A meditation by PJ

1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

What strikes me as I think about these verses is that there are two types of suffering. The first suffering is the suffering that we as believers have by virtue of our union with Christ (1:29). For the Philippians this was probably some form of external persecution and various other hardships about which we are ignorant. And for us, it can be a myriad of things, but most likely, since we live in America, the suffering that comes upon us is the suffering of seeking to embrace the blessings of the new age, which Christ has ushered in, by giving up the blessings of the old age. To put it another way, our suffering often times comes by way of sacrifice. But we must emphasize that all is not “bad news,” since in the process of sacrifice, we gain more of Christ and the blessings in Christ. Sacrifice whether voluntary or involuntary has a way of putting the blessing of Christ into clearer focus and the lack of sacrifice (or suffering) has a way of diminishing Christ.

The second suffering (and far worse) is the “sign” that Paul speaks of in 1:28 that speaks of the destruction of those who persecute the Philippians. Every time I read this passage, my modern, liberal, and American sensibilities are challenged. I need to remind myself that there is a second coming of Christ and then the old age will pass away and there will only be newness (1 John 2:8, 2 Cor. 5:16-17). To make the logic of Paul even clearer in context, when people persecute us or see us embrace the blessings of the new age and forego the blessing of the old age, then it is a sign that there is a new age, which implies that there is a day of reckoning for those who resist Christ.

I’m reminded of one more thing. There is a context. Paul is preaching in prison and so are others in view of the encouragement they have received by Paul’s boldness. If we take this as a key, then what we need to do before Christ comes back is to share the gospel and our lives with others. That is what Paul and many others are doing and what the theology of the Bible calls us to do as well. Proclamation. Therefore, let us stand firm together in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ by sharing with our friends, neighbors, and world.