United We Stand
UNITED WE STAND
PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30
Paul issues a call to remain firm in the face of conflict.
Deeply sensitive to the power of language to stir deep feelings, Paul addresses the Philippians first as Roman citizens and then as Macedonians. Only to Philippi, proud of its colonial status which conferred Roman citizenship on large segments of the population, does the apostle write, “Fulfill your responsibilities as citizens who are worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27). The italicized words render a verb which occurs infrequently in secular or biblical documents, but always refers to behavior regulated by a law of life. In this context, Paul envisages the entire church as citizens of heaven whose responsibilities are dictated by the central concerns of the gospel (see 3:20f.).
What follows is a call to remain firm in the face of conflict. This conflict may have been associated with emperor worship, for it is known that Philippi was one of the few Greek cities that possessed an order of Roman citizens pledged to the worship of the divine Augustus, while an inscription at the nearby port of Neapolis refers to a municipal magistrate from Philippi who functioned as a high priest of “the divine Claudius.” A flourishing imperial cult would bid for the allegiance of all members of the colony. In the face of such pressures, the Philippians must stand firm with an uncompromising loyalty to Jesus Christ.
The fact of Christians striving side by side, refusing to be frightened by their opponents (1:27-28), evokes the image of the phalanx, the most formidable military device in antiquity. A phalanx consisted of a group of highly disciplined spearmen formed into ranks which were close and deep. As long as the men of the phalanx did not break rank they were virtually invincible and struck terror into their enemies. With the phalanx Philip of Macedon had united the city states of Greece, while his son Alexander the Great had brought the mighty Persian empire to its knees. Philip had founded the city of Philippi, giving it his name. It is unlikely that the Philippians missed Paul’s allusion to their glorious past. The same spirit of unity and valor which had infused the phalanx sent out to conquer the world must now be clearly seen by the members of the church as they fight for the faith of the gospel. Appealing to their pride as Macedonians and Romans, Paul calls for the Christians to remain firm so that they may be vindicated by God in a trial of faith similar in character to his own (1:29-30).