Joy in Unity

Prayer: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).

Oh, God, give us strength as we seek unity in our community of believers.  Help us with patience, purpose, decisions, and actions.  But most of all, Lord, help us to love one another through the sweet and the difficult times.  Amen.

Main Scripture:

Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippians 2:2).

Associated Scriptures:

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1).

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:14, ESV).

Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10).

Correlative Quotes:

Unity, although it cannot be created by the Christian, must be preserved by him.[1]  Bob Deffinbaugh

Unity does not imply uniformity. It does not mean that all Christians will think alike or perform identical ministries. It does imply a common purpose and interdependence within the body of Christ.[2] – Bob Deffinbaugh

Unity in the gospel is the prerequisite for the unity of the church. Christians who affirm the essentials of the gospel are even now united invisibly…[3] R. C. Sproul

Study:

INTRODUCTION

Paul’s desire for the Philippian Christians is that they would continue to live in unity and in doing so that they would make his joy complete.  In Philippians 2:2 he lists the actions that will allow them to maintain congregational unification.  The four responses found in Philippians 2:2 are: “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit, and of one mind.”  These four characteristics of a unified community apply to all believers today.

FOUR CHARACTERIZES SUPPORTING UNITY

1. Likeminded: Being one in mind, or being of the same mind. This doesn’t mean that they agree on all things. Likeminded, from a biblical perspective, means that believers are of the same opinion about spiritual matters.  The Philippians had a common experience in their salvation, their relationship with Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Since they agreed in these three fundamental areas, it would only make sense that they would then have the same mind about other spiritual matters.  This doesn’t mean that we should agree on every decision made in the church, however, it does mean that we should approach every decision with the same spirit of cooperation.
2. The same love: Another action is to have the same love, be one in love, or maintain the same love. This refers to both the social and the moral usage in its interpretation. In John 13:34 we see the same thought in a different context, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” We should love others as Christ loved us, sacrificial love.  In love, He gave his life for us. 
3. One in Spirit: The next action is “being one in Spirit,” having one spirit, or united in spirit. We are to be of one spirit with each other and with the Holy Spirit. In the original text the phrase is made up of two words, “One” meaning in union with or together and “spirit” or breath, by implication and translation, Holy Spirit.  Therefore, this phrase refers to be united together in spirit not united with the spirit.  We are united with the spirit but Paul’s intent here was to point out that believers are one in the spirit as a group.  All those who believe have the same Spirit living in them.  In every decision, we should seek the will of God.  God’s will is found in His word and through the leading of the Holy Spirit.[4]

Ephesians 2:19-22 explains it this way, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

4. One mind: The final action in this verse is being “of one mind,” one in purpose, or intent on one purpose. As saints, we have a common goal or purpose.  Our purpose in life is to glorify God with our worship and in our daily walk.  Along with this main purpose we are also commanded to lead others to a saving knowledge of Christ and to disciple them once they are believers.  We are to love others as Jesus loved us, grow spiritually, pray without ceasing, give as God has blessed us, and be obedient to and be in God’s word. 

When we concentrate on these common goals with passion and purpose as Christ leads us, we will not be led into community disunity.  Christians with the single purpose of glorifying God in their lives do not let the ordinary distractions of the community discourage them from their goal. Hebrews 10:24-25 attests to this fact when it says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  The spiritual condition of the Philippian church was good.  However, Paul pushed them to continue to grow spiritually constantly raising the spiritual bar.  The issues that Paul does not address in this letter to the Philippians speak highly of this church.

STRENGTHS SUPPORTING UNITY

1. No Morality Issues: We do not see the issue of morality discussed in Philippians which would indicate that they did not suffer from moral degradation. Paul was not concerned with their morality.
2. No Slander Issues: We don’t see the issue of gossip mentioned in this letter. It seems that this was an open group who handled their personal problems and concerns with spiritual maturity.
3. 3. No Doctrinal Issues: We don’t see doctrinal issues indicating that there was theological agreement within the congregation and there was not yet any outside influence teaching heresy In their meetings.

Summary Statement:

We, like the Philippian church, must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  Since all unity is in Christ, it is Him we have to seek continually.

Lesson within the Lesson:

How important is unity to God (See Psalms 133:1)?

How do we prepare ourselves to live in unity with others?

Discuss the four actions that Paul is asking the Philippians to practice so that his joy may be made complete.

God desires to be glorified, what six actions can we do to make that happen and how many of them are you doing now?

[1] Bob Deffinbaugh, op. cit.

[2] Ibid

[3] R. C. Sproul, op. cit.

[4] Adapted from The Life Application Commentary Series Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.