gospel.’
There is no space here and now to go into details of the exposition of
this part of our text. Enough to say in brief that we are here exhorted
to ‘stand fast’; that is, as it were, the defensive side of our warfare,
maintaining our ground and repelling all assaults; that this successful
resistance is to be ‘in one spirit,’ inasmuch as all resistance depends
on our poor feeble spirits being ingrafted and rooted in God’s Spirit,
in vital union with whom we may be knit together into a unity which
shall oppose a granite breakwater to the onrushing tide of opposition;
that in addition to the unmoved resistance which will not yield an inch
of the sacred soil to the enemy, we are to carry the war onwards, and,
not content with holding our own, are with one mind to strive together
for the faith of the gospel There is to be discipline, then, and compact
organisation, like that of the legions whom Paul, from his prison among
the Praetorian guards, had often seen shining in steel, moving like a
machine, grim, irresistible. The cause for which we are to fight is the
faith of the gospel, an expression which almost seems to justify the
opinion that ‘the faith’ here means, as it does in later usage, the sum
and substance of that which is believed. But even here the word may have
its usual meaning of the subjective act of trust in the gospel, and the
thought may be that we are unitedly to fight for its growing power in
our own hearts and in the hearts of others. In any case, the idea is
plainly here that Christian men are set down in the world, like the
frontier guard, to push the conquests of the empire, and to win more
ground for their King.
Such work is ever needed, never more needed than now. In this day when a
wave of unbelief seems passing over society, when material comfort and
worldly prosperity are so dazzlingly attractive to so many, the solemn
duty is laid upon us with even more than usual emphasis, and we are
called upon to feel more than ever the oneness of all true Christians,
and to close up our ranks for the fight. All this can only be done after
we have obeyed the other injunctions of this text. The degree in which
we feel that we belong to another order of things than this around us,
and the degree in which we live by the Imperial laws, will determine the
degree in which we can fight with vigour for the growth of the dominion
of the City. Be it ours to cherish the vivid consciousness that we are
hero dwelling not in the cities of the Canaanites, but, like the father
of the faithful, in tents pitched at their gates, nomads in the midst of
a civic life to which we do not belong, in order that we may breathe a
hallowing influence through it, and win hearts to the love of Him whom
to imitate is perfection, whom to serve is freedom.
IV. The last exhortation to the colonists is, Be sure of victory.
‘In nothing terrified by your
adversaries,’ says Paul. He uses a very vivid, and some people might
think, a very vulgar metaphor here. The word rendered terrified properly
refers to a horse shying or plunging at some object. It is generally
things half seen and mistaken for something more dreadful than
themselves that make horses shy; and it is usually a half-look at
adversaries, and a mistaken estimate of their strength, that make
Christians afraid. Go up to your fears and speak to them, and as ghosts
are said to do, they will generally fade away. So we may go into the
battle, as the rash French minister said he did into the Franco-German
war, ‘with a light heart,’ and that for good reasons. We have no reason
to fear for ourselves. We have no reason to fear for the ark of God. We
have no reason to fear for the growth of Christianity in the world. Many
good men in this time seem to be getting half-ashamed of the gospel, and
some preachers are preaching it in words which sound like an apology
rather than a creed. Do not let us allow the enemy to overpower our
imaginations in that fashion. Do not let us fight as if we expected to
be beaten, always casting our eyes over our shoulders, even while we are
advancing, to make sure of our retreat, but let us trust our gospel, and
trust our King, and let us take to heart the old admonition, ‘Lift up
thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid.’
Such courage is a prophecy of victory. Such courage is based upon a sure
hope. ‘Our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we look for the
Lord Jesus as Saviour.’ The little outlying colony in this far-off edge
of the empire is ringed about by wide-stretching hosts of dusky
barbarians. Far as the eye can reach their myriads cover the land, and
the watchers from the ramparts might well be dismayed if they had only
their own resources to depend on. But they know that the Emperor in his
progress will come to this sorely beset outpost, and their eyes are
fixed on the pass in the hills where they expect to see the waving
banners and the gleaming spears. Soon, like our countrymen in Lucknow,
they will hear the music and the shouts that tell that He is at hand.
Then when He comes, He will raise the siege and scatter all the enemies
as the chaff of the threshing-floor, and the colonists who held the post
will go with Him to the land which they have never seen, but which is
their home, and will, with the Victor, sweep in triumph’ through the
gates into the city,’
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Charles Simeon...
A HOLY CONVERSATION
RECOMMENDED
Phil. 1:27
THE interests of immortal souls should be dear to every one, but most of
all to the ministers of Christ. Neither the height of prosperity, nor
the depth of adversity, should ever induce us to forget them. Our
blessed Lord, when in the bosom of his Father, could not rest, (if we
may so speak,) till he had undertaken our cause; nor in the midst of all
his sufferings did he relax his solicitude in our behalf. St. Paul also,
in every diversity of state, was so intent on the salvation of his
fellow-creatures, that he counted not even his life dear to him, if only
he might be instrumental to their eternal welfare. He was now in prison
at Rome: yet what employed his thoughts? He had a request to make to the
Philippian Church: and what was it? Did he desire that they would
endeavour to liberate him from his chains? No; he was unmindful of
himself, and solicitous only that they should adorn the Gospel. For this
“only” did he labour; and this “only” did he desire.
We notice, in the words before us,
I. His general exhortation—
The standard at which the Christian is to aim, is widely different from
that with which the rest of the world are satisfied. We can easily
understand that different modes of living would become a prince and a
beggar, or a philosopher and a child: we can readily conceive also, that
if a company of angels were sent down to sojourn upon earth, and a
direction were given them to live suitably to their high station, it
would import pre-eminent sanctity in the whole of their conversation.
From hence we may form some idea of the exhortation in the text. The
Christian is “a citizen of no mean city;” he is a citizen even of heaven
itself: and he is to order his life in such a way, as becomes the
society to which he belongs. The Gospel is the charter of their
privileges, and the directory of their conduct: and they are to walk as
becomes,
1. The wonders it unfolds—
[Contemplate the great mystery of redemption: contemplate the
incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ,
together with the offices he still continues to execute for his people’s
good — — — Contemplate the favour with which the Father regards them in
and through his beloved Son — — — Contemplate the love of the Holy
Spirit, who condescends to make their polluted bodies and souls his
habitation, in order that through his gracious influences they may be
made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light — — — What kind of
a life do such mysteries of love and mercy require? Should not our souls
be lost, as it were, in wonder, love and praise? — — —]
2. The profession it calls us to—
[We profess to be “as lights in the world,” “as cities set on a hill:”
we profess to be “born from above,” to be “transformed into the Divine
image,” yea, to be “changed into the Divine image, from glory to glory,
by the Spirit of our God.” In a word, we profess to be “epistles of
Christ, known and read of all men;” insomuch that no one can behold us,
without seeing the mind and will of God exhibited in living characters
before his eyes. What then is the conversation suited to such a state?
Is a mere negative holiness sufficient, or a lukewarm performance of
religious duties? Who will behold God in such a conduct as that? If we
are to exhibit Christ to the world, we must “walk altogether as Christ
walked:” his temper, his spirit, his conduct, must be ours — — —]
3. The benefits it confers—
[Take a distinct view of these: survey the pardon of sins unnumbered,
the peace that passeth understanding, the strength for every duty, the
access to God on all occasions, the joy unspeakable and glorified, the
prospects opened in a dying hour, the crowns and kingdoms reserved for
us in a better world — — — What manner of persons ought we to be, who
have such mercies vouchsafed unto us? Does it become such persons to be
weighing out their services by drachms and scruples, if we may so speak?
Should we not “love and serve God with all our heart, and all our mind,
and all our soul, and all our strength?” The continual habit of our
minds should be, “What shall I render unto the Lord?” — — —]
But, that we may not spend all our time in mere general truths, let us
proceed to notice,
II. His particular directions—
A Christian minister is not like the ostrich, which having laid her eggs
in the sand, pays no further attention to them; but like a tender
mother, who, after having brought forth her infant, travails with it in
birth a thousand times, through her fond solicitude for its welfare.
If present with his people, he watches over them with care; if absent
from them, he anxiously inquires respecting their state. To see good in
them, and to hear it of them, is, next to his personal enjoyment of God,
his chief happiness. He can say with truth respecting them, “I live, if
ye stand fast in the Lord.” Now, amongst the various blessings which he
desires them to enjoy, there are two in particular, to which we would
call your attention;
1. An union of heart among themselves—
[This is essentially necessary to the welfare of any Church: if there be
dissensions and divisions among them there will soon be confusion and
every evil work. And where shall we look for union, if not among the
household of God? Have they not all one faith, one hope, one baptism,
one God and Father? Are they not all members of one body, all animated
by the same Spirit, all heirs of the same glory? It was from these very
considerations that the Apostle urged the Ephesian Church to cultivate
an humble, meek, forbearing, and forgiving temper, and to “keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;” and, as in the text, made it
his one request to them, when he was a prisoner at Rome. Of how much
importance he thought this temper to be, we may judge from what he
himself says in a few verses after the text: we cannot conceive language
more tender, or motives more powerful, or entreaties more urgent, than
he there addresses to them; and the one point that he there presses
upon them is, that they would be “like-minded, having the same love,
being of one accord, and of one mind.”
This then we would impress upon your minds as a matter of indispensable
necessity. There will of course, amongst a number of persons whose
former views, habits, and dispositions have been so different, arise
many occasions of difference, perhaps also of dissatisfaction and
disgust: but Christians should regard the smallest symptom of disunion,
as they would the beginnings of a conflagration in the house wherein
they dwelt: every one should have his personal feelings swallowed up in
an attention to the common cause. All should have one object, and unite
their efforts to accomplish it, and banish in an instant whatever might
obstruct their exertions for the general good. That this will sometimes
be attended with difficulty, is implied in the very exhortation to
“stand fast in one spirit:” but it may be done; and, if our hearts be
right with God, it will be done.]
2. A zealous attachment to the faith of Christ—
[Many things there are which may operate to turn us from the faith of
Christ. That which the Apostle more especially had in view, was the
dread of persecution: and certain it is, that the fear, not only of
death, but even of an opprobrious name, causes many to draw back from
their holy profession. But we must “take up our cross daily, and follow
Christ;” yea, we must “follow him boldly without the camp, bearing his
reproach.” In this holy fortitude we should all unite: for the defection
of one has a tendency to weaken all the rest. “With one mind therefore
we should strive together for the faith of the Gospel.” We should
endeavour to preserve in our own souls a love of the truth, and in every
possible way to recommend it to those around us. We should bear in mind
the benefits which we hope to receive from the Gospel, and the
obligations we have to hold fast our profession of it: and we should
determine, through grace, to seal it (if need be) even with our blood.
We must be careful, however, not to spend our zeal about the
circumstantials of religion, or to cloke a bigoted attachment to a party
under a pretence of love to Christ: it is the Gospel itself, and the
blessed truth which it unfolds, that we are to contend for; and for that
we are to be ready to lay down our lives.
To hear of these two things, an orderly and affectionate agreement among
themselves (like that of a well-disciplined army), and a steadfastness
in the faith of Christ, is the greatest joy of a minister, when, by the
providence of God, he is for a time removed from them: in reference to
both of them, therefore, we would address you in the language of the
Apostle, “Brethren, dearly beloved and longed-for, my joy and crown, so
stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”]
