(REFLECTIONS ON Philippians 1:27-30)

Paul writes to the Philippians to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” What is the gospel of Christ? It is Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, by the work of the Holy Spirit, drawing us into a new identity in Him as sons and daughters of God.

In this new identity, our lives are no longer our own, but Christ’s. That is why Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

This is the gospel of Christ. Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us so that, having been crucified with Christ, it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us.

To conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ is to live Christ, just as Paul wrote earlier in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” To live is Christ means that we should have the same attitude in ourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.

It is an attitude of sacrifice and of submitting to the will and love of God. That is the manner in which we should conduct ourselves, a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Let us then stand firm in one spirit, because all that is left of us who have been crucified with Christ is Christ in us.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:29-30,

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

What conflict is this? It is, as mentioned earlier, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” The conflict is that we would be so much better off being with Christ now, but as Paul chose to live, and as we now live, we must choose the attitude and work of Christ.

This attitude and work do not save us, but they are our response to the salvation we have received from Christ, which is a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Brothers and sisters, our lives are no longer our own, but all that should remain in us is Christ.

May we suffer for His sake, because living Christ in this broken flesh and fallen world is so hard. The world perhaps will not understand us, our family and friends perhaps will not agree with us, and there sometimes is not even agreement between our heads and our hearts. Yet we are to live Christ with every breath that the Lord has blessed us with.

Perhaps we may think that living Christ, rather than living for ourselves, is not practical. The first thing we may think is that we need to make a living and support ourselves or our families. But Paul is challenging us not to get sucked into the worldly trap of rationalizing our Christian lives.

If we are to die to ourselves and all that is left is Christ, then although it is difficult, impractical, and perhaps nearly impossible, that does not mean we should move the goal to where it is feasible or acceptable to us. Rather, we should spend more time struggling between our flesh and our spirit.

Let us continue to wrestle and live in the tension of this world with the truth that we are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Philippians 1