The Gift of Unity in Christ
Scripture — Philippians 2:1-4 (NRSV)
If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.
Focus
Followers of Christ—members of his church—have unity in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. This unity is a gift. A blessing. It comes to us as grace. Yet it is also something we are called to live out. Indeed, though as sinful humans we cannot create unity, our sinfulness can easily harm it. Paul’s charge to the Philippian church, and to Christians today, is to live out our unity in Christ.
Devotion
I recently began rereading N. T. Wright’s important book _Into the Heart of Romans_—a book I first read at the start of 2024, thanks to a recommendation in one of Mark Roberts’ Life for Leaders devotions late in 2023. Early in his book, Wright discusses Paul’s writing style, evident in Romans, in which Paul makes a dense statement of an important theological idea, then unpacks it with a longer explanation, and then unpacks it even further perhaps with some different imagery or a different example.
As I was studying Philippians 2 over the past few weeks in preparation for a sermon, it seemed to me that this is what Paul was doing in Philippians 2:1-13, except in this case, the dense, powerful, summary comes at the end in verses 12-13 (which I will look at in tomorrow’s devotion) after the unfolding of the idea in verses 1-4, which is followed by the longer illustration of what the idea looks like in verses 5-11.
Philippians 2 begins with an important theological truth: those who follow Christ are, in fact, united in Christ. This is the underlying assumption behind what follows. Paul gets this across in verse 1 with what I believe is a rhetorical if: “If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy. . .” Paul’s Philippian readers (and we today) ought immediately to recognize that all these things are true in Christ: we do indeed have comfort in Christ, consolation from love, and partnership in the Spirit. And this should lead us to take seriously the following exhortation in verse 2 to live in unity: “Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
In other words, Paul is calling the Philippian believers to live out the unity that we have in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. They are to live that unity out in how they live and think, in how they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (v. 2), and in how they care for one another’s needs and treat each other with humility (vv. 3-4). It would be well worth meditating extensively on these verses and on how we practice this, and to do so in light of the example of Christ which Paul reminds his readers of in the beautiful passage that follows (vv. 5-11)—one of the better-known passages in the entire New Testament, and appropriately so.
What I’d like to draw our attention to, though, is Paul’s starting point that opens this all: those who follow Christ begin with unity in Christ. Unity is a gift God has given to his people. It is a spiritual reality: because we belong to Christ, we are already united in Christ. Of course, it is up to us to live that unity out in our day-to-day lives, and in our relationships in the body of Christ that is the church. But we don’t have to create unity from nothing. Indeed, we cannot do so. In our sin, we could never manufacture unity through our human efforts. But the good news is we don’t have to.
Unity in Christ is very much like salvation in Christ: it comes to us through grace, and it is possible because of Christ. The question is what we will do with that gift of unity in the Spirit. What Paul says is that we need to live it out. As Jesus himself said in his high priestly prayer (John 17:20-21), the living out of our unity in Christ is the way the world will come to believe in Jesus. And a primary way we live it out is by treating others with humility.
Reflect
How have you witnessed or experienced unity in Christ and fellowship in the Holy Spirit? How do you understand that as a gift and a spiritual reality? What makes that unity difficult to practice? In what areas in your own life might God be calling you to more fully live out that unity in Christ?
Act
Consider how you answered the final question in the “reflect” section above. Turn this area to God in prayer, and let the Holy Spirit work in you in this area.
Pray
Lord Jesus, even as we praise and thank you for our salvation, we also thank you for the gift of unity that we have in you, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and empowers us to live that unity out. Help us to be humble toward one another and to live that unity out in imitation of you and in the transforming power of your Spirit. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Give Without Gain.
Matthew Dickerson
Author
Matthew Dickerson’s books include works of spiritual theology and Christian apologetics as well as historical fiction, fantasy literature, explorations of the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and books about trout fishing, fly fishing, rivers, and ecology. His recent book,