Section 2
in the faith of the gospel. To be with one soul for the gospel work is more difficult than to be in one spirit for the experience of Christ. This re quires that, after being regenerated in our spirit, we be transformed in our soul, especially in our mind, which is the main part, the leading part, of our soul.
In 1:27 Paul charges the Philippians to stand firm in one spirit and to strive with one soul. Nowhere else in the Bible are the terms spirit and soul used together in this way. Concerning our standing, we need to be firm in one spirit; con cerning striving together, we need to be with one soul. We need to exercise both our spirit and our soul. We exercise our spirit to stand firm, and we exercise our soul to strive together in the faith of the gospel. To strive here is to struggle, to work by fighting.
STANDING BY STRIVING
It is important to see that we stand in one spirit and strive with one soul. We need to dif ferentiate between the prepositions in and with. In one spirit we stand; with one soul we strive. We stand before God, but we strive before man. Before God we must stand as a testimony, and before man we must strive together with one soul.