Philippians 1 speaks of salvation through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (v. 19), living Christ (v. 21), and magnifying Christ (v. 20). In chapter two salvation is spoken of again. Verse 12 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Verse 15 says that we shine as lights in the world. We are luminaries reflecting Christ as light. This shining is the holding forth, the applying, presenting, and offering of the word of life (v. 16). Philippians 3 speaks of the righteousness of God based on faith (v. 9). Righteousness in chapter three equals the salvation in chapters one and two. Chapter three also speaks of our goal (v. 14) and our pursuing (v. 12).
The first matter spoken of in Philippians 4 is thinking the same thing. Verse 2 says, “I beseech Euodias, and I beseech Syntyche, to think the same thing in the Lord.” According to our dissenting nature, we often cannot agree with others. If someone suggests that we do one thing, we may propose to do the opposite instead. Before a young child knows many other words, he can already say “No!” to his mother. From our youth we have learned to say no to everyone else and yes to ourselves. This is dissenting, and dissenting is rebellion.
The desire for prestige and respect is at the root of our dissenting. Even if we are wrong about something, we may still try to claim our dignity in that situation. We can observe this fallen, human behavior everywhere. Many of the arguments between children in a family center around the issue of prestige. The desire for prestige and the dissenting it produces are of the self.
Verse 4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” If we think the same thing and are not dissenting, we can rejoice. According to human experience, a dissenting person is rarely joyful. Rather, those who are dissenting are full of complaints, murmurings, and reasonings (2:14). Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your forbearance be known to all men.” Forbearance is reasonableness, considerateness, and consideration in dealing with others, without strictness of legal right. Those who are forbearing can readily agree with and follow others. However, if we are dissenting persons, we will not be able to forbear with others. As a result we will have anxiety (v. 6). The way to be at peace and be released from anxiety is to be forbearing with everyone.
Verse 8 says, “For the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is righteous, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is well-spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things.” The items listed in this verse are the virtues of a proper humanity. When we are not dissenting, we can rejoice and have forbearance. As those who forbear with others, we will live a life that is truthful, honorable, venerable, right, pure, and single, with no mixture in our motive. Then our living will be lovely and well-spoken of. As a result, we will have virtues and things worthy of praise. This is the proper living of a proper human being.
All the items spoken of in Philippians 1 through 3 are the elements of the proper human living in chapter four. To live Christ in chapter one is to live a life that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of, full of virtues and praise. Likewise, as luminaries reflecting Christ in chapter two, our expression is a life that is pure, right, honorable, and true. The way to live such a life is to live Christ. However, many unbelievers endeavor in themselves to have these human virtues. They are like a glove without a hand in it. Their virtues are empty and without reality. When we live Christ, we have the reality of all the human virtues, including truthfulness, honor, righteousness, and purity.
When some new believers begin to seek the Lord, they may desire to be like the angels. What we need to be, however, are proper human beings. A proper human being is a person filled with Christ as the reality of his human virtues. Christ must be our truthfulness, honor, righteousness, purity, and every item of our human virtues. To be a proper human being in this way is to express God through His divine attributes in our human virtues, to have a human life filled with Christ as the reality of the attributes of God. A proper person is full of virtues, and Christ as the embodiment of God is the content, the reality, of his virtues.
To be a person full of Christ as the proper virtues is to experience God’s salvation. In Philippians 1 salvation is to live Christ and magnify Christ in any circumstance. Chapter two shows us that this salvation is to reflect Christ by holding forth the word of life. In chapter three salvation is the righteousness of God, who is God Himself embodied in Christ. Then in chapter four, there is the life that is true, honorable, righteous, pure, lovely, well-spoken of, and full of virtue and praise.
The reality of such a life is Christ. Therefore, all four chapters of Philippians refer to the all-inclusive, living person of Christ. In chapter one Christ is our long-term salvation, in chapter two Christ is our daily salvation, and in chapter three Christ is the righteousness of God. Then in chapter four Christ is all the virtues of our humanity.
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