How Humility Serves Church Unity

Well, the war was finally over. At least that’s how it appeared. Following ten long years of battle, the Greeks had finally given up hope of taking the city, they’d gotten back on their ships, and set sail for home. The Trojans were overjoyed. Their opposition was gone. That night, they slept well. Really well. Surprisingly well, in fact, for a people who’d hung up their swords, set down their shields, taken off their armor, left all their doors unlocked despite the fact that members of the enemy army were, at that moment, inside their very gates, still armed, still dangerous, eager to shed blood, and standing no more than 5, 10, feet away from some of them as they laid down for bed. 

But the Trojans didn’t see them. Had no idea they were there. They thought the war was over. They didn’t realize the war was being waged from within. That night they laid down and slept well, really well, surprisingly well, and many never woke up, because that same night, several members of the Greek army crawled out from a trap door of a wooden statue of a horse that’d been parked in the center of the city, and within a blink of an eye, captured all of Troy.

Our unity as God’s people, our Holy Spirit unity, our unity centered on Jesus as our shared, surpassing treasure, is, as Pastor Jonathan showed us last week, an embattled unity. A unity amidst opposition. 

The opposition comes from without – opponents out there who do not love Jesus and do not love his people. We saw them last week in chapter 1 verse 28. And, opposition also comes from within through the sin that still dwells in each one of us. 

This sin is a danger to our unity together as God’s people. God, through the Apostle Paul, is calling us today to flee from it with everything we’ve got, in pursuit of something far better. 

Let’s pray, and ask God, together, for his help.

So, our focus is on unity amidst opposition from within. And we’re going to work our way through it in three steps: Unity directed, Unity developed, Unity Defended. 

Unity Directed (Verse 2)

First, unity directed, and this is going to have us beginning with verse 2, where Paul says,

“complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”

One of the first things to note here is that Paul is taking a layered approach to directing the Philippians toward unity. He’s not, in other words, directing them toward it by way of four distinct, independent requests. Do this, this, this, and this, and if you do, then the combined result will be unity. Rather, he’s directing them to pursue unity itself, four times over, in more or less the same way. 

We can see that with the first and the fourth phrase in this list. “(Complete my joy by) being of the same mind, (and) being of one mind.” Tremendous overlap between the two, wouldn’t you say? I mean to be of one mind is to have the same mind — one that holds to the same truths, calls out the same lies, gives priority to the same things. Both directives point to the same main idea of unity.

And the third one, “being in full accord.” Well, to be in accord with someone is to be in agreement with them. They say that’s true, you agree that’s true. You say that’s false, they agree that’s false. They say that’s sin, you agree that’s sin. You’re in accord, you’re in agreement, you are of the same mind. You are of one mind. You’re experiencing unity.

“Having the same love,” is basically right there as well — if you’re in accord with someone, of one mind with them, it’d be awfully strange if you were to find that your loves differed from one another. In fact, if you did happen to find your loves differed from one another, the most obvious explanation would be that you really aren’t of the same mind after all. 

Paul, in other words, is directing these Philippians four-times over, though in slightly different ways, be unified, be unified, be unified, be unified. Paul is a brilliant communicator. He’s no slouch when it comes to writing. Repetition, by him, is never accidental. Why, then, is he repeating the same idea four times over? 

Same reason any of us might repeat the same thing four times over. Emphasis. A hammering home the importance of one main idea. This thing really matters! Christian unity, Paul is saying, really matters. Like you really need to have it. So be unified. Be a people who, though likely very different in a whole host of other ways, nevertheless are of the same mind, have the same love, are in full accord and of one mind when it comes to who and what is most important in all the world — Jesus, and the glory of God.

How do these people get such unity? How do they develop it? This will bring us back to verse one, Unity developed.

Unity Developed (Verse 1)

Once again, we have a fourfold pattern here. “So (1) if there is any encouragement in Christ, (2) any comfort from love, (3) any participation in the Spirit, (4) any affection and sympathy.” And this fourfold pattern makes up the first part of what is one big “if/then” statement. We know how an if/then statement works, right? “If its sunny, then the game will start at 6 pm. If it’s storming, then the game will be postponed till tomorrow.” This entire section of Philippians is one big “if/then” statement. Here, in verse one, are all the “ifs”. If encouragement, if comfort, if participation, if affection.” Followed by all the “thens” in verse two, which we just saw. So, if something, something, something, something, then be unified, then be unified, then be unified, then be unified.

And, just as all the “thens” in verse two, though slightly different from one another, were hammering home the same main idea (be unified), so all the “ifs” here, though slightly different from one another, are too hammering home one main idea. Which, I believe, is this: “If you are experiencing the grace of being a Christian…” 

Let me show you how I got that. Look at “Any participation in the Spirit” It’s the third phrase you see there in verse one. We’re going there because some of these other phrases are a bit vague, this one’s most clear. “Any participation in the Spirit.” Okay, so we’ve already seen “standing firm in one Spirit” (1:27). Here we have “participation, (also translated fellowship) in the Spirit.” And the thing we know right away, without doubt concerning participation/fellowship with the Spirit, is that there’s no way to have it, apart from being a Christian. If you’re not a Christian, you have no participation in the Spirit. 

Jesus says it this way, speaking of the Holy Spirit in John 14,

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper…even the Spirit of truth (The Holy Spirit), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.”

The world, non-Christians, cannot receive the Spirit. They have no participation, no fellowship, in the Spirit. Jesus says they don’t see him, or know him, and cannot receive him. 

But, Jesus continues, saying of believers,

“You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Christians, followers of Jesus, know the Spirit. Have a participation in the Spirit. He dwells with them. In fact, he dwells in them. 

So Paul, in saying, “If you have any participation in the Spirit…” is saying, “If you are experiencing the grace of being a Christian…” 

Set that main idea next to the other phrases in this verse.

First one, “If there is any encouragement in Christ.” Well, who are those who’ve received encouragement in Christ? Those who are, in fact, in Christ. God’s promises are yes for those who are in Christ.

“Whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life.” Do you have encouragement in Christ? Let me ask another way, are you experiencing the grace of being a Christian? 

Keep going down the list, “Any comfort from love.” This from the same man who wrote, “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Cor. 1:5). Comfort is experienced through Christ. Who are those who experience comfort from love? Those who are in the love of Christ. People who are Christians.

Lastly, “Affection and sympathy.” What affection? Look back at 1:8, “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Who are those who have the affection of Christ? Those who are in Christ. Those who are Christians.

Paul’s main idea is, “If you are experiencing the grace of being a Christian.” In other words, unity is developed within God’s people who, together, experience the grace of being Christians. Paul says, verse one, “If you Philippians are experiencing the grace of being Christians, then live it out through unity with one another. If you’re all Christians, dwell in unity with one another. And, one way to do that is by defending the unity we have from the sin we have in ourselves. From our sin that threatens our unity from within. So, verses 3-4, Unity defended. 

Unity Defended (Verses 3-4)

“Do nothing from selfish ambition and conceit.”

This, my brothers and sisters, is the two-headed monster lurking within all of us — selfish ambition and conceit. And it is a threat to our unity as God’s people. A real, live, dressed to kill threat, that must not be coddled, must not be kept, but crushed beneath the feet of every single one of us. That’s why Paul says, “Do nothing, nothing, nothing from selfish ambition and conceit.”

What is selfish ambition? It is, simply, the thing inside of all of us that says, “I gotta get mine.” And, we’ve seen it once already in this very book in Chapter 1. Talking about the people who are preaching Christ not sincerely, but thinking to afflict Paul in his imprisonment – it says they’re doing so motivated by “Selfish ambition.” That’s chapter 1:17. 

Now, we’re seeing it again, this time alongside one of its strongest allies, conceit. And if selfish-ambition says, “I gotta get mine,” then conceit says, “mine is the most important, for I am the most important.” Together these two, selfish-ambition and conceit, take aim against our being of the same mind, and same love. They’d like our being in full accord to get twisted up into discord. Selfish ambition and conceit join hands with quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, disorder (2 Cor. 12:20). In fact James says of selfish-ambition specifically that wherever you happen to find it, there also will you find “disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16). 

For that reason, again, Paul warns, my brothers and sisters,

“Do nothing from selfish-ambition or conceit but, in humility, count others more significant than yourselves.”

Note, Paul could have just said, “Count others more significant than yourself.” He didn’t. He specified the action — “count others more significant than yourselves” and he specified the manner in which you are to do that action, “in humility.”

The manner matters, so much so that if you get the manner wrong, the action is pointless. Selfish-ambition, after all, is not an action. It, too, is a manner. In fact, I think there’s even a way you could, in selfish ambition, “count others more significant than yourself.” You’re doing it, thinking, now what can I get from them now that they’re in my debt? The manner, doing it “in humility,” matters. So what is it? What is humility? 

Merriam-Webster offers a definition, saying humility is “freedom from pride or arrogance.” I believe that’s true as far as it takes us. Humility is freeing. Frees us from pride, frees us from arrogance, frees us from the terrors of selfish-ambition. 

Another definition, along similar lines, CS Lewis describes humility as:

“not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”

That’s good. Humility is not thinking you’re worthless. Not thinking you’re a worm. I mean, after all, both ways of thinking have the focus still on you. No, says Lewis, humility is a turning of the lens away from self.

“Not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”

Okay, so humility features a freedom from pride. Humility involves a focus away from self. But if not pride, and if not self, then what does humility focus upon? Others? I’ll have you know what’d happen to me if I turned from self to others and that’s all I did. It’d go something like this, “Wow, they’re kind of intimidating. They look impressive. I wonder what I need to do to be liked by them? To earn their approval? Make sure I don’t embarrass myself before them?” Does that sound like humility? Sounds more like selfish ambition to me.

Humility includes a freedom from pride, and a focus away from self, but it must be so much more than that to be true humility. So let me suggest a definition given by Pastor John Piper, during a BCS Chapel about two years ago. I was at this chapel, on accident. Truth be told I didn’t know BCS even had chapel, of course, now that I think of it, it makes a lot of sense. But I’d just gone there on that Wednesday two years ago to check out their bookstore. Said to one guy in the bookstore, “Man, there’s a lot of cars in the lot today, what do you think is going on?” Quickly found out Piper was giving the chapel message so I headed on over. That message was on the topic of humility. Piper’s definition for humility went like this:

“Humility is the disposition of the heart to be pleased with the infinite superiority of Christ over ourselves in every way.”

I really like this definition for at least two reasons. First, it puts our focus on Christ, the only being beautiful and great enough to render our pride and self-ambition complete foolishness. Both our pride and our selfish ambition just burn up in the atmosphere of his presence. 

Second, because this definition says we see this superiority of Christ and take pleasure in it. We don’t just see it. We don’t just acknowledge it. The world will one day see it, acknowledge it, and it will not bring them pleasure. But we see it, and oh, it just makes us happy! It pleases us. 

It pleases us because he’s not just some Christ … He is our Christ. Not just some Savior. He is our Savior. Not just some King. He is our King. 

We see him and say, “I know him, I love him, he’s the one that died for me, called me to himself, says I belong to him.” 

We can say, “Jesus, be great! Be glorious! Keep shine bright like a billion blazing suns as we look upon you overjoyed and overwhelmed by the magnitude of your glory. 

Now tell me a person could turn from such a moment and soon say, “Now how can I get mine?” 

You don’t have to tell me. Truth be told I already know a person could do such a thing, because I’ve done it. Perhaps you have as well. See because we still got this part of us, the old self, which never truly stops whispering “Hey, seriously, you gotta start looking out for number one. You gotta make sure you’re getting yours. You got other people over there passing you by. Other people who don’t get how significant you really are. Get going. Get your hands up. Start grabbing for what you can before anyone else gets it instead of you.”

But if we could just keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, even when that whisper starts up — keep our satisfaction in him unhindered, though the voice of selfish ambition tries to steer us away — then we will begin to hear that voice differently than we used to. We’ll stop hearing it and thinking, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” We’ll start hearing it and thinking, “Man I think there’s been some sort of mistake, voice. I think you must be confusing me with somebody else, or perhaps the somebody else that I used to be. 

See, I’m a Christian now. On the day I became one, God’s word tells me all of heaven and its angels rejoiced in joy over me. My Father is the King of Heaven, he calls me his son, because that indeed is what I now am. God tells me he knew my name before I was even born because he wrote it out for me in his book of life. He formed my being, he’s counted the hairs upon my head, he knows just how many days I have left to live here before I get to go home to him. 

And when I do get home, oh, I will see Jesus then, face-to-face. He will wipe away every tear from my eye, death shall cling to me no more, Jesus will bring me to my room, the one he’s made just for me, but he’ll say, “don’t settle in just yet, because I’ve set out a feast upon my table, and you must go and eat with me there. You, and all the others I’ve called to myself.

From now till then, my treasure in heaven will be kept imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. My faith in Jesus will remain secured, for the Lord intercedes for me before the Father, as does the Spirit. God himself has promised that nothing shall be able to separate me from this love, for neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor even my own whispering voice of selfish ambition, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh, and there is much more we could say to our selfish ambition, but I believe what has already been said has well rendered all sense of “us getting ours here” quite ridiculous — scraps compared to what God has in store for you and me. No, no we don’t need to get ours in this world. But what we do get is one remarkable opportunity to look to the interests of others, with a peculiar form of intrigue, that asks, “Now how might that man, or that woman: be brought to enjoy Jesus more fully, see heaven more clearly, praise God more gladly, believe God more steadfastly, pray to God more fervently, serve God more joyfully, be even more compelled to live even more in accord to the reality of God. And how, how, might God use me, even me, to help them get there? 

What a thrilling way to live. A way that both defends the unity we have together as a people and gives us a front row seat to what God is doing in the world through those all around us. 

So, I want to close with four points of application. First two will go along with verse 3. Final two with verse 4.

1) In humility, count others more significant, by remembering whose blood was spilled for them. 

We’re talking about you and other Christians, remember this is about unity within the family of faith — Christian to Christian unity. And you’re endeavoring to look at other Christians less through the lens of what they do for a living, their outward appearance, their personality, their quirks or areas of immaturity, and more through the lens of — wow, Jesus, my Jesus, spilled his blood for them. Has washed them clean in the sacrifice of his blood. Precious ointment was broken and poured out upon Jesus, Jesus has his very own body broken and poured out for them. My goodness, how significant, in the eyes of God, is this individual!

In humility, count others more significant, by remembering whose blood was spilled for them.

2) In humility, consider how much God desires to bring that person all the way home. 

God is, right now, working all things for the good of that Christian in front of you. God, right now, has predestined them, called them, justified them, and will glorify them. This is one of God’s sheep, and God loses none of his sheep, no one tears them out of his hand. They are the apple of his eye. They might not look all that awesome to you. They may have some areas to grow in. God will get them home. How might you, play a role, in getting them home?

In humility, consider how much God desires to bring that person all the way home.

3) In humility, look not only to your interest but also to theirs by praying for them.

Paul prayed for these Philippians. He used his energy, that he could have used for other things. His mental focus, which he could have used for other things, to pray for others, prayers that no one else would ever see, other than God. It’s good for you to pray to God. It’s in your own interest to spend time in prayer before God. How do you look not only to your own interest but also the interest of others? By spending time in prayer to God on behalf of others.

4) In humility, look not only to your interest but also to theirs by showing up for others even when you don’t feel like it. 

Brothers and sisters, be there for your church family. Don’t underestimate how your presence might encourage your church family. You’re tired during the week, bless your Community Group by showing up all the same as a reminder to them, fellowship matters. You’re exhausted by the time Sunday comes around, bless your church by showing up all the same as a reminder, corporate worship, hearing God’s word, being with God’s people, matters. You get a phone call from a friend late at night. You still got a lot to do to prepare for tomorrow. Pick the phone up, answer it, remind them, they matter to God, they matter also to you.

In humility, look not only to your interest but also to theirs by showing up for others even when you don’t feel like it. 

The Table

And all of these words to us are what bring us to the table, for it is at this table we’re reminded of how Jesus spilled his blood for us. It’s symbolized for us every Sunday when we drink the cup. At this table, we’re reminded Jesus left heaven, took on human flesh, so that he might dwell among us, and that he might have it broken for us. It’s symbolized for us every Sunday when we eat the bread. It’s at this table we remember, and we celebrate, that Jesus has come and has given himself, sacrificially, for the good of his people.