"I exhort Euodia, and exhort
Syntyche, to be of the same mind in the Lord" (Phil. 4:2; all scripture
quotations in this article are from the JND translation).
The above exhortation brings to
mind other scriptures that look for unity among the Lord’s people. In the
prayer of Jesus to His Father in John 17, He prays for unity three times:
"Holy Father, keep them in Thy name which Thou has given Me, that they may
be one as we … That they may be all one, as Thou, Father, art in Me,
and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us … And the glory which
Thou hast given Me I have given them, that they may be one, as We are one"
(John 17:11,21,22).
So the Lord Jesus prayed for unity
among His people. The apostle Paul writes:"The body is one … In the
power of one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body" (1
Cor. 12:12,13); and "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4). How we can
thank the Lord that there is one body of which the risen Christ is the Head.
This is what God has done as a result of Christ’s redemptive work. So Jesus’
prayer was answered.
But what about the practical
display of this unity among God’s people? Early in the history of the Church we
see division and dissension. The apostle Paul early on gave the warning,
"Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
you all say the same thing, and that there be not among you division; but that
you be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion. For it has
been shown to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of the house of Chloe,
that there are strifes among you. But I speak of this, that each of you says, I
am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ" (1 Cor.
1:10-12).
What brings in this divisiveness?
Can it not be traced to what Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:1-3, "And I, brethren,
have not been able to speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly; as to
babes in Christ. I have given you milk to drink, not meat, for you have not yet
been able, nor indeed are you yet able; for you are yet carnal. For whereas
there are among you emulation and strife, are you not carnal, and walk
according to man?" Further warning is given in Col. 2:6-8:"As
therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him, and assured in the faith, even as you have been
taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. See that there be no one who shall
lead you away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the
teachings of man, according to the elements of the world, and not according to
Christ.
Currently, there seems to be in
all Christendom the tendency to say that God’s Word is not enough. We need to
incorporate man’s wisdom as provided in psychology to make up for the lack of
what we can get from the Word alone. This virtually becomes, then,
"philosophy and vain deceit" that the Lord warns us against, so that
we get away from the simplicity and authority of the Word. Instead we find the
element of "egotism," which is defined as "the practice of
talking about oneself too much" and "an exaggerated sense of
self-importance" (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).
This brings us back to the two
sisters in the assembly at Philippi. The Word does not spell out what was
specifically the cause of dissension between them. Perhaps they were personally
godly women seeking to serve the Lord, but there was something of the flesh
that needed attention, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. In all
our own seeking to serve the Lord, do we not sometimes get too wrapped up in
what the Lord is doing "through me"? Oh! that we would avoid
self-centeredness and have Christ truly as our object as Paul could say,
"For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21).
Do we not all need to heed the
exhortation given in Philippians 2:5-7:"Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus; who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an
object of rapine to be on an equality with God; but emptied Himself,
taking a bondman’s form, taking His place in the likeness of men."
If we would respond to this
exhortation of being emptied of self, what true unity would result among God’s
people. He emptied Himself of the glory that was His by right to become man so
that He could deliver Himself up at Calvary for our salvation. We need to empty
ourselves of self.
Let us consider one more portion
of scripture in this connection:"I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you
therefore to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called, with
all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in
love; using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of
peace" (Eph. 4:1-3).
In Christendom there are many
different things that unite Christians. Some particular views on baptism,
various views of "church government," and many other rallying points
unite God’s people. But the primary consideration for unity should be the
"unity of the Spirit" which calls for our individual
subjection to Him, to have Christ before us as our Center, and individual
godliness consistent with this place. All the elements of these verses must be
present if there are to be the uniting bonds of peace. These are described as
(1) walking worthy of the calling wherewith we have been called, (2) with
lowliness and meekness, (3) with longsuffering, (4) bearing with one another in
love, and (5) using diligence.
O to be but empty, lowly,
Mean, unnoticed and unknown,
Yet to God a vessel holy,
Filled with Christ, and Christ
alone!