The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 94

ll. DUTY oF THE PmLIPPIANB rn THE wonto. 1. Tl1e one thing to be avoided, "Do RII !hi~fs without rnurmurin~ .a~d disputings, that yo may bo blameless and harmless. 1 h_e apost.le hae been enJ01nmg on them their duty with reference to their pcrsonnl salvat10n. He now contemplat.es them as placed in the midst of tho world, It cnn ~ ~~n that be h!LS in his mind anc!ent Israel. It is true thRt they wore clrnrnct_e~1st,1cally mu~ui:ers and doubters agamst God. But it does not nppear that the Ph1hpp1ans were inclined to murmur and ~oubt under tho Divine dealings. \Vo Rrc rather made to feel that they had not a little of the martyr spirit. 'l'hc danacr 0 fe.1red mis the breaking of their unity through self-exaltation. We are, therefore to think of murmurings and disputinp,s among themselves. It pointed to a sta~ of mattus in their Church which would be very prejudicial to their spiritual life. This ws.s the one thi~g to be avoided,in order that they should be blameless in the judgment of others, and srncere, as we should read, conscious to their own minds of goou intention. It was b<-ing not very far from the mark. Other Churches may have excelled the Philippians in reference t.o this particular; but of how few could it be said that there was one thing t.o be avoided by them in order that they should be blameless and right- miu<led ! How many points would need to be enumerated in order that such language might be employed of some of onr Churches now? 2. Proper conception of.thefr d'll,ty. (1) To be f~ jf'Om spots. "Children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation." There is a reminiscence here of language employed in the song of Moses : .. They have corrupted thems"-ves, their spot is not the spot 01' his children : they are a perverse and crooked generation." They. had not answered to the Di,ine conception, which was that of children without spot in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. It is much more obvious than it was then that we are the children of God. " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye recei,ed not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye teceived the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; .heirs of God, and joint-heim with Christ." Such is the fully expressed Christian standpoint. It is the Divine arrangement that, as children of God, we are separated into Christfan societies; not, however, removed to a separate sphere where we are not acted upon from without, and have simply to conserve and consolidate our Christian life. But we are p!a.ced in the midst of the world, and the world is here thought of in its generations. The generation is characterized by moral abnormity. Both "crooked" and "perverse" contain the idea of being bent from the trne form, as a tree is bent or as the hum:m body is sometimes beat. In the la.Lter the bending is so decided as to amount to distor- tum. All the generations have abnormity; but every generation has its own peculiar abnormity or spot. And the Church, from age to age, has especially to guard against the spot of the wicked generation in the midst of which it lives. 'l'he spot of the present crooked and perverse generation may be said to be a secularism, which would mak.e of the Lord's day a common day, of the Bible a common book, of Christ n common man, of religion simply the performance of common duties. . That is the mask whlch the ~ eneration is more and more taking, in all fol'Illll of literature aud in public mc.vemente. 'l'hat is the inflnence which, through a thousand clmnnels, is being brought to bear upon the Christian pa.rt of the populat-ion. And there are always those who are inclined to adjust themselves to what they see around them. But that is not the spot of God's children. Let us keep clear of it in the name of our adoption into God's family. "Do you requite me so?" it is said in the words following these, qnoted in the song of Moses: "Am. not ~ Y?Ur Father tl.aat bou..,ht thee?" Let us have separateneSll from our generation, m its general 11pirit, and in the particular forms that may prevail around us, (2) To give light to the w(IT'l.d, "Among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the Word of lift." Christ is the SUD, or Light of the world; we are intended to be stars, or lesser lights. Ours is a borrowed light from Christ, or rather, as it is here regarded, from hi11 gospel, w:,ich is named the Word of life, i.e. the light which gives an eternal quickening to the.sc,ul. Accordiua as we have received the gospel, in its blessed statements, into our being, are we mad: light, have darkness expelled from us. And our function is to l!old f•,rtl, the Word of life-to cast the light that we have appropriated forth upon the uark .,,,r:.i. That is the trne way to meet the aggression of the crooked and perverse 011, II.1-30,] 'l'llE EPISTLE ·ro THE PUILIPPIANS. 91