The book of Philippians deals very much with the soul of believers. We must strive together with one soul in the faith of the gospel (1:27); we must be joined in soul, thinking the one thing (2:2); and we must be like-souled, genuinely caring for the things of the Lord (2:20-21). In the gospel work, in the fellowship among the believers, and in the Lord’s interests, our soul is always a problem. Hence, it must be transformed, especially in its leading part, the mind (Rom. 12:2), that we may be of one soul, joined in soul, and like-souled in the Body life.
In the book of Philippians the experience of Christ is the key point, and the secret of the experience of Christ is to be one in soul or joined in soul. According to this book, we cannot go on in the experience of Christ unless we are joined in soul. If we are one only in spirit but are not joined in soul, we cannot go on in the experience of Christ.
There is a great difference between being in the soul and being one in soul or joined in soul. The secret of experiencing Christ is to be one in soul, not to be in the soul. The dissenting ones who are altogether in the soul find it impossible to be one in soul. Those who exercise their mind, emotion, and will are not one in soul. If we would experience Christ, we need to be one with others in the soul; that is, we need to become like-souled with others. When we exercise our mind, emotion, and will, we may be very individualistic. But if we exercise our spirit to be one in soul, our mind will be sobered, our emotion will be regulated, and our will will be adjusted. Then it will be possible for us to be one in soul with other saints.
The extraordinary expression like-souled is used in the Bible only in this one place. The King James Version renders the Greek word as like-minded. The mind is the leading part of the soul. According to the context, to be like-souled primarily means to be like-minded. The book of Philippians deals much with the believers’ mind. At the beginning of chapter two, Paul tells us to think the same thing and even the one thing. This indicates clearly and strongly that to be like-souled is to be like-minded.
Some translations have made a serious mistake in their rendering of the Greek word for like-souled. The New American Standard Version says “kindred spirit.” This is terrible! In fact, it is actually a change of the holy Word. Such a rendering ignores the crucial difference between spirit and soul. This same version even goes so far as to use the expression “united in spirit” in 2:2 instead of “joined in soul.”
In the past we have emphasized the fact that to experience Christ we must know our human spirit, for only in the spirit can we experience Christ. Now we must go on to see that to experience Christ we must also be one in soul. Experiencing Christ in our spirit is primarily for our individual, personal experience. But our personal experience of Christ must issue in a concern for the churches. If our experience of Christ results in a concern for the churches and the saints, it will be impossible for us to be individualistic. Instead, we shall realize the need to be corporate. In order to care for the church, we must be one with others. Otherwise, the more concern we have for the church, the more problems we shall cause. One brother will enjoy Christ in the spirit, and this experience will give him a concern for the church. Another brother will also enjoy Christ in the spirit, but have a different kind of concern for the church. These different kinds of concern will cause problems. The only way for us to be one in our concern for the church is to be like-souled, to be joined in soul.
Let me give you an example of the problems caused when the leading ones in a local church are not like-souled. More than forty years ago, it was necessary for me to visit the church in a certain locality in China to help smooth over the differences among the five elders. Each of the elders loved the Lord very much. All of them were intelligent and also frank and straightforward. Furthermore, these five brothers experienced the Lord in the spirit. However, each had a different concern for the church. As a result, when they came together for an elders’ meeting, they argued. They did not argue over worldly things, but over the church affairs. Every few months I was asked to visit that locality to try to reconcile the brothers and to settle the differences. However, after a short period of time the problem arose again. Even though the elders in this church loved the Lord and experienced Christ in the spirit, they were not able to be one in the soul.
Problems between husband and wife also arise because the two are not one in soul. In loving the Lord and experiencing Him, they have no problems. The brother experiences Christ in his spirit, and his wife experiences Him in her spirit. However, when they talk over certain matters, the husband has one concept, and his wife has another concept. In other words, the husband and wife each have different souls. The wife may eventually recognize that her husband is the head and go along with him, but inwardly she still does not agree with his concept. They are not truly like-souled.
What should the elders in a local church do when they find that they are not one in soul? Their relationship to one another is surely different from that between a husband and wife. Who among the elders can be regarded as the head to whom the others should submit? No one is the head. Even though they love the Lord and experience Christ in the spirit, they may not be one in soul. This lack of oneness is a leakage which weakens the eldership in the churches. Perhaps certain of the elders who are more experienced will not argue. Instead, they will remain quiet. This quietness, however, may be political. Actually they may not be willing to open and express what is in their soul. Since the elders are not one in soul, they lack the genuine oneness in the concern for the church and the saints. They find it easy to be one in spirit, but not to be like-souled.