The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 108

ronBct'.em,e. St. Paul is now on higher ground, showing how unreal is 11.ll Ohristi11.n profession which does not desire unity. I. 1. What con,olation (or, e:chortation) is eh.ere in Ohristwithout th'3 desiN, What ,:rowth in the knowledge of him or in union with him? 2. W7iat comfort of looe, How can the royal law of love of the brethren be fulfilled without this? 3. What fellowship of the Hol,y Spsrit, . It is the o~ce of t~e ~oly Gh_ost to bind together. How can we be par:takers of him ~less be IS workmg 1n ~s h1~ peculiar work? 4. ll'liat ten<kr mercaes atld oompassiom, Even natural lovmg-k1ndneas prompts the desire for unity. II. How much nearer t.o unity should we be if all who profess to love the Lord Jesus would dwell on these points, rather than on the points about which they di.fferl- Y. W. H. Yers. 3, 4.-Exhortation to unity: (3) Oames of its breach. I. To CONQUER A '.MALADY WE MUST ASCERTAIN rrs CAUSE. St. Paul lays bare the causes of the divisions which exist among Christians. 1. Strife: faction ; party spirit ; the desire to promote the success of a cause rather than t.o be guided by the Holy Spirit into that which is true. 2. Vain-glo1-y: personal vanity; the desire to be noticed, and the hatred of owning one's self to be wrong. These are the solvents of Christendom. Often the theological disputes which have been the apparent causes of separation have not been the real causes. IL IlEMEDIF.8. 1. Humility. Many controversies proceed from an endeavour to explain that which is beyond definition. 2. Oonsideration for otkrs. Controversy would, to a great extent, cease if ea.eh ma.n would be satisfied with bearing witness to :.he truth, which has made itself a living thing to himself, without insisting that his experience must be that of every one else.-V. W. H. Ver. 6.-&hortation to unity: (4) Its highest motive and most powerful agent. I. NBAT TEE MO."D OF CBRIST 1B. It is the mind of perfect love manifesting itself in perfect humility. II. WHY WE i-"'EED IT. It is the only cure for our want of unity. Disunion comes from self-exaltation. Union from losing self in Christ. St. Paul here urges the highest motive to unity and the ouly method by which it can be secured. Controversies a.re bushed when we realize the presence a.nd the example of the incarnate Christ. Ill How WE CAN RAVE IT. By uniting ourselves to him. So long as we are in our Father's house, all that he has is ours. The humility and the love of which Christ is full are imparted to us if we a.re in him. We must receive him if we would imitate him; for if we receive him he lives his life in us. IV. WHAT IT WILL BE TO us. In the heat of controversy we shall learn to see that a;ervant's form in our midst, set there as he once set a little child in the midst of his disciples disputing among themselves which should be the greatest. He is himself that little child; by his self-humiliation he for ever rebukes our self-exalta.tion.- V. W.R. Vere. 6-8.-The humaiation of Orut. I. TIil!: HEIGHT FROM WHTCB RE OAME 18 THE IIEASGRE OF THE DEPTH TO WHICH HE DF.IICEBDED. He was for ever "in the form 1,: Goel ; " i.e. with the essential nature of God (cf. John xiii. 3, 4). II. His HU)[[LU.TIOJ!I' W.A.B XO LOBB OF GLORY OR ESSENTIAL WORTH. He ie for ever \r, the form of God; this he could not renounce. He laid a.side for a. time his external <-,q wi.lity with God. This he considered not to be a possession of any great importa.nc-i. H,,w contrary to ordinary human ideas, which "catch at" anythinl{ which confero t:n1c,J'l1Al honour I But to catch a.t an external resemblance argues that we do rtOt J,'JSSelll! tht: essential likenellfl. Only the truly great can afford to humble themselves. Ill. HIS HUJaLIATION A REALITY. He takes the" form of a. servant;" ,.e. he actually 1,-,c,JrueE such, a.a be was actually in the "form of God." He assumes also the" like- fl<o,.s of a man," becoming in appearance, as in reality, one of ourselves. l V, HE: ACCEPTS THE TRUE POSITION OF )(All', WHICH 18 TB.AT OF ODEDIENOE. This is n,c.ll'o truest and essential glory. The true ma.n cannot live any other life than that c,f c.i:.edituce and s~rvice. His obedience is to death, even to .l death of shame, if such 011, II, 1-30.) THE EPISTLE TO THE PIIILIPPIANS. 105