In the last chapter of the epistle to the Philippians, Paul wraps up by bringing up previous topics such as unity and joy, but he also introduces new ones such as anxiety and peace.
Agree in the Lord
“I entreat Euodia, and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also true companion, help these women who have labored side by side with me together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.”
Paul brings up unity again, but this time he directly addresses individuals causing division: Euodia and Syntyche. These two women were probably prominent and well known in the church since Paul doesn’t provide an additional description. Some Bible commentators believe they were among the women at the river with Lydia, who received the gospel (Acts 16:13). Whoever they were, their dispute must have been severe and public for Paul to address it in a general epistle. It might have even divided the church into factions. So Paul implores these women to agree or have the same mind in the Lord.
Since Paul already explained the reasons, means, and model of unity (Phil 2:1-11), he does not give further directives on the matter. He only asks a “true companion” to help the women overcome their differences.
The identity of this true companion is unknown. The Greek word for companion is syzygos, and it means yoke-fellow; it is “those united by the bond of marriage, relationship, office, labor, study, business, or the like.” Some have speculated that Paul was referring to his wife; others say it was Epaphroditus. But it is also possible that Paul was addressing someone with the name Syzygos since he had just mentioned three other proper names—Euodia, Syntyche, and Clement. Whoever he was, the faithful companion must have been one of the deacons or overseers in the church (Phil 1:1).
Paul then reminds the two women of what they have in common. First, they are fellow workers of the gospel. They worked alongside Paul, and other believers for the sake of Christ (Phil 1:7; 4:15) and hence must be of the same mind to continue the work.
Second, their names are in the book of life. This is the book of the living (Psalm 69:28) that God wrote (Exodus 32:32) before He laid the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The book contains the name of God’s elect (Luke 10:20, Rev 17:8; 20:15), and He will judge the world according to what is in it (Rev 20:12). These women were permanently linked through God’s salvation, and their fellowship in the Lord was more important than any issue that divided them.
The same goes for us today; our unity in Christ is more significant than our division in the world.
Rejoice in the Lord
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”
Paul tells the Philippians again to rejoice in the Lord (Phil 3:1). Except for this time, he adds “always” to the command. From a previous lesson, we know biblical joy is a lasting joy based on God’s unchanging nature, not a fleeting joy that depends on changing circumstances. So Paul reminds the Philippians that they cannot only choose to have joy, but they can have it in any circumstances—even when there is turmoil in our lives.
The Holy Scripture makes no provision for a joyless Christian. It says to rejoice when persecuted (Matthew 5:12), suffering for Christ (Acts 5:41, 1 Peter 4:13), during trials and temptations (James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3) and evermore (1 Thess 5:16).
Paul also tells the Philippians to have their reasonableness or gentle spirit be known to everyone. The Greek word for reasonableness is epiekes, and it means seemly equitable, yielding, sound judgment, or fairness. John MacArthur says reasonableness refers to “contentment with and generosity toward others. It can also refer to mercy or leniency toward the faults and failures of others. It can even refer to patience in someone who submits to injustice or mistreatment without retaliating.”
As noted earlier, Euodia and Syntyche’s quarrel might have divided the church and caused conflict among other members. So Paul might have been asking the Philippians to treat one another gently and fairly. And they had to be reasonable because the Lord is at hand.
The Lord is at hand may mean two things. The first meaning is Jesus’ imminent return (Rev 22:12). When Jesus comes again, He will judge us for everything we have done in the flesh, whether good or bad. So Paul might have wanted the Philippians to behave with righteousness and integrity so that when the Lord returns, they will not shrink in shame at his coming (1 John 2:28).
The second possible meaning is Jesus’ immediate presence (Psalm 34:18, 119:151, Matthew 28:20). Jesus promised to always be with His saints, and since He is close to us, believers have access to His peace, comfort, and love. And He supplies us with everything we need to live peaceably with one another.
Receive the peace of the Lord!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Paul’s next exhortation is to be anxious for nothing. The Greek word for anxious is merimnao, and it means distressed, pulled apart in many directions, or distracted. Steve Lawson says it is “to suffer the tension of your hopes pulling in one direction and the trials of life pulling in the opposite direction. The person in such a situation feels like he is being pulled apart and is at a breaking point.”
Believers ought not to be in this worrying state of mind because, first, it means we lack trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty, and second because it tears us apart and distract us from focusing on God.
Furthermore, we must not worry because Jesus commands it. He says, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Paul, following Jesus’s teachings, also encourages the Philippians not to worry. Instead, they should pray about everything that makes them anxious. Why? Because prayer is the remedy to anxiety. It is the means through which we cast our worries unto Jesus and are assured that he hears us because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). And no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).
As Mary Winslow said, “Oh, the luxury of prayer! We have communion truly, familiar communion with God—to talk with God. To go and shut the door and tell God all—all—that is in our heart! To feel that He is listening to hear what we have to say to Him, and then wait and see what He will say to us!”
Prayer is a powerful cure against anxiety because it is also an exchange. By that, I do not mean we speak to God and wait for His still small voice or other false teachings about hearing God’s voice steeped in new age and mysticism. I mean, we bring something to God, and He exchanges it for something better.
We exchange our desires for His will, our fears and worries for His peace, our sorrows for His comfort, our repentance for His forgiveness, our wounds for His healing, and our praise and worship for His joy.
Paul, therefore, urges believers to use the privilege and power of prayer for everything. And when we pray, we should bring our supplication (what gives us trouble) with our gratitude and requests. Gratitude is an indispensable component of biblical prayers. No matter how dire our circumstances are, God is always working on our behalf and supplying all our needs. So we must always recognize God’s blessings in our lives and thank Him.
Moreover, Scripture says we must be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). So as we pray about everything, we must be grateful for everything. And when we turn our minds away from what we lack to what we have, it decreases our anxiety and increases our joy.
Then we must make our requests known to God. Yes, God already knows our needs—He even knows them before we do. Nevertheless, He still wants us to come to Him and tell Him our needs. Like little children, we must run to our Heavenly Father whenever we need something and ask for His Help. And when we do that, with our gratitude and supplications, God will trade our worries for His peace that surpasses all understanding.
The Greek word for peace is eirene, meaning unity or wholeness (see What is Peace in the Bible?). It is bringing multiple parts together to form a whole or set it as one again. When life makes us anxious and tears us into pieces, God makes us complete again with His peace—an inner tranquility that keeps us stable through the storms of life. This supernatural peace that defies all understanding is not something we can create ourselves. It is only through Jesus, who is the prince of peace that we receive it (John 14:27, Ephesians 2:14).
God’s peace also guards us. The Greek word for guard is phroureo, and it is a military term that means “to prevent either hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from a flight.” The peace of God will protect us from anxiety and against any speculations and lofty argument against the knowledge of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Dwell on things of the Lord
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
God does not give us supernatural peace so we can fill our minds with things of little to no value. Instead, Paul tells the Philippians to use it to dwell on noble things — things that will help them conform to the image of Christ.
The Greek word for dwell is logizomai, and it means to reckon, reason, conclude or compute. It is to “take into account or reason to a logical decision.” And these are the things believers should think about carefully.
Whatever is true. God’s Word is the truth (John 17:17). This means it is the final standard for truth and declares what is true and what isn’t. Therefore, our thoughts and reasoning must always agree with what Scripture says, not culture. For instance, there are only two genders/sex.
Whatever is honorable. The Greek word for honorable means dignified or weighty, “deeply respected because viewed as majestic.” Therefore, believers should meditate on things above, on things that deserve reverence and awe.
Whatever is just. This means righteous or right. The Greek word literally means “just in the eyes of God.” So our thoughts must agree with God’s justice, law, and holiness. We must have our minds conformed to His Word.
Whatever is pure. The Greek word for pure is hagnos, and it means holy or undefiled. Believers must not entertain sinful ideas but meditate on holy, morally correct, and uncorrupted things.
Whatever is lovely. The Greek word means pleasing, gracious, and agreeable, something worthy of personal affection. Believers should think about things that are gracious and beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
Whatever is commendable. This refers to things that are well spoken of, laudable and reputable. We should dwell on things the Bible says are of good repute; virtues like peace, kindness, humility, edifying speech, etc.
Anything excellent. The Greek term means moral goodness or virtue. Believers should meditate on anything virtuous and upright.
Anything praiseworthy. This means commendation or approval. Believers must fix their thoughts on anything that God sealed with His blessing and commendation, things that align with His holiness and character.
Being mindful of our thoughts is not a suggestion but a command. The mind is not a sanctuary for sin to roam free but a battlefield where we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
This seems like a daunting task, but it is doable in Christ. And Paul once again presents himself as an example to follow. He urges the Philippians to practice the things they learned from him—which probably includes practical Christian living, the things they have received—which is God’s truth (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ), what they have heard from him and seen him do. And when believers faithfully practice God’s teachings, God will be with us.
The God of peace will not only give us his peace, but He also gives us His presence. And He will be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
Heart check
I love this section because Paul is doing what he is telling the Philippians to do. At the time of the writing, he was in prison, waiting to know if he would be executed or not. But he was not anxious; he brought his request to God, was thankful (Phil 1:3), and made his request known to God (Phil 1:9).
We must all adopt Paul’s attitude during trials. It is easy to get discouraged when things do not go well and be perpetually sorrowful. But no suffering can overcome the joy of the Lord. Not only has God given us the most excellent news in the world, but He has also given us unfailing ways to recover His joy when suffering makes us stumble. We have the power of prayer, the Spirit and Word of God, and the people of God (Phil 1:19).
So let us labor to fight anxiety and make prayer our first response in all things. As John Bunyan said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
Recommended resources
- Spiritual Stability pt 1:Intoduction – John MacArthur
- Spiritual Stability pt 2: Harmony and Joy – John MacArthur
- Spiritual Stability pt 3: Humility and Faith – John MacArthur
- Spiritual Stability pt 4: Thankful Prayer – John MacArthur
- Spiritual Stability pt 5: Godly Thinking – John MacArthur
- Spiritual Stability pt 6: Obedience – John MacArthur
- Anxious for Nothing – John MacArthur.
Next study
Readings
Read and study Philippians 4:10-23.
Memorization
Philippians 4:10-23 if you are doing the challenge, if not verses 11-13.
Questions for reflection
- What do you think contentment means? What does it look like?
- Are you discontent? Why? Where do you typically find contentment?
- What is Paul’s secret to contentment? How can you use it in your daily life?
- Phil 4:13 is one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. Having read and studied all the preceding text, what is its correct interpretation?
- Why is giving important? How does contentment and knowing that God will always supply your needs impact your giving?
