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We have seen that the book of Philippians is a book on the experience of Christ. This fact is recognized by most Christian teachers. Many Christians point to Paul’s word in Philippians 3 about counting all things loss for Christ and knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. But I do not know of any who have pointed out the fellowship unto the gospel and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The way to experience Christ is not first to know the power of His resurrection. It is first to participate in the fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Both the fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel and the Spirit of Jesus Christ are unusual expressions. Chapter 1 contains other unusual expressions, such as in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel (v. 27). It is rather easy for us to understand the expression in one spirit but not the phrase with one soul. The translators of the King James Version rendered this “with one mind.” They interpreted the Greek word used here, psuche, as “mind.” The first problem we have with our soul is with our mind. This is especially true of the brothers. The second main part of the soul is the emotion. This presents a special problem to the sisters. Regarding our soul, we are also troubled by our stubborn will. Thus, in our soul we have a troublesome mind, a perplexing emotion, and a stubborn will.
The soul is the most intricate and complicated part of our being. As tripartite creatures, we have a body, a soul, and a spirit. Although our body has many members and is difficult to take care of, it is not as perplexing to us as our soul is. The simplest part of our being is our spirit. The part of us that troubles us the most is our soul. Tears, for example, do not issue from our spirit. The sisters’ tears come from their emotion, and the brothers’ tears come from their mind. I can assure the brothers that if we did not think so much, we would not have any tears. For the brothers, the mind is the fountain of tears. The most thoughtful people suffer the most. Those who think a great deal commit suicide more often than those who are simple. When certain thoughtful people find no way to go on in life, they commit suicide.
Our mind and emotion need tuning, but our stubborn will frustrates this tuning. There is nothing wrong with having a thoughtful mind and a sensitive emotion, but they need to be adjusted by our will. However, our will is stubborn. We need to use our will as a brake to restrict our emotion. But often this brake does not seem to work because our will is stubborn. Whenever we lose control of our emotion, it means that our will is not functioning properly. Some sisters seem to have only an emotion, not a will. Likewise, certain brothers seem to have only a mind and not a will. We need to use our will to control our mind and our emotion.
In writing Philippians 1:27, Paul did not say “with one mind”; he said “with one soul.” The mind does not include all the problems we have with our soul. The mind, emotion, and will all give us difficulties. Therefore, in translating Philippians 1:27, it is better to say “with one soul.” In order to be one soul, we must not remain in our mind, emotion, and will.
The problem with the experience of Christ is not mainly with our spirit but with our soul. Those outside the Lord’s recovery, however, may have a problem with their spirit because few know anything about the spirit or how to exercise their spirit. Many have only an objective Christ, a Christ far away in the heavens, and do not know the Christ who is in their spirit. They have no idea that Christ as the life-giving Spirit is now indwelling their spirit. We who have been in the church life for a number of years are somewhat familiar with the spirit. With us, the problem in experiencing Christ is mainly with our soul. In the past we have laid great emphasis upon the spirit. But simply to speak of the spirit in the experience of Christ is not adequate, for we have not only a spirit but also a soul.
At this point we can make a distinction between the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ. The experience of Christ is a matter primarily in our spirit, but the enjoyment of Christ is in our soul. To experience Christ is one thing, and to enjoy Christ is another. Consider the example of eating food. It is one thing to eat food and another thing to enjoy it. Sometimes parents force their children to eat certain foods. Although the children may eat out of the fear of being disciplined, they do not enjoy the food they are eating. Rather, they suffer as they eat. Sometimes we experience Christ not in the way of enjoyment but in the way of suffering. We may say, “I must take Christ as my life and live by Him. I have to experience Christ.” But this is not the enjoyment of Christ. Like children who eat without enjoying their food, many times we experience Christ without enjoying Him. Instead of enjoying Christ, we suffer. Thus, we can have the experience of Christ without the enjoyment of Christ. The problem here is with our soul.
Before we consider this matter further, let us consider the background of the book of Philippians. No doubt, the saints in Philippi were very good. They were zealous for the gospel, and they were very much for the Lord. In chapter 4 we see that they cared for the needs of the apostle Paul a number of times. To take care of the needs of the Lord’s servant is very significant. If you are not truly for the Lord, you will not take care of the needs of His servant. Taking care of the needs of the Lord’s servant is a strong proof and sign that you are for the Lord. Although the Philippians were zealous for the gospel, were for the Lord, and took care of the apostle’s need, they still had a problem regarding oneness. Instead of being one, they were quite opinionated. The sisters especially had a problem with opinions. This is the reason Paul says, “I exhort Euodias, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same thing in the Lord” (v. 2). Euodias and Syntyche, two of the leading sisters, were not one. In most churches the discord occurs mainly among the sisters. If there had not been so many opinions among the Philippians, the apostle Paul would not have repeatedly told them to think the same thing (2:2; 4:2). According to the Greek, Philippians 2:5 should be rendered, “Think this among you which was also in Christ Jesus.” This means that in our thinking we need to be one with Christ. It is not simply a matter of the mind but of the working of the mind, the process of thinking. The saints in Philippi were good, honest, and faithful, but they were too opinionated. Because of this, they did not have the adequate enjoyment of Christ. When we read this book carefully, we see that this was the situation among them.
Strictly speaking, Philippians is a book not only on the experience of Christ but also on the enjoyment of Christ. In Philippians 3:8 Paul says that for the sake of Christ he counted all things as refuse. This is not only a matter of experience but also a matter of enjoyment. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ (v. 8) also indicates enjoyment. Excellency is not mainly for experience but for enjoyment. In chapter 3 Paul seemed to be saying, “Formerly, I, Saul of Tarsus, enjoyed my status. I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a Pharisee. But now I count all things loss for Christ.” The refuse, the dog food, mentioned in verse 8, indicates no enjoyment. No human being can have enjoyment from dog food. Therefore, the book of Philippians is concerned not only with the experience of Christ but also with the enjoyment of Christ. With the enjoyment of Christ there is a pleasant taste.
Although the Philippians were good, they had lost their enjoyment of Christ. They may have had a proper spirit, but there was a problem in their soul. They might have been one in spirit, but they were definitely not one in soul. This is the background of this Epistle.
Every Epistle in the New Testament was written for a particular reason. The reason for writing the Epistle to the Philippians was that, although they were for the Lord and cared for His servant and were very good in their spirit, they had a problem in their soul because they did not think the same thing. In their thinking they had a problem. Hence, Paul wrote this Epistle to advise them and even to beg them to be one in soul.
Our need today is very similar to that of the Philippians. In chapter 1 Paul said of the Philippians, “I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, always in my every petition on behalf of you all, making my petition with joy” (vv. 3-4). I feel the same way toward all the dear saints in the Lord’s recovery. I can sincerely say that I praise the Lord for all the saints. Nevertheless, I am somewhat concerned that you may not have very much enjoyment of Christ. Perhaps when you first arrived in your locality, you had considerable enjoyment of Him. But as time has gone by, you may have lost this enjoyment. The reason for this is that there is a problem in the soul. Either the sisters are too much in the emotion, or the brothers are too much in the mind. But we all have a problem with our stubborn will. My burden is that this stubborn will would be dealt with. Many of those who have been in the Lord’s recovery a long time are like children eating food without enjoying it. When they first came, everything was enjoyable, but many do not have this enjoyment today. The reason many lose the enjoyment of Christ is the problem they have in the soul. The young people may be very active in preaching the gospel on the campuses. They may pray, praise, and shout Hallelujah. But all this may become merely the carrying out of a duty. There may not be much enjoyment of Christ. If you do not have much enjoyment of Christ, it indicates that you are not one in soul. Your thoughts and emotions differ from those of others. The reason Euodias and Syntyche were not one was that they had a problem in the soul. They were not thinking the same thing.
It seems that it is impossible for us all to think one thing. Nevertheless, the Bible charges us to do this. Paul’s word in Philippians about thinking one thing is not history. In other words, he was not telling us how the Philippian believers were thinking one thing. On the contrary, it is a word of advice. In our humanity it is impossible for us to carry out Paul’s advice, but it is possible by the Spirit of Jesus. If we live by the Spirit of Jesus and not by our soul, we will be able to think one thing. Notice that Paul does not say to praise concerning one thing or to pray one thing. To praise and pray are matters in the spirit. Thinking, however, is a matter in the soul. As we have seen, the hindrance to enjoying Christ is not in our spirit but in our soul. And the problem is mainly not with our stubborn will or perplexing emotion but with our troublesome mind. Our mind is affected by our emotion and will. If our emotion is not finely tuned and if our will is not subdued, we will not think properly.
For years we have spoken about the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ, but we have not seen the detailed way to enjoy Christ. Therefore, I have been burdened to give a number of messages on the way to enjoy Christ. In order to enjoy Him, we need to deal with every part of our soul, especially with our mind. If our way of thinking is dealt with, we will have the proper taste for Christ, and we will both experience Him and enjoy Him. We will not only eat but enjoy what we are eating. Whether or not we enjoy the food we eat depends upon our taste. Concerning Christ, our taste is mainly with our soul. This is the reason that concerning the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ, we need to deal with the various parts of our soul.
The last part of Philippians 1 and the first part of Philippians 2 are actually one portion and should not be separated. One thought flows from 1:27 through 2:8. In 1:27 Paul says, “Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” When I read this verse years ago, I thought that conduct worthy of the gospel was behavior that was perfect before those to whom we preach the gospel. But this is not Paul’s meaning here. The remainder of verse 27 says, “That whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.” Paul does not speak here of loving our wives, submitting to our husbands, honoring our parents, or behaving in a kind, lovable manner. Rather, he tells us to stand firm in one spirit with one soul. If we are not in one spirit with one soul, then our conduct is not worthy of the gospel. No matter how many of us there may be in a locality or on a campus, in our preaching of the gospel everyone must be fully impressed that we are in one spirit and with one soul. Nothing is more convincing than this. When all the members in the church are in one spirit with one soul, this oneness will be convincing, subduing, and attractive. When we have such a subduing and convincing oneness, we will experience Christ and enjoy Him. We will enjoy Christ by being in one spirit with one soul. By preaching the gospel we express our oneness in spirit and in soul. When we preach the gospel in this way, we have the enjoyment of Christ. The more we preach like this, the more we enjoy Christ. We will be able to say, “We don’t care mainly for how many souls are saved or for how many people are brought to the Lord. We are enjoying the Lord.” We will be full of enjoyment, and the preaching of the gospel will be a feast. If we do not sense that we are feasting on Christ as we preach the gospel, something is wrong. We lack the oneness in spirit and in soul. But if we are in one spirit with one soul, the number of people saved through our preaching of the gospel will be secondary. The primary thing is that in the course of our preaching, we will be feasting on Christ and enjoying Him. We will have not only experience but also enjoyment.
Verse 29 says, “Because to you it has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe into Him but also to suffer on His behalf.” Although in this verse Paul speaks of suffering, in reality to suffer for the sake of Christ is to enjoy Him. When we suffer for Christ’s sake in the preaching of the gospel, we enjoy Him.
The concept expressed in the last part of chapter 1 continues in the first part of chapter 2. Verse 1 says, “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tenderheartedness and compassions.” When Paul spoke of encouragement here, he was speaking of encouragement to himself. He seemed to be saying, “I am suffering a great deal. You have heard of my suffering in prison. I hope that you have some encouragement for me in Christ. I also hope that you have some consolation of love, some fellowship of spirit, and some tenderheartedness and compassions.” Verse 2 continues, “Make my joy full, that you think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking the one thing.” In this verse Paul asked the Philippians to make his joy full. This means that their situation should not be one that troubled him. Paul seemed to be saying, “Your situation bothers me. Although you preach the gospel, you are not one. I am suffering in prison for this gospel, but you are not one. Your lack of oneness does not encourage me; it troubles me. It does not comfort me or give me the proper fellowship. You are not showing mercy to me, because you are bothering me. Don’t you Philippians believe that you should have some mercy toward me and have some compassion on me? I beg you to fulfill my joy.”
Paul was not asking the Philippians to fulfill his joy by sending him more offerings or by endeavoring to do something to secure his release from prison. That would not have been a comfort to him. What would have comforted Paul was that the Philippians would think the same thing, have the same love, be joined in soul, and think the one thing. Paul seemed to say, “If you do these things, you will be merciful to me, and you will be an encouragement to me. Such oneness will be a genuine consolation of love to me. But now you are not one. Thus, you are killing me. I beg you to be merciful to me. I am like an old father, and you are like my dear children. Your fighting with one another troubles me very much.” This was Paul’s concept in verses 1 and 2.
In verse 2 we find not only the matter of the mind but also the matter of the emotion, for love is a matter of emotion. In verse 2 Paul implores the Philippians to have the same love. Thus, they were not only to think the same thing in their mind but to have the same love in their emotion. Many among us today do not have the same love. Instead, our love for certain ones is on a higher level than our love for others. This is especially true among the sisters. The love among the sisters is on different levels. They love certain ones more and others less. This means that the sisters do not have the same love. To love the apostle Paul above the other saints is wrong. We should love all the believers with the same love.
Paul’s word about having the same love is a weighty word. It is a strong indication that the Philippians had a love that was on different levels. Our situation today is the same. Yes, we love one another, but our love differs, and the temperature of our love is not the same. When we contact certain ones, we are like ice, but when we contact others, we are like boiling water. For some, our love is too cold; for others, it is too hot. Our love should be moderate toward everyone. It should be neither too hot nor too cold. Sometimes people have told me that they love me. But within I said, “Your love is so cold. The more you love me, the colder I become. But your love for others is boiling hot.”
To have a love that fluctuates in its temperature is to have a love that issues out of our natural life. Such a love comes from a soul that has not been dealt with. We can never enjoy Christ in this kind of love. If our love toward the saints has been regulated and dealt with, then we will enjoy Christ as we love the saints. Whether or not our love is proper depends on whether or not we enjoy Christ in our loving of others. If you love others without having the enjoyment of Christ in that love, your love is wrong. It is neither moderate nor proper.
Are you sure that your love for the saints is all on one level? If not, then your love has honey in it. Honey was prohibited from being added to the meal offering because it could be easily leavened (Lev. 2:11). To be leavened means to be corrupted. Likewise, our natural love is easily corrupted.
Because there are no wasted words in the Bible, there must have been a reason for the apostle Paul to write such a word as is found in Philippians 2:2. As we have pointed out, Paul seemed to be saying, “Philippians, do you have any tenderheartedness toward me? If you do, make my joy full by thinking the same thing, by having the same love, and by being joined in soul. Do you intend to sympathize with me in my sufferings for the gospel in prison? Then you should not be so opinionated, and you should not be fighting against one another. This troubles me and hurts me. I beg you to think the same thing, to have the same love, and to be joined in soul. If you do this, you will fulfill my joy.”
Verse 3 says, “Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves.” According to this verse, there must have been selfish ambition and the seeking of vainglory among the Philippians. This is not the way to enjoy Christ. The enjoyment of Christ has nothing to do with selfish ambition or vainglory. If we do anything by the way of selfish ambition or vainglory, we are through with the experience of Christ.
Verse 4 says, “Not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.” No doubt, some of the Philippians were regarding their own virtues, their own good points. But Paul was telling them to regard the virtues of others. Then, according to the Greek, in verse 5 Paul says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” In other words, Paul was telling them to think whatever Christ thought. This is the way for us to enjoy Christ.
In this chapter we have seen the detailed way to enjoy Christ. First, we need to preach the gospel in the fellowship unto the gospel. In order to keep ourselves in the fellowship unto the gospel, we need to deal with our soul and be one in soul. Actually, the Greek word translated “joined in soul” in Philippians 2:2 should be translated “co-soul.” We all need to have the same soul. The problem today is that we do not have a co-soul. Thus, we are one in spirit, but we are different in soul. We can pray, praise, and sing together because all this is in the spirit. But we may not be able to talk together. This indicates that we are one in spirit but not one in soul. In the meetings we have a co-spirit, but in our daily walk we do not have a co-soul. For the enjoyment of Christ, we need such a co-soul. We need to be together in the soul as well as in the spirit.
