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A More Excellent Way (Philippians #6)

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Introduction

As we consider the state of our Christian lives, some of the things we have to deal with are the knotted topics of desire, envy, competition, and ambition. Considering the next two verses in Philippians, we should pay some attention to competition, something dear to the heart of most Americans. But because of this we must guard our step. You have heard many times that we must learn to repent of our virtues, and here is a good place to start.

The Text

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

Summary of the Text

This passage is taken from the chapter in which the perfect humility of Christ was exalted to the highest place. This is not presented to us as a striking anomaly, but rather as being central to what we as Christians are called to imitate. So how many things are we allowed to do because of our striving (v. 3)? Nothing. How about vainglory (v. 3)? Nothing again. What should our mindset be toward others? The apostle Paul replies we should consider them “better,” that is, more important than we do ourselves. This is to be our central disposition. This is to be characteristic of the groove in which our mind runs. Paul then says that we are not to look on our own things (v. 4), but also on the things of others (v. 4). This word in the second half of the phrase helps us to understand what is meant in the first half. This is a comparative statement, not an absolute statement. It is similar to when Paul tells each of us to carry our own burden (Gal. 6:5), carry his own weight. This is fully consistent with his exhortation for us to carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). Only the mind of Christ can sort this out.

Devil Take the Hindmost? 

There is a laissez-faire approach to competition that is very important for the civil magistrate to remember when it comes to the question of him restricting, regulating, organizing, or otherwise botching economic activity. But, as you have been reminded many times, there is a difference between sins and crimes. And just because something ought not to be criminal, with penalties attached, does not mean that it is spiritually healthy and automatically non-sinful. Lust ought not to be against the law, but that doesn’t make it okay. The civil magistrate is not competent to outlaw greed either, and all messianic attempts to do so have been disastrous. However . . . greed is a serious sin.

There are Christians who see this, and who conclude from it that a “let ‘er rip” attitude should be allowed everywhere. But the civil magistrate is not prohibited from addressing greed because it is an invisible sin. It is not invisible, and other governments that God established are required to deal with it. A family can see and identify what their problem is. “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live” (Prov. 15:27). And the church is required to exclude from ecclesiastical office men who are greedy. “Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous” (1 Tim. 3:3; cf. 3:8). The civil government must not give way to this sin itself (Ex. 18:21). The Bible requires us not to elect officials unless they hate covetousness. We have taken this to mean that we shouldn’t vote for them unless they are steeped in it. Our political parties taken together constitute a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Money.

Now the fact that even a good civil government is not competent to outlaw greed does not mean that no entity is competent to deal with it. The family and church must deal with it, and civil government must resist temptations to this vice itself.

Better How?

In our text, the word “better” is a rendering of hyperecho. What does lowliness of mind require of us in this? Remember we are trying to build the mind of Christ, which cannot be done out of two-by-fours. We tend to read the English here as requiring us to believe that the other person is better at doing whatever it is we might be comparing, which is obviously crazy. Having run into this superficial roadblock, we dismiss the entire problem from our minds. But this is dangerous. 

The word hyperecho can also be rendered as “to be above, to stand out.” That does not make the other person automatically right, or superior in his abilities. Remember that the one we are imitating in this is the Lord Jesus—when He became a man, He did so because He believed we were “better” (in this sense) than He was. This obviously has to means the sense of “more important, more valued.” Jesus did not die for us because we were better than He was in some moral sense. He died for us because He loved us more than He loved His own life. So the issue is humility and love, and nothing in this requires us to embrace absurdities.

Bearing Burdens

Now our task is to learn how to bear our own burden (providing for our own family, meeting our own responsibilities) at the same time we are careful to bear one another’s burdens (holding to a true fellowship of goods). The early Christians kept their own property (Acts 5:4) and they held all things in common (Acts 4:32-33). Here are a few basic principles as we pursue the mind of Christ, as we long for “great grace to be upon us all.”

Make sure you deal first with desire and envy, which run down the middle of every human heart. Deal with all the big problems there first. And don’t think that thirty seconds reflection or mere intellectual assent is going to do the trick. Mortify envy. Learn to hate it like nothing else.

Secondly, learn how justice fits into grace. Don’t go the other way, trying to fit grace into justice. Grace corrodes when stored in justice. Justices thrives and grows strong in the context of grace. It is better to be taken to the cleaners because you loaned money, expecting nothing back (Luke 6:35) than to have an evil eye, tight fist, and wary heart (Mk. 7:22).

Third, work hard and intelligently, expecting your work to not only provide for your family, but also to be a blessing to any brother who is “competing” for the same customers you are. That’s impossible, you say. Tell it to God, who traffics in impossibilities. Zero-sum thinking is the logic of unbelief—where more for you means less for me. That is not the world in which the kingdom grows. 

Living in a Cut-Throat World

Keeping ourselves free from strife and vainglory seems like an overwhelming task sometimes. What are to do about the outside world, which does not appear to be functioning with this calculus at all? What grasping and ravenous entities are out there? Besides Microsoft, the U.S. Government, assorted televangelists, the Republicrats, the United Nations, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and more? What should we do about all that? First, we must not envy them (Prov. 3:29-32; 23:17-18). Second, we must not imitate them or their ways (Matt. 20:25-26). And third, we should live in our communities such that we teach them a more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31). As we do this, we are encouraging one another in that same “more excellent way.” That way is the mind of Christ.

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The Stepping Stones of Like-Mindedness (Philippians #5)

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Introduction

We have already had occasion to look at Paul’s concern for like-mindedness as expressed in this letter, and we should remember that later on he appeals for peace between Euodia and Syntyche (Phil.4:2-3).  Given this emphasis on like-mindedness, and its relationship to joy, also a theme of this epistle, it will profit us to meditate on this topic in greater detail.  

The Text

“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:1–2). 

Summary of the Text

Paul begins with a set of hypothetical conditionals. If there is any consolation in Christ—but of course there is abundant consolation in Christ (v.1). If there is any comfort of love—there was certainly comfort of love (v. 1). If there is any fellowship of the Spirit—and how could there not be?—then something else should certainly follow. If there were any “bowels and mercies,” as the KJV has it, and without doubt there were such bowels and mercies, then what? Paul asks them to fill up the measure of his joy, by doing what? He urges them to be like-minded, to share the same love, to be of one accord, and of one mind (v. 2). This whole subject is apparently a big deal for Paul. 

The Stepping Stones of Like-mindedness

We should pay close attention to the hypothetical conditionals that Paul is using here. He is not bringing up one set of certainties in order to point to another ethical duty, completely unrelated. That would have been something like “if the sun rises in the east, then you should take care to be like-minded.” No. What he is giving is the first set of stepping stones toward the like-minded he is urging. If you have taken these first steps, you should fulfill the apostle’s joy by taking the next step.

No one is actually laboring for ecumenical unity in the broader church unless they start here. Have they experienced true consolation in Christ? Have they been comforted by His love? Has the Holy Spirit poured out the spirit of koinonia-fellowship on them. Has their experience of these things been such that it has been a gut-churning experience—“bowels and mercies”? Many of the modern translations render this word (splanchnon) as mere affection, which is far too anemic. 

As Martyn Lloyd-Jones once put it, ecumenical unity cannot be achieved simply by putting all the corpses into one graveyard 

Balanced and Eager

We live in a culture that is held together by lies. Many of these lies have successfully gotten into the church, and it is not rare for the purveyor of one of these newly arrived lies to turn to us and tell us we should accept it because “does not the apostle urge us on to like-mindedness?” Yes, he does, but he also tells us that we should not be blown around by the deceitful cunning of false teachers (Eph. 4:14).

Paul elsewhere tells us what a good approach should be when you encounter a new doctrine, or a new emphasis, or when a subject entirely new to you arises. He says this: “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21).

And Luke describes this same demeanor in action. 

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). 

They were ready and eager to accept this teaching. It would be wonderful, if true. But if it was not true, then it would a snare and a delusion. They were ready to accept it, once tested against the benchmark that God has given to us.

“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, And unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: Should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, It is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19–20). 

Not the Lowest Common Denominator

Too many Christians look at all the things we differ over—baptism, eschatology, church government, soteriology, and more—and try to simply remove the things that they think are getting in the way. But unity is not caused by getting rid of things, making sure certain things are absent. “Just drop eschatology from the statement of faith, and then we could all agree.” But unity is not brought about by the absence of certain doctrines, but rather by the presence of a certain Person.

We should not focus on all the ingredients we took out. We should take care that we have made sure certain things are kept in—consolation, Christ, comfort, love, koinonia, the Spirit, and all of it in a way that is felt in the gut. In the original, Paul is urging us to gut-mercies.

Prepping for the Verses That Follow 

As we move into the meat of chapter 2, we are going to encounter some challenging exhortations. We need to prep for it. We must get ourselves ready. We start to do that here.

Paul wants us to fulfill his joy by doing one thing. Or, better, by doing four different things that all amount to the same thing. He says that we should be likeminded. He says that we are to have the “same love.” He says that we should be of “one accord.” And then he also tells us to be “of one mind.” The word that is rendered as “one accord” is sympsychos. Think intertwined souls.

I reminded you last Lord’s Day that this congregation is one organism. It is one body, and all of you as individual organs have a different and crucial role to play. But never leaves Christ out of anything. This one body that I speak is the body of Christ. You are the body of Christ.

This means that every quarrelsome sentiment you utter, every cantankerous complaint, every proud boast, every self-serving attempt to grasp something, every thrown elbow, every haughty sneer is . . . is what? It is an attempt to make the body of Christ a spastic body. But however many pastoral problems you create in the meantime, this attempt cannot be successful. At the end of this process, the body of Christ is perfect and complete—like a bride without spot, or wrinkle, or any such blemish (Eph. 5:27).

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A Two-Fold Grace (Philippians #4)

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INTRODUCTION

The apostle urged the Philippians to walk in a manner that was worthy of the gospel of Christ. But he does not just offer a generic “be nice” sort of exhortation. The thing that is worthy of the gospel is unity in the gospel. When many minds, voices, and hands come together to strive for the advancement of the gospel, this is something that adorns the gospel itself—in the same way that apples adorn an apple tree.  

THE TEXT

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Philippians 1:27–30). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians is that they are to have their conduct fit together well with the gospel of Christ (v. 27). When our behavior is worthy of the gospel, we are not talking about anything like merit. We are not earning the gospel, or deserving anything through our works. Rather it is simple matter of consistency—do our lives go together with the gospel as preached? What Paul means by this is that he wants them to be unified. He wants to come and see that reality in them, or if he is absent, he wants to hear about it (v. 27). He wants them to stand fast in one spirit, and he is eager for them to be striving together for the faith of the gospel in one mind. One spirit, one mind. 

Being unified in the gospel like this is bound to provoke opposition, and the fact that Christians can be fearless in the face of such opposition is a terrifying thing for the persecutors (v. 28). Remember that true Christian likemindedness is the fast road to being called a cult member. And also remember from earlier in the chapter that how to live is Christ, and to die is more Christ. This places the Christian completely out of the persecutor’s reach, and this is deeply unsettling to them. It is proof that they are sons of perdition, and that you are among the saved (v. 28). The Philippians had been given a two-fold gift, a two-fold grace—not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Him (v. 29). They had seen Paul go through this sort of trial, and they had also heard of his imprisonment—and now they were going through it all themselves (v. 30). 

LIKE-MINDEDNESS IS NOT GROUPTHINK

I have sometimes thought that atheists and infidels must run secret versions of “Vacation Bible School” for all the infidel children. This is where they first learned to quote verses like “judge not lest ye be judged.” And they sing little songs to help them remember everything. Another thing that unbelievers do is this. They first complain about all the divisions among Christians. “Look at all the denominations. You guys can’t even get along.” And yet when the grace of God is poured out on believers, such that there is true unity of mind in evidence, their response is to accuse everyone of belonging to a cult. So wisdom is vindicated by her children (Luke 7:32). 

FEARFUL PERSECUTORS

We sometimes imagine that the enemies of God are much more bold than they actually are. Herod the Great sat on a throne, but he certainly sat on it nervously. He was spooked by news of a baby. And his son, Herod Antipas, was threatened by a fierce man who lived in the desert, and who lived on a diet of locusts and honey. But why? John the Baptist had no regiments. The apostle Paul was once held prisoner by Felix, and as the apostle spoke of things like righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come (Acts 24:25), it was Felix who trembled. And when Pilate was talking to Jesus, holding the power to condemn Him in his hands, with a mob outside shouting, when they repeated what Jesus had said, it was Pilate who feared (John 19:8).

We might here repurpose the words of the economist Thomas Sowell, who once said, “It’s amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites.” 

When the grace of God surrounds Christians in a time of persecution, this communicates something to everyone involved. The believers know that God “will never leave them or forsake them.” They know that God is with them, and so they are deeply encouraged. But this presence of God is noticed by everyone—not just the believers. As Paul puts it here, this celestial calm is an evident token to them of their perdition.  

A TWO-FOLD GRACE

The Philippians had been given a two-fold gift. The first gift was that of believing in Christ in the first place. But if a man were to say to his wife, “not only did I give you the bracelet, I also gave you the necklace,” how many gifts did he give? That is correct—two. If Paul says that not only was the gift of faith given to them, but also the gift of suffering, we can see that faith in God through Christ is itself a gift of God. 

Scripture teaches us this in various places. Peter says that we have obtained a precious faith through the righteousness of God and Christ (2 Pet. 1:1). Paul says that we saved by grace through faith and that [faith] is not of yourselves, but is rather a gift of God—lest anyone boast (Eph. 2:8-10). And the faith that healed the crippled man was a faith that was “by him” (Acts 3:16).

And so just as faith is a gift from a sovereign God who knows exactly what He is doing, so also are all the persecutions that have broken out over the centuries. When the apostles were flogged for their preaching (Acts 5:40), what was their response?

“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41).

It was an honor to be so dishonored. It was a grace to be disgraced. Notice how this suffering meant to them that they were “counted worthy” to be shamed for the sake of His name. And our text in Philippians tells us to let our conduct be worthy of the gospel that we are striving to advance. And so what does this mean? It means like-mindedness through shared suffering.

And following the Christ who has gone before us.

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The Conveyor Belt of Time (Philippians #3)

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INTRODUCTION

The great Augustine once said that in the affairs of men, the dead are replaced by the dying. Isaac Watts memorably rendered Psalm 90 this way: “Time, like an ever-rolling stream/Bears all its sons away;/They fly forgotten, as a dream/Dies at the opening day.” “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

But there is more to this wisdom than simply recognizing how fleeting our lives are. We need something to compare it to, and that something is one in the order of Melchizedek, with the power of an indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Without the baseline of eternal life, our earthly lives are not even fleeting.

THE TEXT

“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again” (Philippians 1:19–26).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The mere fact of the preaching of Christ, whether from good motives or bad, is going to redound to Paul’s salvation. This will happen through their prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ (v. 19). Whatever happens, Paul’s intense expectation and hope is that he will be bold and not ashamed, whatever happens to his body. That body may live or it may die, but may Christ be magnified either way (v. 20). He then sums it up this way—to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Put another way, to live is Christ, to die is more Christ (v. 21). If he continues to live, that is why he is working so hard—it is what his labor is all about (v. 22). But he doesn’t know what he would choose if it were up to him. One of the reasons for being familiar with the King James is that it makes you acquainted with great phrases like I wot not, which means “I cannot tell.” How else would you learn that? Paul is torn between two options. To depart and be with Christ would be far better for Paul (v. 23), but to remain would be the greater blessing for the Philippians (v. 24). Paul is confident of the short-term outlook because that is what the Philippians need for their edification in joy (v. 25), which would be an abundant joy when Paul is restored to them again (v. 26). And it is likely that Paul was released for a time—he was executed in his second Roman imprisonment.

CONVEYER BELT OF TIME

Everyone in this room is in the process of dying. It unlikely that we will all die in the same instant, but it is more than likely that we will all die. Unless the Lord comes, we are all of us headed in that direction at 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day, and 365 days per year. We have no access to a switch that can turn this conveyor belt off. Given this inexorable reality, you would think that we would spend a little more thought regarding our preparations for that glorious (or very grim) day. It is going to happen, like it or not. And every second of your remaining time is in the very palm of God’s hand.

“Lord, Make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; That I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; And mine age is as nothing before thee: Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah” (Psalm 39:4–5).

NOW PAUL WAS CERTAINLY PREPARED

We can see in this passage how thoroughly prepared Paul was. This was because his confidence was in the living Christ who made sure that Paul’s only option was between life and Christ, on the one hand, and Christ and life, on the other.

Now the only possible preparation that generates this kind of confidence is a basic, profound, evangelical faith in the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:4), and in the justification that rests upon that resurrection (Rom. 4:25). This is the only way that a sinner—like you and like me—could possibly come to the day of his final reckoning, the day when he will take his last step in this world, and be able to step across the threshold to the next world with no condemnation written on his forehead (Rom. 8:1).

This message of justification by faith alone was the lifeblood of Paul’s preaching ministry—you can see it throughout his writings. It is the distinctive Pauline touch.

“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:56–58).

Only the grace of an imputed righteousness, a righteousness alien to us, can possibly deal with the stain that we dare not carry into the next world.

LIFE, NOT SURVIVAL

We are not Darwinists; survival is not our highest value. Christ is our highest value. Christ is Lord. We love the Lord, crucified and risen, and He is a God who reciprocates. “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

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Envy Everywhere (Philippians #2)

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INTRODUCTION

Scripture teaches us that envy is an insidious sin. It is a destructive and soul-rotting force, and has the ability to go anywhere. It is found with the lowly and among the mighty. Envy lurks in slums and struts in kings’ palaces. We need to be far more wary of this sin than we usually are.

THE TEXT

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:12–18).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul has noted that he was imprisoned (v. 7), and he rejoiced in the fact that the Philippians were partakers together with him in his suffering. But he then goes on to note another advantage that had fallen out from his imprisonment. Because he was locked up, the gospel was advanced (v. 12). In other words, they locked up the preacher, and the sermon was set loose. The fact that he was chained was known throughout the whole praetorium, as well as elsewhere (v. 13). The praetorium comes from the word praetor, which means magistrate or leader. You could have a praetorium in places other than Rome (e.g. Pilate had one—Mark 15:16), but this usage, together with the reference to the Christians who were part of Caesar’s household (Phil. 4:22), indicates that Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Because Paul’s imprisonment had made a splash, this was an encouragement to others to take up the task of preaching without fear (v. 14). Paul did acknowledge that some were doing this out of envy and strife, wanting to make things a bit hotter for Paul (v. 15)—but others were doing this from good motives. The envious ones were not sincere, but were trying to make things worse for Paul (v. 16). The word for contention here should be understood as selfish ambition. Paul’s arrest had opened up a lane for them, you see. And if he stayed in prison, the lane would stay open. The true brothers were trying to do the same thing Paul was seeking to do, which was to promote the gospel (v. 17). Remember that the men guilty of this were probably not low-level flunkies. But so long as the message was not tampered with, Paul didn’t mind. As long as Christ was preached, he was not only content, but also in a state of joy over it (v. 18).

A RECAP ON ENVY

Envy is more than mere jealousy or covetousness. It wants more than simply to have what the other has—it wants the other to lose it. Envy is therefore bone rot (Prov. 14:30). There can be a real temptation to envy sinners their “carefree” ways, but don’t do it (Prov. 23:17). Envy is a powerful sin, and who can stand before it (Prov.27:4)? The patriarchs betrayed Joseph out of envy (Acts 7:9). The opposition to the apostles in Acts was envy-driven (Acts 13:45; Acts 17:5). Malice and envy are a true spiritual cancer.

The religious leaders of God’s covenant people were wracked with envy, which is what drove them to reject their Messiah and crucify him. Pilate knew how court politics worked, and he could smell their envy (Matt. 27: 18; Mark 15:10).

It is at least possible that Judas was driven by envy as well. We are not told this explicitly, so hold it loosely. But the incident at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany is what apparently moved Judas to the point of his treachery (Mark 14:10). And Judas was the son of a certain Simon (John 6:71; John 13:26), so he may have been from Bethany, and would have known Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus who lived there (John 11:1). The word for murmured refers to a deep emotion, not just a mild complaint (Mark14:5), and Judas was the spokesman for the angry disciples (John 12:4). I think Judas thought he was the smartest one in the room and was going to force the Lord’s hand. He had seen Jesus walk on water. He had seen Lazarus raised. He had seen the multitudes fed. He knew that if he arranged a checkmate for the Lord, the Lord would be forced to use His power to (finally) do the right thing. When that plan backfired on him spectacularly, he committed suicide over it (Matt. 27:5). The fact that Jesus really loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus didn’t help (John 11:5). And then there was the fact that Judas had asked Mary out once, and she had turned him down flat. Okay, that one’s not in the text.

HOW GOD CRUCIFIED ENVY

God used the crucifixion of Christ as His instrument for breaking their central tool. When we preach the cross, we don’t just draw the symbol of a cross. So as we utilize the symbol, placing it on steeples and such, we are pointing to something else. And what we are pointing to is the story. When we preach the gospel, we are telling the story of what happened when the Lord was crucified. We don’t just give the ‘theological’ meaning of it, although that is crucial. We tell the story. And that means that, until the end of the world, the central story of all history will be told, and in that story, the central villain is envy. And so consequently, the death of Christ was the death of envy.

And when striving, envious preachers preach, they are cutting their own throats, just as the devil did when he stirred up the mobs to call for the Lord’s blood (1 Cor. 2:8).

SO REJOICE WHEN THEY TRY THIS KIND OF THING

So back to Paul. He is in chains in Rome, and there are professing Christians, preachers, who are trying to augment his trials for the sake of their own ambition. The incongruity does not make Paul cynical. He laughs, he rejoices, and he will continue to rejoice.

The God who in His sovereignty brought so many threads together in the crucifixion of His Son, upending the devil’s kingdom by it, is certainly able to upend all the envious and teeny efforts to supplant God’s appointed representatives. Should we worry about it? Not a bit of it. The elect are all already secured. Christ already died for them, and nothing can be done to unwind that.

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