‘CITIZEN CONDUCT’ THAT’S WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 18, 2024 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: December 18, 2024 from Philippians 1:27-30
Theme: In times of persecution for our faith, we should joyfully receive it as a call to live worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
It was a great privilege to be a citizen of Philippi. Humanly speaking, it was among the world’s most honored and distinguished cities of its day. Even though it was situated far away from the city of Rome, it had been officially declared by Caesar himself to be a Roman colony.
The story was that about 120 years before Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians—after Julius Caesar had been assassinated—a very decisive battle had been fought on the plains of Philippi by Mark Antony and Octavius against the assassins. The veteran soldiers of that victorious battle were colonized in the city of Philippi; and in gratitude, Octavius—who was later made emperor and renamed Augustus—honored the city by declaring it to be a Roman colony. This honor meant that its citizens were free to consider themselves full citizens of Rome; and were encouraged to behave as if they lived in the imperial city itself. “Citizenship”, therefore, was a matter of great honor for the people of Philippi.
But living as a Christian in that proud city was difficult. Important public events in Philippi usually involved the worship of Caesar. It was also a city that was characterized by paganism and occult practices. You may remember how, in Acts 16, a fortune-telling slave girl was delivered by Paul from an unclean spirit. But her owners complained about the trouble and loss that Paul’s preaching had cost them; and how the whole city went into an uproar as a result. They beat Paul and had him violently thrown into prison.
And now, Paul was writing to them in this letter about having joy … but while in prison again. But this makes the words of this morning’s passage from Paul particularly important. At the beginning of verse 27, he wrote, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ …” And in the original language of Paul’s letter, the word that’s translated “conduct” is politeuō. Do you recognize our English word ‘politics’ in that word? It’s the word that has the basic meaning “to be a citizen”. It speaks of ordering one’s personal conduct and behavior—particularly in a manner that is worthy of one’s high calling or privileged position. Paul uses a similar form of this word in Philippians 3:20-21; where he urges his fellow Philippian Christians to watch carefully so that they only follow good godly examples in the conduct of their Christian faith;
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).
These Philippian believers had dual citizenship. They were temporary citizens of a Roman colony. That citizenship sometimes brought hardship and persecution upon them for their Christian commitments. But they were to remember that—in an even greater and more honorable way—they walked upon this troubled earth as full-fledged citizens of heaven. And that heavenly citizenship was to govern the joy and confidence with which they were to conduct themselves—even when their earthly citizenship resulted in persecution. In our passage this morning, Paul wrote;
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me (Philippians 1:27-30).
And the great lesson this teaches us—with respect to the challenges of our dual citizenship—is that in times of persecution for our faith, we should joyfully receive it as a call to live worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven. Our earthly citizenship is only for a time … but our heavenly citizenship is forever. And we must live in a way that invites others to hear the gospel, trust in Jesus, and join us in that greater and more eternal citizenship.
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Now; in the original language of Paul’s letter, our passage is one, long, single sentence. There are several indications in it that Paul was building one idea upon another. We see phrases like “Only” or “so that” or “and” or “which” or “but” or “for”. And sometimes, in the case of a passage like this, it can be helpful to work through it in reverse order to see how the argument of the passage was developed.
So; with that idea in mind, let’s begin with the final idea that Paul’s words suggest to us. And that is that …
1. WE MAY BE CALLED TO SUFFER THE SAME PERSECUTIONS AS PAUL DID (v. 30).
In verse 30, he said that the Philippian Christians were “having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.” The fact of their persecution was what motivated him to begin this passage in the way that he did; that is by saying, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ …”
That word “Only” was meant to introduce a command to the Philippians that was based on the hope and expectation he expressed in verses 25-26. He had been locked up in a Roman prison cell; and as he sat in that cell, he wondered whether it would be better to be executed for his faith and thus go to heaven and be with Jesus, or to live on and be able to offer continued service to his fellow Christians in Philippi. He had sincere joy over either possibility. But as he went on to say in verses 25-26;
And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again (vv. 25-26).
But whether he would be able to come to them in person, or simply minister to their faith from afar, he urged them, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ …” And this was because—right then—those Philippian believers were “having the same conflict” or “struggle” that they had both seen in Paul and now hear was in him.
Paul used a word that has an athletic significance. He said that they were having the same “conflict” as him. That word, in the original language, is agōn—from which we get the English word “agony”. It was used to describe a strenuous and challenging competition or race in the Greek games. Paul wasn’t simply saying that ‘misery loves company’. He was saying that his brothers and sisters in Philippi were in the same strenuous and challenging race in the faith that he was in—and that they needed to make sure that they conducted themselves in an appropriate manner.
In our devotion to our Lord in this fallen world, you and I may also be called upon to endure the same sort of ‘conflict’ that Paul suffered. But as Paul himself said;
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
So; we too may be called upon to suffer the same persecutions as Paul did. But—once again, working backward through our passage—we see that …
2. IF SO, IT IS A CALL THAT HAS BEEN GRANTED TO US ON BEHALF OF CHRIST HIMSELF (v. 29).
As Paul said in verse 29, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake …”
The Bible lets us know that all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (3:12). That’s a fact of the Christian faith. We shouldn’t react to it as if it comes as a shock to us. The apostle Peter wrote;
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy (1 Peter 4:12-13).
In fact, we should see it as a gift to us from the Lord that we would be allowed to suffer for His name’s sake. He told His disciples that, if the world hated Him, it would hate us also for belonging to Him (John 15:18). And this is actually a cause for tremendous rejoicing. As He Himself said in the Sermon on The Mount;
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
Paul had been told from the very beginning—at the time when the Lord first called him into His service—that He would “show him how many things he must suffer for” His name’s sake (Acts 9:16). But he counted this a privileged gift from the Lord. And so should we.
And this leads us to the next point in our backward look through this passage; that …
3. ‘STANDING FAST’ IN SUCH A CALL IS ‘EVIDENCE’ TO THE WORLD THAT THE GOSPEL IS TRUE (vv.27b-28).
He said in verses 27-28 that, if he was permitted to come to them, he hoped to find “that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.”
That phrase “stand fast” simply means to ‘stand firm’. And notice the ways that this was to be evident. First, it was to be “in one spirit”. They were to stand firm in one common attitude of commitment to one another and to the cause of Christ. As Paul would go on to say in 2:1-4;
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).
They were also to do so “with one mind”; that is, having the same commitment to the goal of growth in Christ—helping one another along. As he would go on to say of his own mindset in 3:13-16;
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind (3:13-16).
And finally, they were to do this by “striving together for the faith of the gospel”. They were to, in love, defend and protect the gospel of Jesus Christ together—just as Jude once found it necessary to write to his brothers and sisters in Christ and urge them to
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
And do you notice that standing firm in the faith in this way ends up giving evidence to the world of the truth of the gospel? He wrote that when we behave this way—not terrified by the threats of those who oppose the gospel, but confidently going forward to proclaim it and willingly suffer for it—it becomes proof to the unbelieving world of “perdition” or of ultimate destruction … and of our salvation. It causes them to say, “These people really believe this! They won’t give up on it! They’re even willing to suffer for it! They behave as if they really do know the Lord and really are citizens of another kingdom! This must be His doing!”
Now; all of this leads to a conclusion that is suggested by the words at the very beginning of the passage …
4. THEREFORE, WE SHOULD BEHAVE IN A WORTHY MANNER IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION (vv. 27a).
Paul wrote, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs …” He wanted to hear that they were behaving in the city of Philippi as if they were citizens of heaven—and were confident that they were going to go there no matter what. As he put it in Philippians 2:14-18;
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me (2:14-18).
* * * * * * * * * * *
Now that we’ve looked at the main points in reverse order, let’s once again consider this appeal from the apostle Paul in the way that he gave it:
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me (Philippians 1:27-30).
This is how we who are temporary citizens of an earthly kingdom—whenever we encounter times of persecution for our faith—can and should joyfully receive it as a call to live worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven. It’s how the unbelieving people of this world will be enabled to see—for certain—where our true homeland is.
Let’s make sure that our conduct is worthy of the gospel that makes heaven our true home.
AE
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