A Credit to the
Gospel
Philippians 1:20-30[1]
I think we all know people about
whom we could say “He’s a credit to his school,” or “She’s a credit to her
profession.” We usually talk that way about people who excel in their devotion
and service to the community, or their school, or their profession. They are
people you can count on to be there when others aren’t, and to do what they say
they’ll do when others don’t. We think of them as role models--not only for the
younger generation but also to some extent for ourselves. We all have our
personal heroes. Desmond Tutu, who led South Africa from the violence of
Apartheid to a peaceful Democracy, is one of my heroes. These are the people we
look up to, and they seem to set the bar for what it means to fully realize our
potential as human beings.
In our lesson from St. Paul for
today, he uses an interesting phrase. He urges the Christians at Philippi to “live
your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27). Eugene
Peterson, in his translation of the Bible called The Message, renders it this
way: “Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of
Christ.” But St. Paul didn’t imply that this kind of life was only for a few
exceptional individuals. He called all Christians to live in a manner that is a
“credit” to the Gospel.[2]
You see, Paul was in prison at the
time he wrote this letter, which meant that he was separated from Church at
Philippi. And apparently that was difficult for him, because this was one of
his favorite congregations. They had helped him in some of his darkest times,
and he was deeply grateful to them for their support of his ministry over the
years. And now, St. Paul wants to make sure that the congregation at Philippi
continued to thrive.
I find it interesting to compare
what the Scriptures say about thriving congregations with the strategies people
propose in our day for thriving congregations. Some take the approach that “if
you build it they will come,” and so they believe that a new building is what
it takes. Others think it takes the “perfect pastor,” whatever that is! If you
look back over the last few decades, it’s almost amusing to see the fads that
have come and gone in the “church growth” industry. In the 90’s, “small group
ministry” became the rage, and in some places it still is. The assumption is
that if it worked for Willow Creek and Saddleback churches, it should work
anywhere. In the 80’s the “answer” was apartment bible studies. And in the 70’s
it was bus ministry--finding all the kids you can and bringing them to church
on a school bus.
But when you look at the kinds of
things St. Paul points to as essential for the church to thrive, we find a very
different approach. He urges the church to thrive by cultivating the unity that
is found in Christ (Gal. 3:28). It is a
unity that is the result of the Spirit’s presence (Eph. 4:3). And this
perspective isn’t just something he mentions once in passing. It is found throughout
his letters to the churches he served. Over and over again, Paul urges churches
to thrive by cultivating their unity in the Body of Christ. In this context, he
urges the Philippians to “stand firm in one spirit, striving side by side with
one mind for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27).[3]
On the surface of things, it would
seem that St. Paul urges churches to practice agreement in order to thrive. But
the question in my mind is what kind of agreement he’s talking about. Many in
our day assume that agreement equals sameness. In other words, we all agree
because we all think the same things, we all hold the same opinions, we all
take the same perspective on various matters facing the church. Or in other
cases our agreement stems from an institutional uniformity that is guaranteed
by an authoritative leadership or by a standardized organization.
But I don’t think that’s the kind
of agreement St. Paul was talking about.
In our lesson for today, the only content that Paul wants the church to
agree on is “the faith of the Gospel.” The fact of the matter is that Paul has
a very strong belief not only in the unity of the body of Christ, but also in
the diversity of that body.[4]
Elsewhere he insists that we cannot all be the same and do the same things,
otherwise the Body of Christ would lack what it needs to thrive. He points out
how hard it would be for the church to function if every part were the same (1
Cor. 12:14-21).
It seems to me that the agreement
Paul calls for is a spiritual unity.[5] There
is no doctrine or institution that can fabricate the unity the Spirit naturally
produces in the body of Christ when we’re living our lives “in a manner worthy
of the gospel of Christ.” I think we do that when we are all moving in the same
direction, serving the Lord and the Body of Christ as faithfully as we can.
That kind of unity is much more important than whether we hold the same
opinions. Our unity is found in our common bond in Christ, not in whether or
not we agree on every point of doctrine or practice. Our oneness is found in
the presence of the Spirit, not in complete agreement on specific strategies
for moving forward.
We’re going to have times when we
disagree on what we need as a congregation in order to move forward. The
important thing in my mind is that we don’t let any of those differences divide
us. One pastor friend of mine described his church’s approach to a
controversial issue: “we are not of the same mind, but we are not divided.” It
seems to me that when we can live out our lives together in this Christian
community with this kind of attitude, then we are promoting the unity of Body
of Christ. Then we will be demonstrating the unity that can only be found in
Christ through the Spirit. Then we will be living in such a way that we are a
credit to the Gospel.
[1] ©2014
Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 9/21/2014 at Hickman
Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2] Many
scholars think that St. Paul’s use of the Greek verb politeuomai here indicates that he is talking about how the
believers conduct themselves as citizens of Philippi. For example, cf. Gerald
Hawthorne, Philippians, 69, 77.
However, it seems to me that in this setting, the primary emphasis is on their
life together as a community of faith, not their conduct as citizens of a particular
city. So Morna Hooker, “The Letter to the Philippians,” New Interpreters Bible IX:496: “His meaning is, ‘Let your life as a
community be worthy of the gospel of Christ.’”
[3] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the
Power of the Spirit, 345: “unity is not merely an attribute of the
church; it is the church’s task in the world as well.”
[4] Cf. Isam
E. Ballenger, “Ephesians 4:1-16,” Interpretation
: “Participation in the Oneness overcomes barriers of doctrine and practice,
race and ethnicity, culture and nationality, economic and educational status.
Note that diversity remains, but it has been integrated in the one Spirit,
joined in the one hope.”
[5] Cf. Jürgen
Moltmann, The Passion for Life: A
Messianic Lifestyle, 38. He describes the unity of the Body of Christ that
is very different from uniformity or sameness: “A life which is worthy of the
gospel ... liberates us to be ourselves and fills us with the powers of the
Spirit. We are enabled to give ourselves up and trust ourselves to the leading
of the Spirit. Then we are able to accept ourselves just as we are, with our
possibilities and limitations, and thereby gain a new spontaneity. We are freed
to live with God in the covenant of freedom.”
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