Php. 1:27b ... "Whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote these words to the Christians in Philippi in Macedonia, and they show the concern he had for them and his hope for what they would do: stand fast in the faith and be united in their thought and purpose. God has always willed that His people stand fast against the pressures of evil constantly being exerted from all sides upon them. The New Testament writers often give notice that Christians are engaged in the cosmic struggle against evil, thus making every disciple a soldier of Christ. One of the worst things that can happen in warfare is to expose a flank to the enemy. If some part of the battleline falls back for whatever reason, it opens a gap and exposes the flank of the rest of the line. If the enemy follows up the advantage, he can "roll up" the line from side to side and rout the other army. It is one thing to fight an enemy face-to-face, but it is very difficult to fight one force head on and another simultaneously on the left or right. This principle applies in spiritual as well as in physical warfare, but in spiritual conflict "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). The church must present a solid, continuous line against this array of evil, yielding no advantage to the malign adversary.
In I Cor. 15:58 we are urged strongly to be "steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." In Eph. 4:14 we are warned not to let ourselves be "tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming." And in Jas. 1:6-7 we are advised that "the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord." In fact, our identity as Christians is maintained by our unyielding position with respect to immorality, worldliness, and false doctrine. If we ebb and flow with the tide of society in its tastes, habits, and fashions, we send out a confusing signal to people in general about who we are and what we stand for. The line between the church and the world must be kept very distinct. When we yield to the sins of society, it becomes hard to distinguish the difference between Christians and the unregenerate. The church takes on shades of worldly color until finally there is no contrast visible. To a great extent this happened in the Ephesian church and provoked this warning from the Lord, "Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place" (Rev. 2:5). To have your "lampstand" removed "out of its place" is a figure to indicate the Lord is rejecting you as being any longer one of His own. This is what you forfeit when you fail to keep "standing firm ... (and) striving together for the faith of the gospel."
The goal of firm resistance to sin and clear identity in Christ can be achieved most easily when Christians surrender their individual preferences and desires to the church to establish common policy, rooted and grounded in the truth of the gospel. That is the idea conveyed in the words "with one mind striving together." An army cannot succeed on the field of battle if various units go off in different directions to accomplish self-conceived objectives. The annals of war abundantly contain accounts of defeat resulting from such lack of union and coordination. The army that stays together more often wins the victory, even though it may be smaller and not as well equipped. Jesus prayed fervently in John 17 for the unity of His church, stressing that in such unity "the world may believe that You sent Me" (v.21). The fragmentation of the church, followed by secularism, infidelity, and anti-religious sentiment in the world, reveals the reality of what Jesus prayed might be avoided. The only countermeasure to this real danger is the reunification of the church and "standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
