Section 5
else causes us to think differently and thus cre ates dissensions among us.
What troubled Paul in his imprisonment was the dissension among the Philippians. The saints in Philippi were good, and the church in that city had been well established. However, there was dissension among them. Although they were one in spirit, they were not striving together with one soul. Although they all loved the Lord, they were not thinking the same thing. This caused Paul's heart to be heavy. Out of heaviness of heart, he appealed to the Philippians to make his joy full by being joined in soul and by thinking the same thing.
HAVING THE SAME LOVE
Thinking the same thing is related to having the same love. Paul's word in Philippians 2:2 about "having the same love" indicates that, because of their dissenting thinking, the Philippian believ ers had different levels of love. They did not have the same love toward all the saints for the keep ing of oneness.
It is possible that we in the church life today may not have the same love for all the saints. Instead, our love may be on different levels. We may love a certain brother much more than we