Philippians 1:27

Entreaties to cherish Consistency, and especially Unity, more than ever now in the Apostle's absence

27. Only, &c. The mention of his anticipated coming and its joyful effects leads him to speak by way of caution and entreaty of the unvarying law of Christian duty, the same always whether he visited them or not. We trace in this Epistle, along with the Apostle's desire that they should in a general sense live consistently, a special anxiety that the consistency of holy and unselfish mutual love should be more prevalent among them.

let your conversation be&c.) Lit., "live your citizen-life in a way worthy of&c." The verb represented by "live your citizen-life" occurs, in N.T., here and Acts 23:1; where A.V. simply, "I have lived." A cognate noun occurs below, Philippians 3:20, an important illustrative passage; see note there. The verb is used in 2 Maccabees (2Ma 6:1, 2Ma 11:25) in the same sense of living a life, living according to certain laws or principles, without emphasis on the "citizen" element of the word. R.V., like A.V., here drops that element out of its rendering; let your manner of life be worthy &c. It is interesting to find the same verb in Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians, ch. 5 (Introduction, p. 27). "Conversation" in A.V. is used in its old and exact sense, still apparent in our word "conversant." It is the whole active intercourse and business of life, not merely the exchange of words. See note in this Series on Ephesians 2:3. The Gospel is meant, by its essential principle, to rule and leaven the wholeof human life.

orelse be absent Words which are perfectly consistent with the two previous verses. He bids them live the life of holy consistency at once and always, not waitingfor his presence in order to begin. See further, in the same strain, Philippians 2:12.

I may hear Strictly, of course, this refers only to the alternative of his prolonged absence. If he "came and saw them" hearing would be superseded. But this is obviously implied in the whole sentence.

your affairs Better, with R.V., your state. The literal rendering is "the things concerning you." The phrase occurs also, in St Paul, Ephesians 6:22, and below Philippians 2:19-20.

stand fast The Greek is one word, a verb not found earlier than the N.T., where it occurs eight times; here, and Mark 11:25; Romans 14:4; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 5:1; below, Php 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15. In Mark it appears to mean simply "to stand"; but in all the other places the idea of good foothold is conspicuous.

in one spirit For the precise phrase see (in the Greek) 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:18. In both these passages the reference is clearly to the Holy Spirit, "in" whom the saints have been baptized with new life, and "in" whom they approach the Father through the Son. We therefore explain this place also of Him, as the surrounding, penetrating, Giver of life and power to each saint and to the community. On the word "Spirit" see notes in this Series on Romans 8:4; Ephesians 1:17.

Manifestly, in the two places quoted above, the point of the word "one" is that the Unity of the Divine Agent must have its holy counterpart in the unity of the saints" action "in Him."

with one mind Lit. and better, with one soul. So Tyndale and Cranmer. Latin Versions, unanimes. Cp. in this Epistle the adjectives "one-souled" (Philippians 2:2, where A.V. and R.V. "of one accord"), "equal-souled" (Philippians 2:20), and notes. The phrase "one soul" occurs also Acts 4:32; a close parallel to this passage, in which as in many others (see e.g. Matthew 12:18; Matthew 26:38; Luke 2:35; John 12:27; Acts 14:22; Ephesians 6:6; Hebrews 6:19; Hebrews 12:3), the word soul (psychê) is associated with ideas of sensibility, as manifested either in suffering or action. It is possible that the word "Spirit" suggested, humanly speaking, the word "soul" to the Apostle, by the law of association. See Isaiah 57:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12. If so, it may be further possible that he uses the two words in a significant connexion. "Soul" in Scripture appears often to connote life embodied, organized. Now here in the first place is the Divine Life-giver, the One Spirit;then we have the result and manifestation of His presence, the organization of it, as it were, in the "one soul" of the believing company.

striving together The same word occurs below, Philippians 4:3, and only there in N.T. By derivation it refers to the athletic, or prize-seeking, contests of the games; the races, wrestlings, and boxings of the Greeks; favourite similes and metaphors with St Paul. See e.g. 1Co 9:24; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 2Ti 2:5; 2 Timothy 4:7, and cp. Conybeare and Howson, Life &c. of St Paul, ch. xx. at the beginning. But the reference is quite subordinate to the general one of close and vigorous encounter with complex obstacles.

for the faith It is possible to render "with the faith", and Lightfoot adopts this version. But not only does it involve a personification of "the faith" bolder than any parallel personification in St Paul (Lightfoot adduces for parallels 1 Corinthians 13:6; 2 Timothy 1:8, itself a doubtful case; 3 John 1:8), but the whole stress of the passage lies on the cooperation of the Christians not with anything else but with one another. This is lost in the rendering in question.

"The faith of the Gospel":i.e. the faith which embraces the Gospel. Cp. "faith of (the) truth," 2 Thessalonians 2:13. They were to strive, side by side, for the object of bringing men to believe the Gospel of their Lord. The objectivemeaning of the word "faith," the body of truth, the Christian's creed, is a meaning very rare, to say the least, in St Paul (see note on Ephesians 4:5 in this Series); and this other suits both context and construction better.