Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 1:27

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you and be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel;" — Philippians 1:27 (ASV)

As citizens of a spiritual realm, the Philippians should stand firm in one spirit. This should be true “whatever happens” to Paul, for the responsibility for their spiritual growth rests ultimately with them and their appropriation of the riches in Christ (see v.26). Whether Paul would be released and thus enabled to visit them in person, or be forced to remain away from them and learn of their progress through the reports of others, his exhortation is the same. They must conduct their lives in a manner appropriate to the Gospel of Christ.

In this connection, Paul uses a verb that meant literally “to live as a citizen” for “conduct yourselves” (GK 4488). This was an apt term for a letter written to a church in a city whose inhabitants were proud of their status as Roman citizens (Acts 16:12, 20–21). The earliest members of the Philippian church would have remembered that Paul had used his own Roman citizenship to bring about a speedy and dignified release from imprisonment there (Acts 16:36–40). Out of this cultural background the readers were challenged to live as those who had a higher and vastly more significant citizenship .

Paul then urges his readers to “stand firm in one spirit [GK 4460].” True unity can only be produced by the Holy Spirit, though the emphasis in this verse on the inner result, not the source. They should contend together in the faith “as one man” (lit., “soul”; GK 6034). It is doubtful whether Paul was trying to draw sharp psychological distinctions between “spirit” and “soul.” If such are to be sought to any degree, the former term probably denotes one’s highest center of motivation, and for the Christian this would be quickened by the Holy Spirit. The latter term would denote the area of sensory experience.

This exhortation to unified thought and action has in view the goal of “contending” (GK 5254) “for the faith of the gospel.” Paul means here the objective faith (i.e., the body of truth) embodied in the Gospel message. “Contending” suggests their need to promote and protect the message of Christ, while at the same time implying that adversaries must be faced. Such work required joint effort, if we are to be victorious in the contest.