THE PRIORITY OF THE GOSPEL

Philippians 1:27-30
Bob Bonner
March 16, 2008

The most important message that God wants the whole world to hear and understand is the message of the gospel. Ever since the fall, it has been God’s plan to rescue the sinner and to transform his or her life to a better condition than even the one mankind experienced before the fall. And it is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation to all those who believe. It is this message of the gospel that is preached from Genesis to Revelation.

Having said that, I have discovered that many Christians still do not understand what the term “gospel” means and to what it refers. Most Christians I have encountered have a limited understanding of the gospel. Others have so redefined what the gospel means that they use the term to explain their religious motivation behind their social actions or political agenda, which has nothing to do with the original meaning of the gospel.

Because this term “gospel” is paramount to understanding Paul’s purpose in writing his letter to the Philippians, and more specifically, to understanding our passage of study for this morning, I thought it best for us to begin this morning making sure that we all understand its definition.

Whenever the Apostle Paul uses the term “gospel” he has one or two things in mind simultaneously, for there are two aspects to the use of the word as it is found in the New Testament. Sometimes Paul stresses one aspect of the gospel over the other, and that can only be determined by the context. Nonetheless, we must always keep in mind that the full meaning of the gospel has basically two aspects to it.

One aspect of the use of the term gospel concerns that information about how one can be saved and forgiven of one’s sins in order to stand fully approved by God, totally accepted, completely loved , and guaranteed to live in eternity with Christ. When people speak of the gospel in terms of sharing Christ or telling someone about the Four Spiritual Laws or The Roman Road, it is this aspect of the gospel that they are highlighting. As Christians, each and every one of us is called to the ministry of spreading the gospel. In a word, this aspect of the gospel points to evangelism. 

The second aspect of the gospel points to Jesus Christ’s powerful work of transforming the individual Christian’s life here on earth, such that the individual will become more Christ-like. This power of the gospel is that which heals people’s deep emotional wounds, sets people free from hurts, hang ups, and controlling habits, and enables them to be a positive and functioning part of a family of believers known as the church, whose mission it is to spread the gospel. The power behind the gospel is always Jesus Christ and his resurrection power. Most often, the means He chooses to make sure that we continue to mature and be transformed is the local church family loving one another and building up each other.

It is this second aspect of the gospel, the power to transform a person’s life, that Paul refers to in Romans 1:16, when he declares that he is “…not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” And as the rest of the book of Romans goes on to explain, that word “salvation” as it is used in Romans refers not to how one can get into heaven but to the maturation process, that life transformation process that takes place by the power of God in the lives of those who truly have trusted Christ as Savior. Whereas the first aspect of the gospel points to evangelism, this second aspect of the gospel points to the personal edification of believers, the building up of their lives.

Throughout this letter to the Philippians, Paul is reminding the Philippians through example and by personal exhortation that this spreading of the gospel, both through evangelism and edification, is to be the primary focus of their individual lives as a church family. Nothing should be allowed to take precedence over the gospel. Nothing should be allowed to derail their ongoing efforts of evangelism of unbelievers and edification of believers. Neither selfish interest, personal rights, desire for justice, political pursuit, personal business agenda, nor gratification from friendship should ever take priority over the spread of this gospel. 

The reason that Paul is hammering this home in his letter to the Philippian church is because there has obviously been something that has distracted them from God’s calling upon their lives to spread and demonstrate the power and the primacy of the gospel, and it is Paul’s goal to get them to see the error of their ways and to get them back on track. 

The Philippian Christians were not to live as individualists doing their own thing like spiritual gypsies, but rather they were to live as a community, accountable to building up one another so that together they could reach their world for Christ through the truth of the gospel. Like the Philippians, we are to be God’s representatives of the hope that the Gospel stands for right here in Grants Pass.

Now, with that understanding of what the gospel is about and God’s call for it to be the priority of all of our lives, let’s return to our study of Philippians.

Previously in our study of Philippians, we finished a section that began in 1:12-26, in which the apostle Paul spoke about what was happening to him in prison and what was happening in regards to the spread of the gospel. In those verses we saw Paul’s example, his modeling for the Philippians and for us as to the priority of our lives being the Gospel and making it known instead of our priority being to make ourselves comfortable and championing such things as our own rights. Paul modeled for us that when we choose to put God’s agenda first in our lives, to put the truth of the gospel out there for all to see, one of the consequences will be our experiencing conflict. Some of that conflict, Paul shows us, will come from outside the church, from non-Christians, and some from within the church, from fellow Christians. When we find ourselves in conflict with other Christians, it is usually due to a Christian putting his or her personal agenda ahead of making the gospel known. In either case, whether conflict comes from without or within, Paul demonstrated with his life that he would always remain true to making the gospel top priority.

In addition to his personal affairs, Paul shared his hopes and convictions that he would be released soon from prison, and that it would be his desire to go see his beloved Christian friends in Philippi as soon as he got out.

With that, and beginning with verse 27, Paul now shifts gears from speaking about his personal affairs to the personal affairs going on in Philippi. From 1:27-2:18, Paul moves to the first of two major sections of his exhorting and instructing the Philippians concerning issues they needed some help with. For sure, when he eventually gets back to Philippi, he will want to see how they are progressing concerning their struggles. But for now, his first step in helping them resolve their conflicts with each other is to send this letter. As we will see in this first section, there is one primary thought on Paul’s mind--that the Philippians understand that their common goal should be their unified effort towards the “progress of the gospel.”

He spells out that challenge in verses 27-30. In doing so, Paul utilizes three different metaphors to make clear their goal: That of being a loyal citizen, a committed soldier, and an athlete who commits to play for the betterment of the team rather than for his self glory. Each of these metaphors was common to the Philippians’ understanding and ones to which he will return again and again throughout this letter. 

As we read Paul’s words, you will notice that they seem to take on the tone of a political leader or commanding officer or a coach who is determined to inspire his fellow citizens, troops, or athletes to work together for the betterment of all concerned. 

Our passage falls into two parts. In the first, verses 27-28, Paul exhorts and challenges the Christians at Philippi to live together to accomplish a common goal. Then in the second part, verses 29-30, Paul explains not only why this is important but what can be expected when you commit to making the progress of the gospel the priority of your life.

Let’s begin by reading Paul’s exhortation, his first major challenge to the Philippians, in verses 27-28. That challenge has to do with making sure that the gospel remained the primary goal of their lives. He writes, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”

Note Paul’s opening word, “only.” This word “only” is in the emphatic position stressing, “this one thing and only this one thing.” Nothing else must distract or excuse them from this great objective; it must be their all-embracing life-long occupation whether Paul was there or not. What is that objective? That their lives would reflect worthily on the gospel of Christ.

Then Paul reveals his first metaphor or picture of how they should view their lives as lived together in regard to the gospel. He tells them that they are to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy.” In the original language, those six English words are a good attempt at translating just one very difficult Greek word. It is the verb “politeuesthe” Although this is a good attempt at translating it, our English equivalent fails to convey all that is going on here with this one word.

The noun form of this word, “polis”, actually refers to citizenship, and the verb means “to conduct oneself worthily as a citizen of the city-state or colony.” To a Roman citizen of Philippi, being deemed a Roman colony was life. “Colonial” status meant that the people of Philippi were reckoned as Roman citizens. Their names were on the rolls in Rome; their legal position and privileges were those of Rome itself. They enjoyed the same legal protection as any citizen living in Rome. They were free from the taxation levied elsewhere in the empire.  Philippi’s laws were part of the citizen’s being. Its customs were something of which the citizen was proud. Whatever took place in Philippi was to be a reflection of what took place in Rome. Hence, the polis demanded every Philippian’s complete loyalty, and he gave it quite willingly. To him, his citizenship was the best thing in his life, and he would do anything to protect the purity and integrity of his polis. He would do anything to prevent the loss of all the privileges that came with being a citizen of a polis

Likewise, Paul is saying for the Christian his polis, or community here on earth, was the church, a reflection of their citizenship in heaven. Presently here on earth, the church is the heavenly homeland in miniature; heaven’s laws are their laws, and its privileges theirs. Hence, the way they live together as Christians is a message to the rest of the world as to what it means to be a citizen of heaven.  Hence, to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” meant that they were to live together as fellow members of the church, or citizens of the heavenly kingdom.

Keep in mind, Paul is in prison in the capital city of Rome as he writes these words. At that time, there were some Christians living in Rome as though they were independent agents of God, unconnected to the one true kingdom of God. Preachers lived in competition with one another, possessing ownership over their flocks, “their kingdoms”, all of which had brought shame to the Savior.  Even though these preachers may have been proclaiming the gospel, their lives proved that the gospel was not their primary objective, but rather they sought their own self glory and prominence.  Paul saw firsthand what happens to Christians who take their eyes off Christ and his calling for them to love one another and to work together to for the sake of the gospel. Throughout this letter, one can’t help but see Paul’s concern that the Philippian Christians might be drifting down the same road as did the Christians in Rome. So he wrote these words about living as fellow citizens of the kingdom of heaven. 

Paul continues, “so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind (and secondly) striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

“Standing firm” was a military term explaining what one is to do when attacked. Every Philippian knew to what this term referred--a Roman phalanx. A Roman phalanx was a ten-man-wide, ten-man-deep fighting machine. It was developed to either hold a position, or to slowly move forward. The men in the front hid behind very large shields, holding spears that ranged from 12 to 18 feet. As long as each soldier stayed in his place and did his job in concert with those next to him, a phalanx could withstand the advance of the enemy and even make progress forward if they chose to.  Hence, “standing firm” was a term used of a soldier who defended his position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his life.

Figuratively, Paul uses this term here and in 4:1, picturing the local church as an army of committed fellow soldiers standing beside one another and holding together for the sole purpose of defending and spreading the truth and hope of the gospel. Like a phalanx, we are to be a community of believers committed to holding fast to the truth of the gospel without compromise and regardless of personal cost. The truth of the Gospel and the slow but sure advance of the gospel is what is at stake.

Paul further informs us that like the phalanx, unity and commitment are the foundation of success. We are to stand firm “in one spirit, with one mind.” The term “spirit” does not refer to the Holy Spirit it refers to the believer’s attitude, heart actions--his human spirit. One spirit and one mind refer to the experience of unity, harmony, and interdependence. 

Of this standing in one spirit and one mind, John MacArthur writes, “The functioning unity of the church was also one of Paul’s great passions.... Church strife does not always involve such flagrant sins as adultery, stealing, lying, or defamation. It is often generated by such ‘lesser’ sins as holding grudges over minor issues, unjust criticism, bitterness, dissatisfaction, and distrust. The enemy of the church succeeds when God’s people turn their ‘freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,’ forgetting to ‘through love serve one another,’ and instead begin to ‘bite and devour one another,’ sometimes to the point even of being ‘consumed by one another.’”

Let’s be clear on this: God never meant for Christians to live like spiritual lone rangers. In fact, to live as an independent Christian, uncommitted to a local church family, with little to show by way of investment of time building into others lives and being held accountable by others, reveals that you are a bad soldier. It is almost akin to one who has gone awol in the midst of war, leaving oneself a sitting duck for the enemy. To live as such is the life of an unhealthy spiritual maverick. For the church to follow God’s perfect plan for defending and spreading the gospel, it must remain focused on the gospel as the priority of existence and committed to investing into each other’s lives so that the gospel will be made real among us.

If you know of any Christian who does not demonstrate an ongoing inter-dependence on other believers in the local church to which they are committed, you can be sure that they are spiritually weak, less effective for Christ, and dangerously vulnerable to becoming victims of the enemy if they are not already under his spell. 

One of the chief causes for the weakness of the local church family in the United States today is that in its midst are too many spiritual mavericks who are unconnected. They have chosen to ignore God’s command to invest regularly into each other’s lives and to be held accountable in their walks with Christ. With their lips they say they are committed to the gospel, but with their lives they are committed first to soccer, fishing, vacations, work, special relationships, and so on. But for sure, there is little or no evidence that they take seriously God’s directive to be a functioning part of a local church family. They are neither fellow citizens of the body of Christ, nor are they fellow soldiers.

Paul adds his third picture to emphasize the importance of the church’s being a united family called together for the sake of the gospel. He exhorts the Philippians and us to “contend together as one person for the faith of the gospel.” Once again, we have one Greek word here that takes five English words to translate, and poorly at that. This Greek term is an athletic term referring to engaging in an athletic contest. This specific term is a unique use of the word and is only found twice in the New Testament, once here and once again in 4:3. The uniqueness of this word is that it describes team members working together, engaged in a side by side effort to help one another toward a common goal. It is not the term used of an individual competing by himself in an athletic endeavor.  For instance, it could be used to describe the offensive line of a football team. Then again, it could refer to a squad of people pulling on the same end of a rope in a tug-of-war contest.

In the world of professional athletics, more than one athletic team with many outstanding players has failed to win a championship because most of their players concentrated on their own success rather than the teams. Last year’s New York Yankees would be a good example. On the other hand, a less talented team like the Colorado Rockies can often win against one that is more talented because the weaker team works more efficiently together to achieve a common objective.

Paul’s point for us is that as Christians, we are not competing against each other. Furthermore, the Christian life is not about any one Christian competing for himself alone, but for the good of the team and the goal of the gospel. As a church, we either succeed together or we fail together. To succeed in God’s venture of the gospel, we are to contend together as fellow athletes for the advancement of the gospel.

The fact that Paul repeats the use of the previous word “standing together” in 4:1, together with this verb “contending together” again in 4:3, when referring specifically to Euodia and Syntyche, who once “contended side by side (with Paul) in spreading the gospel” in Philippi but who are now at odds, indicates that while our passage gives us the command of what we are to do, we can see where Paul is headed in this letter. He is headed to addressing the particulars of the issue, whatever it was, that brought these two women to odds.  For he knows that sides are being taking on behalf of each of those women and the church family is revealing cracks of divisiveness. As a result, their attempts at moving forward with the gospel have stalled.

That is why Paul deliberately wrote that we are to be of “one mind and one spirit” in such a way that it applies to being fellow soldiers in the same phalanx as well as fellow athletes on the same team. He was driving home the point to this local church that just as soldiers and athletes cannot succeed apart from being united and interdependent, neither can the local church family in its purpose of spreading the gospel.

Now the apostle Paul is no rookie in the matter of spiritual battles fought for the advancement of the gospel. During his more than 30 years of ministry he has learned a lot of lessons about what happens when a church takes seriously functioning as a united family, building up one another for the furtherance of the gospel. Whenever you take seriously God’s call upon your life, you will run into opposition. Sometimes it comes from within and sometimes it comes from without. And that was the story for the church at Philippi. They faced opposition from inside and outside the church  In verse 28, Paul looks at the opposition the Philippians face, which I will tell you is not as clearly identified as we would like. He tells the Philippians not to be alarmed in any way “by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”

That word “alarmed” is an interesting one. It is found only here in Biblical Greek and denotes “the uncontrollable stampede of startled horses.”  Paul warns this family of believers not to respond to opposition like a herd of horses who are suddenly startled to the point that they uncontrollably stampede. Why aren’t they to be alarmed by opposition? Because Paul tells them in verse 29 that opposition and suffering for the gospel is going to happen, and we need not be surprised when it does. God has knowingly chosen to allow it to take place and has planned it for the church’s good. Therefore, when the local church starts to fulfill its purpose in the world, they can expect opposition and suffering to come. Don’t be startled by it, because Jesus tells us in John 15:18-19 that the world loves its own, but it hates and persecutes those who have turned to Christ.

But the real puzzle of this verse is to whom does Paul refer when he speaks of the Philippians “opponents”? Here are several options and no commentator I have read has been able to conclude definitely who Paul has in mind. Paul could be pointing to any one or all of them. In my opinion, he is probably referring to all. One possibility is the Judaizers, those who claim to be Christians but demand that the Gentiles first convert to Judaism in order to become Christians, by putting themselves under the Law. Another possibility is a local cult of Gnostics. A third would be those loyal citizens of Rome who oppose the Christians out of fear of losing their status as a Roman colony. And fourth are those who are within the church, who by their very actions bring about disunity. All four of those possibilities are referenced in this letter. Any one of those groups or all of them could be those to whom Paul refers. 

What we do know is that by their actions, their opposition is a sign or proof “of their destruction.” That word “destruction” is the Biblical term for being eternally judged or damned. This destruction is the antithesis of salvation.

Furthermore, Paul adds that the opposition the church is experiencing is a proof of their salvation. By that he does not mean that it is simply proof of their being saved and going to heaven. When Paul uses the word salvation in this letter, he is stressing that aspect of the saving work of Christ in which God transforms your life to be more like Christ. Hence, opposition is part of the maturation process of growing both the church and individual Christians in Christ.

Finally, Paul adds in verses 29-30, a little further explanation as to why they are to live like fellow heavenly citizens, fellow soldiers, and fellow team members united in the spread of the gospel. He states, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me.”

So often, many Christians feel that any kind of suffering not due to one’s own sin but including suffering for one’s faith in Christ is a sign of God’s abandonment or evidence of His divine forgetfulness. Paul clearly states here that suffering for Christ is just the opposite. It is a sign and proof of one’s salvation. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul tells Timothy, “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Further, note the statement at the end of verse 29, “to suffer for His sake” The preposition there is more literally translated “in the place of Christ.”

Paul’s point here, which is later verified in 3:10, is that the Philippians are in some way permitted to suffer in Christ’s stead. By having joined the “fellowship of his sufferings” which Paul refers to in 3:10, Christians have signed on to be Christ’s replacements on earth in the arena of unjust suffering. This is all a part of God’s overall plan to rescue others in the name of Christ through the living and the preaching of the gospel. 

And finally, Paul in verse 30 points to himself as exhibit “A” for verification. They had witnessed his and Silas’ arrest in Philippi and their wrongful beating. In addition, they had heard about his suffering for the gospel’s sake while he was in prison, by the very mouths of those preachers preaching the same gospel for which Paul is in jail.

Where does this passage then leave the Philippians and us, the church in the USA today? Well, in our vernacular, Paul is throwing down the challenge of “Put up or shut up!” If you really are saved and you mean it when you say you love Jesus and you are committed to Jesus, then you had better demonstrate it by your willingness to suffer for it. And furthermore, you start or continue functioning as fellow citizens, fellow soldiers, and fellow athletes, interdependent upon one another to fulfill the ministry of the Gospel.

Taking one another for granted, refusing to regularly invest your lives in those who are members of your church fellowship, or dancing off in an unaccountable lifestyle does not cut it with God. In fact, Paul may even be inferring in these verses that if you are living that way you may have become part of the party of the opponents to the moving forth of the gospel.

Hence, I would challenge each of you to get before God and answer the following questions about your own life. And then, if you are invested in a small group, share your answers with those in your group.

Is the gospel THE priority of your life? To what extent is this proven by your personal efforts and concerns for reaching the lost for Christ? To what extent is this demonstrated in your commitment to the building up of individuals at Crossroads? The various components of our ReDi group structure are intended to point you toward BOTH engaging in each others’ lives for edification and in looking outward to those who either don’t know Christ or who are struggling as believers disconnected from the body. How is your group doing in all of these areas? What can you do, as a group or as an individual in your group, to improve and bring a fullness to your living out the gospel on a daily basis?

By way of reminder, or for those not in a ReDi group, the five intentional components of Relational Discipleship group life are: (1) asking pointed questions about each individual’s spiritual life, (2) learning from the Word, (3) learning more about each individual, (4) engaging in and encouraging outreach and ministry involvement, and (5) prayer. ALL of these are important!

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