Charles Spurgeon Commentary Philippians 2

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill you my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

He knew that these saints at Philippi loved him. They had sent repeatedly to relieve his necessities, so he pleaded with them, by their love to him, to love each other. He essentially says, "If you really do love me, if it is not a sham, if you have any sympathy with me, and with my labours and sufferings, if you really have the same spirit that burns in my breast, make my heart full of joy by clinging to one another, by being like-minded, 'having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.'"

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;

This would be a good motto for those who are intending to build new places of worship. Let them not be built through strife, because of a squabble among the people of God, but make sure that all concerned are actuated by right motives, and seeking only the glory of God. Then, sometimes, if one gives a guinea, another feels that he must give two so as to excel him; this is giving out of vainglory. Let nothing be done in this way, but as unto the Lord, and as in His sight, let us do all our works, and give all our gifts.

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.

Consider how you can help others, and in what way you can prosper them both in temporal things and in spiritual ones. You are members of a body, so one member is not to think for itself alone. The unity of the whole body requires that every separate and distinct part of it should be in harmony with the whole.

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 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,–

Do not obey the world's maxim "Take care of Number One."

Look not every man on his own things,–

if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Paul did not mean to doubt that there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any bowels and mercies, for no one knew better than he did how those blessings abound to those who are in Christ Jesus. He put it by way of argument. If there is consolation in Christ, since there is consolation in Christ, since there is comfort of love, since there is fellowship of the Spirit, be one in Christ; do not be divided; love one another: be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.