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A Godly Attitude by Fr. Reid Hensarling
Philippians 2:1-4
In the opening verse of Philippians 2 Paul says that there are four solid legs for Christian unity: (1) because there is encouragement, (2) because there is a comfort from his love, (3) because there is a fellowship with the Spirit, and (4) because there is an experience of the tenderness and compassion of God. Because of these four things you and I are to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. It is because we are members of God’s family, and have learned from him, that we must live in peace and unity with one another. We will always be tempted to divisiveness in ways that will injure our witness and community, but in such situations our natural reactions must constantly be overcome. We need the Lord to work through us by his grace.
There are constant pressures from sin within us. These will eventually destroy Christian unity and render our witness useless unless they are offset by the supernatural realities of Christian comfort, fellowship, love, mercy, and compassion. Let’s take a look at encouragement. This encouragement in Christ is the support Jesus gave to his followers to live together in love. Jesus taught that the disciples were to covet the lowest places at the table, giving honor to the other person. He taught that love was to be their highest virtue. He prayed for all who would believe in him. The second reality of the Christian life bearing on unity is the incentive of love. Paul knew that Christians are hard to get along with, but he also knew that Christians have a duty to see more than another Christian’s faults. Christians must also see the person, and they must love him or her with a love patterned on the love with which God the Father loves us. Our love is to be an outpouring of his love through us as we are transformed by the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit (see John 13:34). Our love for one another must be like Christ’s love for us.
The third thing Paul mentions is Christian fellowship. It is not man-centered, but fellowship that exists between Christians is a fellowship that is created by God. It exists, not because we may have much in common, but because by grace we have been made mutually dependent members of Christ’s body. The Spirit of God seeks to draw us together not apart. Participation in the Spirit is one of the strongest incentives for true harmony. The fourth element in Paul’s desire for unity is the Christian knowledge of God’s mercy and compassion. We should be extending the mercy and compassion of the Lord to others, thereby modeling what the world desperately needs and desires.
The one who has believed in Christi is first of all to look out for others. The Bible teaches that God should be first in our lives, others must be second, and we must come last. See Galatians 6:2; I Corinthians 9:19, 22; Romans 12:10 and 15:1-2. This is the heart of Christian practice. Jesus gave himself for others; therefore, followers of Christ are also to give themselves for others too. The Lord calls us to a life of humility. This is the linchpin that guarantees the success of the Christian community. Lowliness and humility are positive virtues in the Bible because they affect greatly the way in which people behave toward others and in which they approach God. We are even to consider others better than ourselves. The Christian community needs divine assistance to achieve this impossible attitude and way of life. An attitude of utter respect for one another guarantees unity and binds believers together in a mutually enriching society. May the Lord grant us a humble attitude and become more like Jesus in all we say and do.
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