Philippians 2:1-5
King James Version (KJV)
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
These are actually easy verses to comprehend, but maybe not so easy to
fulfill. Clearly, these verses are a call to unity within the church. That doesn’t mean we will always agree. Sometimes, we may even argue that the church has simply become too diverse and unity feels impossible. But this was Paul speaking to the Philippians, and if there was ever diversity within the church, surely it was then. Philippi was a cosmopolitan city consisting of people from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicity; Greek and Roman; rich and poor.
Paul gives us a clear way to walk in unity within these verses, and it begins and ends with thinking of others more highly than ourselves. Humility is at the heart and love is the means to push forward.
Sometimes what we do for the Lord actually becomes all about the impression we are creating for others. We can begin to care more about how good we look, than we do about the real goal of serving others for Jesus Christ. It becomes all about selfish desire and gain; that kind of pride is very easy to spot and is extremely divisive.
Instead, we are to be one in spirit and purpose; like-minded in our goals and duties that Jesus has for us. We should be willing to lay aside our differences, our pride in our achievements; as well as selfish desires that can only bring division. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and seek their well-being even before our own.
We are given six key instructions in this text. We are to extol and perform these 6 exhortations in order to fulfill what Jesus intended, thereby obtaining unity so that we might be as effective as possible.
Galations 5: 25-26
Romans 12:9-10
1Corinthians 2:16
King James Version (KJV)
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
These are actually easy verses to comprehend, but maybe not so easy to
fulfill. Clearly, these verses are a call to unity within the church. That doesn’t mean we will always agree. Sometimes, we may even argue that the church has simply become too diverse and unity feels impossible. But this was Paul speaking to the Philippians, and if there was ever diversity within the church, surely it was then. Philippi was a cosmopolitan city consisting of people from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicity; Greek and Roman; rich and poor.
Paul gives us a clear way to walk in unity within these verses, and it begins and ends with thinking of others more highly than ourselves. Humility is at the heart and love is the means to push forward.
Sometimes what we do for the Lord actually becomes all about the impression we are creating for others. We can begin to care more about how good we look, than we do about the real goal of serving others for Jesus Christ. It becomes all about selfish desire and gain; that kind of pride is very easy to spot and is extremely divisive.
Instead, we are to be one in spirit and purpose; like-minded in our goals and duties that Jesus has for us. We should be willing to lay aside our differences, our pride in our achievements; as well as selfish desires that can only bring division. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and seek their well-being even before our own.
We are given six key instructions in this text. We are to extol and perform these 6 exhortations in order to fulfill what Jesus intended, thereby obtaining unity so that we might be as effective as possible.
- Equal love for all
- Be of one accord (united in spirit)
- Be of one mind
- Do nothing through strife or vainglory
- Esteem others better than yourself
- Look on the needs of others
Galations 5: 25-26
Romans 12:9-10
1Corinthians 2:16
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