Pardon My Interruption: Craig's Thoughts About This And That
“The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”
Proverbs 12:5 ESV
Below is the New Testament counterpart.
“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.”
Philippians 4:8 ESV
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 is the favorite verse of many athletes, and usually it’s used incorrectly. In other words, it is used as a mantra to push the athlete to endure hard training so that he or she can win.
However, the meaning of “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” is not “with God’s help, I can win any contest or pass any exam.” It’s meaning, in context, is very simple: in whatever circumstance I may find myself (i.e., win or lose), by God’s grace I can be content. Why? Because Christ is the source of my strength. Anything I succeed at is because He strengthened me. Any hardship I may endure is the result of the strength He has provided. Notice who gets the credit (again!) for winning the big event or enduring incredible hardship: Jesus not Paul!
This understanding seems obvious by Paul’s use of contrasts to lead up to the “I can do all things . . .” statement: need and plenty, well fed and hungry, in plenty and in want. He doesn’t present one condition as better than it’s opposite because either circumstance requires strength, which is provided by Jesus.
The assistant general manager of a particular MLB team told me this story: He was scouting a pitcher that his team was interested in acquiring, but had great reservations about the pitcher’s commitment to winning because of his well publicized faith in Jesus. When I asked for clarification, the scout told me that it appears that this pitcher is so dedicated to his faith that when he loses it doesn’t bother him.
In fact, the scout told me that he made a formal complaint to the head of “Baseball Chapel” (most MLB teams have a Christian chaplain that, to some degree, serves as a pastor to the Christian players on the team) about this particular pitcher’s “misunderstanding of the Christian faith.” “Being a Christian doesn’t have to mean that you don’t care if you win or lose,” he added with emphasis. The irony of this statement is that this scout wasn’t a Christian, but he had great conviction about what the Christian life should or shouldn’t be.
A couple of years later, I had the opportunity to revisit this story with the pitcher in question. His response was interesting: “I don’t know who that guy is, but my record should speak for itself in terms of whether I have a drive to win. That should be more important than whether I kick over trash cans, break water coolers or am a mess in the locker room after a loss or bad outing.”
The pitcher was right: His record does speak for itself. He admits that he isn’t a theologian, but he was biblically accurate when he added, “I don’t enjoy losing because I play to win, but life is bigger than the loss of a baseball game.” And in this respect, he had learned to “do everything through Him who gives [him] strength.”
Philippians 3:4b-6 NIV
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
Here’s that list enumerated.
1. Circumcised on the eight day (as required by the law)
2. Of the people of Israel (God’s chosen people);
3. Of the tribe of Benjamin (the tribe of Saul, Israel’s first king);
4. A pharisee (very strict and accurate in religious observance);
5. Persecuted the church with great zeal (no distance was too far to travel to harm Christians);
6. Blameless regarding observance of the law.
Some might call that Paul’s pre-conversion resume – the list of accomplishments upon which he intended to receive God’s approval. And from Paul’s pre-conversion perspective, it was a very impressive list. But that was pre-conversion.
Would you look at Paul’s “resume” and immediately think, “there, but for the grace of God, go I”? Probably not. But that was exactly Paul’s post-conversion appraisal! Here’s how Paul said it (3:7-9):
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
If Paul was coming to speak at your church next month, what would the marketing campaign look like? Would there be a heavier emphasis on Paul’s pre-conversion resume, or his post-conversion assessment of the futility of putting confidence in the flesh.
Or how about this: A famous professional athlete who is a Christian is coming to speak to the men’s group at your church next month. What would the marketing campaign look like? From that material (flyers- posters- banners- advertisements) would you get the impression that Christianity is the right choice because a) Christ is glorious above all others, or b) because a certain high-profile athlete believes in Jesus?
If the answer is b, isn’t that another form of putting confidence in the flesh? In the end, is Christ more glorious because a man that can catch, kick, or hit a ball better than most other men, believes in him? If not, then we should be careful to not appear to market Jesus that way.
Jesus is glorious because he is willing and able to save any who come to him in faith, whether they be high-profile or no profile. All must come humbly, depending only in the mercy of Christ for salvation.
Philippians 2:12-13 NIV
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
In the previous section, Paul encouraged – even instructed – the Philippian community to be unified. His words: easy to understand, harder to do.
This section is a followup, or final push to encourage the Philippians to find unity among themselves. Notice how Paul attempts to persuade them to follow through – even if the task seems too difficult or uninteresting: (my paraphrase) “In the past, you followed my instruction while I was with you. Now, in my absence, it’s all the more important for you to do so. And, if you think it’s too hard – or you just don’t want to – remember this: It is God who is working in you, giving you the desire to do and empowering you to do what He desires.”
Paul’s letter to the Colossians had a similar phrase: (1:29 – emphasis added) “To this end, I labor, struggling with all HIS energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
So, once again, we can say that we work, and God gets the credit. Why? Because He works in us to give us the desire to work, and He gives us the energy to work. Why be motivated to work towards unity? Because that is God working in us!
Philippians 2:1-5 NIV
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
An elderly preacher once told me, “Craig, it’s not the ‘hard to understand’ parts of the Bible that give me trouble, it’s the clear, ‘easy to understand,’ parts that give me the most trouble.” And, I don’t think he is alone in that.
In this passage, Paul gives us an if/then appeal, and then some instruction. Apparently, he had become aware of some division in the Philippian community, so he offered his thoughts on what they need to do to fix the problem.
The Appeal
IF you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
IF any comfort from his love,
IF any fellowship with the Spirit,
IF any tenderness and compassion,
Now, who – that is born again – doesn’t have some of that? Before you object, notice that Paul quantifies those things with “any.” He’s not saying those who have obtained complete fullness of encouragement, comfort, fellowship or compassion. He’s speaking to those who have ANY, of any of those things. And, if you do: Here comes the THEN.
THEN make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
There it is: the clear but hard part. Be like-minded? Have the same love? Be one in spirit and purpose? “But we’re different people!” we might object. We have different likes and dislikes, different tastes, different backgrounds, different cultures. Lots of differences. On and on we go, with our objections to Paul’s “then.” How can we blend together in unity when we’re so different?
Paul’s Instruction
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
The only reason to comment on that is to find a loophole.
The Test
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
How did you do?
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