Skip to main content

Philippians 1:27

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (Philippians 1:27, ESV)
"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..." could be more literally translated as, "Only live as citizens of the gospel of Christ..." Saying it the other way is a great translation, especially for us because we don't see citizenship in the same light as these Philippian Christians would have.

A little history... In the city of Phillipi, all of its citizens had been granted Roman Citizenship. This was a great privilege because not everyone was granted the rights of citizenship. Phillipi had earned this special privilege because it had once been a Roman outpost. The city itself had been modeled after Rome, with the style of architecture and such. It is said that if one were to visit Phillipi, they would have felt like they were in Rome. If my memory serves me correctly, it had even held an unofficial title of "Little Rome."

Because of this, the people of Phillipi would have held in high regard the concept of citizenship. They would have wanted to live and act in a way that is worthy of Roman Citizenship. This sentiment is what Paul is drawing on as he encourages them to live a life worthy, not of Roman Citizenship, but of Gospel Citizenship. Thinking of all that Christ has done to bring us the good news, live a life worthy of that!

What a profound statement this actually is.

And how does he initially commend them to live a life that is worthy of this particular citizenship?  It is all about unity. Whether Paul is present with them or apart from them and in a different location, they are to stand firm, side by side, for the sake of this same Gospel.

As we progress through the rest of chapter one and into chapter two, we will see this theme of unity creep into the remainder of the conversation. Just don't forget that the foundational thought is to live worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hebrews 11:23

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. (NIV) My first thought when I read this was, "Well, what parent doesn't think that?" Most parents think that their child is no ordinary child those first three months. I know that I still think of my two boys as extraordinary. I know that the creator God has designed them in a unique way. I know that they have talents that have been given to them to serve the King. I may not get the chance to see my son stand toe to toe with a pharaoh of Egypt or call down plagues, but I do think that I will get the chance to see them serve their purpose. I also want to point out that Moses' parents hid him for those three months. They didn't flaunt him, the chose a course of action that was very practical. Some would have you think that if it isn't flamboyant and take unnecessary risks, then it isn't fai...

Psalm 139:17-18

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. (ESV) Saying that God's thoughts are precious is a two fold statement.   First, it is a statement of reality.  For David, God's thoughts had become precious becaus he was beginning to understand what God was thinking about.   Second, it is a statement of theory.  God's thoughts should be precious to us.  We should begin to put  a high priority on what God is thinking about us.  So, we begin to think of God's thoughts the way we should, which will lead us to a better understanding of reality.

Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (NIV) The husband's role is to love the wife. The degree, or the measure, of this love is comparable to Christ's love for the church. To get a demonstration of the extent of Christ's love for the church, simply look at the cross. This is a great love, it is a sacrificial love, and it is a love that holds no room for selfishness. I am fighting the urge to elaborate, but I believe that if a man really looks to the cross, my elaborations will seem trivial. The man who seeks to love their wife the way Christ loved the church must be calling on Christ daily for His grace. He is the only originator of this kind of love. If you are a husband, look to the cross today. Compare your love... not to the bad husbands of the world, compare your love to Christ and what He did on the cross. Then call on Him to enable you to live that kind of love.