Even though it was online, I was finally able to preach this morning in our chapel service. For two weeks now, I have been rescheduled to preach. The first time, we had a guest speaker, and the school's policy is for faculty members to give way to the guest. The second time, because of heavy rain, the government cancelled the class.

My topic was about unity. Eight days ago, Facebook reminded me of the 1st Theological Forum we had in our school. That was in 2018. The theme was "Unity of the Church: As a Problem." The picture below was taken at that event.

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Unity is not Easy

Unity is not easy to achieve. Even within the family, oneness of mind and of heart is a struggle. If every member of a family is concerned only with his/her own interest, harmony in such a family is difficult to attain. I think that is why the theme of “dysfunctional family” is popular in our time. You can see this by watching movies on Netflix, which ranks as the undisputed #1 global subscription streaming service with over 325 million subscribers (comfortably leading major competitors like Amazon Prime Video, Max (HBO), and Disney+).

How much more if the institution is larger than the family, such as a local church, a school, a company, a barangay, a city, and a nation? “United we stand, and divided we fall.” This is a popular saying that tells us there is strength in unity. Unity in the workplace would mean pooling all the skills and working as a team. No one has a monopoly on all skills, no matter how talented you are. Such unity is capable of solving big problems.

Applying this idea of unity to the local church or a Christian institution like PTS, I think the message of an ancient letter addressed to a local church, considered now an archaeological site in Europe, remains relevant. I am referring to the apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi.

An Overview of Historical and Literary Background

Even though those who study the Pauline epistles are already familiar with the historical and literary background of the apostle’s letter to the Philippian church, I still want to give an overview of the important role of this first-century church in the growth of Christianity. According to one Bible commentary, the epistle to the Philippian church is associated with a most interesting event in the history of the progress of Christianity. Philippi was the first place in Europe in which the Gospel of Christ was proclaimed. Based on Luke’s narrative in the book of Acts, the introduction of the Gospel into Europe in the 1st century was not the result of any preconceived plan on the part of the apostles themselves. Had they been left to their own decision, they would have preferred to bring the Gospel to Bithynia or some other province of Asia Minor. However, instead of this, they were specially directed by the Holy Spirit to “come over into Macedonia” (Acts 16:9), by which means the Gospel was for the first time introduced into Europe. The ancient city of Philippi, by the way, was a prominent Macedonian city founded and named in 356 BC by King Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great).

In the study of church history, we know the important role European Christians played in the progress of Christianity. And so we cannot take for granted the circumstances related to the first preaching of the Gospel at Philippi. Reading the story of the apostle Paul preaching the gospel in the hearing of a few women by a river’s side near Philippi and the conversion of the households of Lydia and of the Philippian jailer, trivial as they seem, but when viewed from the perspective of the status of Christianity today, we cannot help but wonder how such insignificant beginnings grew into a global movement that lasted for more than two thousand years despite the world’s hostility. John Calvin wrote that the triumph of the gospel in Europe at that time through the city of Philippi was a greater victory compared to the political and military victory by Octavius, Augustus Cæsar, and Antony over Brutus and Cassius that decided the fate of the Roman Empire.

Another interesting insight we can glean from the New Testament material is that compared to letters to the churches of Corinth and Galatia, we cannot read any strong words of rebuke from the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church. Instead, what we find is a commendation of the highest kind for their exemplary Christian life. Some would say that the church at Philippi is Paul’s major supporter in financing his missionary work, and that is why the letter is, in fact, a “thank you” letter from Paul as a missionary. No wonder Paul, despite his imprisonment, has a spirit of constant joy.

Now, if the church of Philippi was living as a model of what Christian life should be, why did the apostle remind them about the importance of unity here in Philippians 2:1-11? This tells us that despite the commendable qualities of the Philippian Church, no one is exempt from self-interest, division, and interpersonal conflict. Even a healthy church should be cautious about early signs of interpersonal tension, self-interest, and rivalry that could threaten the unity of the church. The apostle Paul was not responding to a serious crisis; he was trying to prevent minor differences from becoming serious problems.

What I find interesting in the apostle Paul’s approach in dealing with these potential problems is that he called their attention to the cross of Christ. In contrast to today’s churches, influenced by the therapeutic age that address the problem of personality differences and church division with the categories of feelings, self-esteem, emotional needs, and personal well-being, or by simply saying to get along with each other, the apostle Paul brought these issues before the feet of the cross.

The Philippian church, commendable as they were, had a problem between two prominent women in the congregation: Euodia and Syntyche (Phil. 4:2). We don't know exactly what they were arguing about. Paul didn’t tell us whether it involved theology, ministry decisions, personality differences, or something else. But we do know that these two women were experiencing a serious disagreement, and Paul considered their unity important enough to address it publicly. I think it is not far-fetched if we consider the resolution to this disagreement as part of Paul’s intention in his admonition. However, as far as our text this morning is concerned, I think we can learn something about keeping unity in the church or in any Christian institution and community such as the PTS. Here, we find the reasons why unity is difficult to achieve in the local church or any Christian community such as our school and the various student organizations we have here at PTS.

Central Question

Why is it difficult to live in unity even in Christian institutions such as our local churches and our school?

It is difficult to live in unity because we take our union with Christ for granted, verses 1-2.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Here, we find in verse 1 that the four "if" statements are conditional clauses in Greek. They do not express doubt. Instead, Paul uses them as factual arguments—meaning "since" or "in view of the fact that"—to remind believers of the spiritual realities they already share in Christ. And the most basic of this spiritual reality is our union with Christ. John Murray, in the 9th chapter of his book Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, argued that "union with Christ" is the application of redemption. He then explains its broader meaning, ranging from past to future, interpreting that without this union, we cannot properly view our standing before God in the past, present, or future. It is through our union with Christ that we can grasp the full scope of our salvation and the transformative impact it has on our relationship with God. Moreover, Murray traced the beginning of our union in election based on Ephesians 1:3-4.

Considering our natural condition under the power of sin, we are basically hostile to God, making the possibility of union dependent on the "effectual calling" that enables a response, leading to fellowship with Christ.

Explaining the nature of union with Christ, Murray highlights that it is both spiritual and mystical. Spiritual in the sense that the bond of this union is the Holy Spirit, who indwells and controls believers, hence creating a spiritual relationship. Mystical, on the other hand, was kept secret in the past but is now revealed through the Scripture, with the end goal of bringing all nations into the obedience of faith.

This kind of union with Christ gives encouragement, comfort from his love, mutual sharing in the Spirit, tenderness, and compassion. Any indication, therefore, of selfish interest, interpersonal conflicts, and rivalry is contrary to this basic reality. These relational issues cannot be addressed by boosting our self-esteem and meeting our emotional needs. If you are indeed receiving encouragement, comfort from the love of Jesus, mutual sharing in the Spirit, tenderness, and compassion as a result of your union with Him, there is no reason for you to be insecure and insist on your own will that threatens the unity of the church. All these relational problems indicate that the kind of encouragement you receive in Jesus is not enough. You need more. The comfort that His love provides remains insufficient for you. If your relationship with Jesus still leaves you empty, I don’t know of anything or anyone in this world that could fill the void in your heart.

By living in unity, the Philippian church was not only making the apostle Paul happy. They could also make the heart of Jesus, the Spirit Himself, and even the Trinity very happy. This tells us that despite the suffering of the apostle Paul in prison for the sake of the gospel, the greatest consolation in his heart is to see his brothers and sisters in Christ at Philippi living in unity.

Likewise, if you want to make the heart of the leaders sad, make sure that their followers fight among themselves. Let them bite each other, and surely the true shepherds of God will lament. Only the hirelings don’t concern themselves with harmony in the body of Christ, as long as they are receiving the monetary rewards, which is their primary concern. Once you touch that financial incentive, you will immediately see a negative emotion ruled by anger and irritation, which you cannot see when the members of the church are fighting among themselves. In other words, for hirelings, the loss of financial incentive is more threatening than seeing believers quarreling among themselves.

It is difficult to live in unity because we are basically selfish and conceited, verse 3.

Verse 3a reads, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.”

John Calvin described “selfish ambition” and “vain conceit” as the “two most dangerous pests” or “diseases” “for disturbing the peace of the Church.” In contemporary terms, we could describe them as viruses that threaten the health of the church.

Selfish ambition and vain conceit are basically self-centered and prideful. These words suggest that some believers at Philippi were becoming too focused on their own interests, status, opinions, and recognition.

Applying these to our time, this would mean that people consumed by selfish ambition and vain conceit desire human praise and credit. Instead of treating your brothers and sisters in Christ as a family, you see them as rivals, especially if their talents and skills exceed yours. These dangerous pests destroy the unity of any Christian institution, such as local churches and Christian colleges, because they replace a shared love for God and others with a drive for personal power and recognition. The focus moves from serving God to serving your own ego. They are the exact opposite of true Christian love. They hurt church unity because self-centered people tend to take sides and form angry groups. They love to spread gossip to make themselves look better. Living in such a community destroys trust. People feel unloved and used to achieve someone’s goals. If it is a workplace, you don’t feel safe, and the environment feels like a battleground. Moreover, they also affect our witness. When outsiders see us fighting among ourselves, they stop listening; in their eyes, our message loses its credibility because we fail to live its reality.

It is difficult to live in unity because we prefer to value our own interests, verses 3b-4.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Here, we find the remedy to selfish ambition and vain conceit, and that is humility. The apostle Paul has a very short but solid definition of humility, which is exactly what self-centered people need. Humility is defined as a virtue that values others better than themselves. Again, relying on our own abilities, we cannot do this. It is basically contrary to the nature of a self-centered person, and this is the reason why humility is a rare virtue, because everyone, in his own mind, is a king.

However, this is the reason why we need to return to the reality of union with Christ. If union with Christ is true, self-centeredness has no place, and those who are united with Christ possess all the necessary spiritual resources to obey this command, and one of these is the spirit of humility.

One objection might be asked. How is it possible that one who is in reality distinguished above others can value those in his judgment are below him as being above him? Calvin has a twofold remedy to this problem. If you know the reason why your talents and skills are given to you in the first place and you are also aware of your own shortcomings, then valuing others above yourself will be part of your new reality in Christ. Those gifts and talents were given to you not for self-exaltation but for service. Use them instead to detect and correct your faults. If you do these, you will have no problem living in humility. Nevertheless, the apostle Paul does not teach false humility here, the act of deliberately downplaying your skills and achievements but secretly looking for compliments and reaffirmation from others.

A humble person does not have a problem appreciating his brothers’ skills and talents. He will regard them with high honor, and whatever faults he finds, he covers them in love. “The man who will observe this rule will feel no difficulty in valuing others above himself.”

Nevertheless, I find it interesting that if this admonition is true to the apostle Paul, it is possible then that even a godly man like him, who is aware of his spirituality, can value others above themselves.

Verse 4 makes this point even clearer: “not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” The problem was not simply that people disagreed. The deeper issue, as already mentioned, was self-centeredness! Our natural inclination is to ask, “What do I want? What is best for me? Whose opinion should win? ” rather than, “How can I serve my brothers and sisters? ”

Conclusion

Originally, I intended to preach the whole passage from Philippians 2:1 to 11. Completing my preparation last night, I decided to divide the passage into two parts, and so for now, I will stop at verse 4, and if God allows in my next preaching schedule here in our chapel service, I will pick up from verse 5 and continue until verse 11.

Let me conclude the message this morning. The main idea here is for followers of Christ to possess the same mindset that Jesus had when he came down here on earth. This is what we call in Christology the state of humiliation, from Christ’s birth to his death on the cross. Taking this into consideration, Paul is saying, "If Christ humbled Himself for you, how can you refuse to humble yourself for your brothers and sisters?" Christ possessed the highest status, and yet He did not cling selfishly to His privileges. Instead, He took the form of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient even to death on a cross. Paul is therefore not merely giving the Philippians a lesson in good manners. He is giving them a gospel-shaped model of Christian relationships.

In relation to unity in the church, this depends on us, reminding ourselves of our union with Christ, putting aside selfish ambition and pride, looking to the interests of others, and having the mindset that Jesus had when he humbled Himself. The apostle Paul solves the problem of church division, self-interests, and interpersonal conflict by taking them to the cross. Christ’s self-giving love is the source of humility that makes Christian unity a reality.

Let us pray: Father, forgive us for our failure to live the reality of our union with Your Son, for our failure to put aside our selfish ambition and pride, and for our failure to value others above our own interests. Grant us the spirit of humility for your church to live in unity and peace. In Your Son’s Name, we pray. Amen!

Grace and peace!

For the AI-generated song version of this article, check One Heart, One Mind.