“Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Php. 1:27).
These words hold special meaning to us when we realize they were penned by a man who was being held a prisoner of Rome because of his unwavering devotion to the gospel. The life of a prisoner of Rome was tenuous. Paul had expressed confidence that he would be released. Nevertheless, knowing his immediate future to be uncertain, Paul focused the attention of the believers upon that for which he was prepared to die and that which they should be united in defending and proclaiming.
“One spirit and mind” is certainly a clear description of Christian unity. The word picture Paul paints so lucidly is that of many people standing as one person. But unity can’t exist in a vacuum. The world defines unity as a state in which people live peacefully together; but, if absence of strife is the definition of unity, then unity can best be found in a cemetery. Unity must have a common truth to defend, proclaim, and stand for, and the apostle Paul clearly identified that truth as the gospel of Jesus Christ. As believers, we may legitimately have different opinions about many things, but there are no alternative beliefs to the gospel.
The gospel of Christ produces enemies from people of all religions and from people of no religion. World leaders, both religious and secular, find their own unity in their hatred and opposition of the gospel. The language the Spirit uses in this verse clearly shows that the gospel was under siege during the days of the early church. But let us be clear that the gospel is under siege today as well, and Paul’s words to the believers at Philippi have great application for the church in 2010. It is a foregone conclusion that Satan and the world will make every effort and use any device to convince Christians to compromise their belief in the gospel and lessen their fervor for proclaiming it to the lost.
Paul’s use of two evocative phrases—stand fast and striving together—teaches us that unity among believers must have two components: a determination to defend the truth of the gospel against all attacks and a determination to proclaim the truth of the gospel as Christ commanded.
Stand fast
Perhaps as Paul wrote the words, “Stand fast in one spirit,” he was picturing the Roman Tortoise military formation so effective in the warfare of that day. The Tortoise was essentially a defensive formation in which most of the legionaries would hold their shields overhead, while those in the front rows carried their shields before them. This “shell” created a nearly impenetrable defense, shielding all from incoming missiles. The key to the success of this formation was each Roman soldier holding fast his position in close formation. If a gap were allowed to open, it would weaken the formation’s ability to stand as one man, and disaster might follow.
Stand fast is a military metaphor that illustrates a soldier’s refusal to desert his position while under tremendous attack, and his willingness to defend that position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his life. Paul could use that metaphor honestly because he was an example of that very willingness. Paul’s attitude while ministering to the young churches of his day, and his attitude while awaiting his sentence from Roman authorities, was to hold firm to the gospel, “whether it be by life, or by death” (Php. 1:20).
Paul also held his ground against Judaizers who intended to pervert the gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:7), those who meant “to reverse or change to the opposite.” The intent of the Judaizers was to change the gospel from a message of salvation offered freely in response to faith, to a message of salvation earned by self-righteousness and good works.
Today, the church must also stand united against the countless attacks and strong influence of those who would pervert the gospel or reject it as God’s only message of salvation to lost sinners. Pluralist religious leaders claim all religions offer equally valid answers regarding who God is and how man can approach Him. Pluralists take the position that “Christianity may be one among many paths to God.”?1
The World Council of Churches, which claims to represent 290 million Christians the world over, rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ, saying, “Because we have seen and experienced goodness, truth, and holiness among followers of other paths and ways than that of Jesus Christ…we find ourselves recognizing a need to move beyond a theology which confines salvation to the explicit personal commitment to Jesus Christ.”?2
Striving together
Believers must stand fast in defense of the gospel, but, as crucial as that is, there must also be a common struggle to accomplish a goal. As Paul took his pen and wrote “striving together,” he may well have thought of the athletic contests he had observed in his many travels. The Greek word used for striving together can be understood as “contending together with” and reminds us that we are not only to stand together, but we are to strive together to publish the gospel to all the world.
The spread of the gospel was violently resisted by Jewish religious leaders during the days of the early church. In fact, Peter and John were threatened, beaten, and commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:17-18; 5:40), and Paul said he was forbidden to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved (1 Thes. 2:16).
Today, a growing number of societies and countries are increasingly hostile to the gospel and, like the religious leaders of Paul’s day, they violently oppose any preaching of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ—often by imprisonment or even death.
In 1948, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights adopted Article 18 which states that:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief.” However, there is now a petition before the UN to eliminate proselytization in the interest of promoting world peace and harmony and respectful coexistence of all religions. The petition appeals to the UN to adopt an amendment to Article 18 which would read in part, “No individual or organization may seek to convert an individual or a group of individuals…from one religion to another through…mental or emotional coercion.”?3
Not only is there opposition to the publication of the gospel from outside the church, but there is also distortion in the presentation of the gospel by the church.
A movement in the church called inclusivism influences how missionaries present the gospel to unreached peoples. Inclusivists believe that faith in Jesus Christ is not absolutely necessary, and that some may be saved who have never heard the gospel if they respond positively to the light they have received.
Other distortions of the gospel abound. A veteran missionary uses the Quran to explain the “Korbani Plan of Salvation.” Every year, Muslims follow a ritual commanded by the Quran in which they slaughter an animal as the needed blood sacrifice to cover their sins. According to this missionary, the Korbani gives an opening not only to talk about Christ’s sacrifice but to share that “Allah’s plan was for one perfect person to be sacrificed who would take all sin for all time.”?4
We have been passed the mantle. It is crucial that we stand fast and strive together with one spirit and one mind in the defense and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Endnotes
1. Paul Knitter, “Dialogue and Liberation,” The Drew Gateway, Spring 1998.
2. http://www.oikoumene.org, Baar Statement: Christology and Religious Plurality
3. http://www.petitiononline.com/unchr900/petition.html
4. http://www.baptiststandard.com