Paul is facing death, and yet he is concerned to see that Epaphroditus is not undervalued or misunderstood. [Philippians 2:1–11]
Then also, it is a letter of thanks for a gift. The courtesy which never forgets the letter of thanks.
Finally, there is the danger of dissension within the Philippian Church. He urges them to stand fast. There must be no disputing, no seeking of their own interests. Divided interests can divide a church. Euodia and Syntyche are evidence enough of that danger.
Against all this, Paul sets the ideal of Christian unity and expresses it in a series of vivid phrases.
The first pair occurs in verse two. He urges them to be like-minded and to be of one mind.
“Like-minded” is one of those Greek expressions that is very difficult to put into English.
In other connections it can mean a mind that is set on the things that are above; a mind that is dominated by the flesh; a mind that is interested in nothing but the things of this earth.
But here Paul wants a mind that is disposed in a certain way—a mind disposed to think in a like manner.
Or, to put it into English, a mind whose disposition is harmony.
There is the story of the shipwrecked voyager who struggled up the beach, exhausted, and asked, “Is there a government in this place?” When he was told that there was, he replied, “Then I am in it.”
That is the spirit Paul seeks: not isolation, but a willingness to belong, to share, and to act together.
To be of one mind is to think the one thing.
The Christian ideal is a disposition to harmony in all things. And this disposition to harmony is the deciding influence in any time of decision, whether in thought or in action.
2. Have the same love.
This means much more than appears on the surface.
There are four words for love.
Eros—love which is the outcome of passion.
Storge—family love; the love of parent for child.
Philia—warm, affectionate love; spiritual and physical fellowship and intimacy.
Agapē—something else that Jesus gave to the world.
Its essential flavour is to be found in Jesus’ words:
“Love your enemies.”
Why?
Because such a love is like the love of God. There is in God an unconquerable benevolence.
In Christian love a man exercises his whole personality.
Love in its ordinary sense is an emotional experience. You love—or like—with no effort of your own.
But Christian love is not only a thing of the heart. It is also a thing of the will.
It is not merely an occurrence; it is a conquest.
It is something into which we must will ourselves through the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
It is a new thing.
Plutarch said, “A real man is a man who is useful to his friends and dangerous to his enemies.”
[Christian love goes beyond that.]
[To] have the same love [is to] have a benevolence in your hearts that nothing can ever sour.
This love brings unity into the Church.
