A Life Worthy of the Gospel

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Our missional family was recently discussing Philippians 1:27 which reads,

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.

Answering Deep Questions

One of the most striking things about this verse is how it seemingly answers some really deep questions, such as “how do we live out our Christian faith?” or even “how do we live life well?” Living up to what Christ expects of us is often one of the most daunting thoughts for a Christian—especially in light of spiritual heroes such as Paul and the early church, who rejoiced in their sufferings (Acts 5:41). Or, even more daunting is the thought of selling all of our possessions for the sake of others (Acts 2:45)! Is what we are doing enough, or has he called us to more?

Without getting deep into philosophy, Paul gave us a clear, twofold way that we can live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. The goal is to endure in the faith of the gospel for the sake of Christ. And the means of achieving that goal is to stand firm in one spirit and mind.

Signaling Satan's Destruction

The complexity of life’s biggest questions seemingly work themselves out when believers find commonality in one spirit and mind, when they live in community. Paul does not disassociate keeping the faith and being unified as a body (1 Cor 12:13). The work of the church that Christ has ordained can only be accomplished when its members are acting in harmony and accord. We know this because an enemy stands ready to lure those away from the faith (so that the goal will not be accomplished) by driving a wedge between believers. But Paul informs us that when the body of believers stand together, the enemy’s fall is inevitable; our salvation is a clear sign of Satan’s destruction (Phil 1:28).

Now that we know the goal that we are working toward and the general means of attaining that end, how specifically can we be of one mind and spirit, fighting for each other’s salvation?

Pursuing Community

First, we can pursue spiritual disciplines together. After Paul was beaten in Lystra, he and Barnabas returned to the cities where they had previously preached (Acts 14:21-22). Their goal was to strengthen the souls of the disciples and encourage them to continue in the faith, the same goal as we find in Philippians 1:27. In doing this they fasted and prayed, entrusting the church to the care of those whom they appointed as elders. In this case, the goal of sustaining salvation and being encouraged in the faith was met when and Barnabas exercised spiritual discipline with fellow believers during hardship. Paul and Barnabas were living a life worthy of the gospel; they were pursuing unity by meeting spiritual needs.

Second, we can view others as more important than ourselves. Paul tells us to “[d]o nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4). If we are to be of one spirit and mind, then we must forget about our own ambitions and look out for the sake of others. How else will we be on guard to fight for each other’s faith? Fulfillment will not come when we labor in sustaining our own kingdom, but rather when we strive together to keep faith in an unshakeable kingdom. Ultimately, others will be encouraged in the faith when our love is tangible and real—when we bank our lives on the promise that it is more blessed, more joyful, happy, and delightful to give than to receive. Oh, how great a reward we have in Christ!

Unity Is Ours in Christ

Finally, a manner of life worthy of the gospel would not be attainable if it had not already been given to us in Christ. Paul says that we should have a mindset of unity because it is already ours in Christ (Phil 2:5). It is only Christ who changes our desires to pursue unity for the sake of others’ ultimate good. We begin to take stake in seeing to it that others do not grow weary in the faith when we see for ourselves the value in knowing Christ. Looking to both the sacrifice and the kingship of Christ, we see the paradox that is our treasure; the one who has eternal authority was slain for us (Phil 2:6-11).

As we fix our gaze on the high King, our roles become clearer in his kingdom. The value of pursuing unity and faith in the gospel becomes our highest priority and all that is outside of those means will grow dim. Chasing that which is outside of preserving unity in Christ will simply not sustain our souls. Our manner of life is worthy of the gospel when we pursue unity and faith together. We can trust that in Christ we will be unified.

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