Let's Harmonize in the Subject
1Therefore, if there is any admonition, any comfort in love, any fellowship of the Holy Spirit, any mercy or mercy in Christ, 2 be of the same mind, be of the same love, be of one mind, be of one mind, 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vanity But in lowliness of mind, let each one consider others better than himself, 4 each looking out for his own work, but also for the work of others, so that my joy may be full.
1. Words that begin
If you look at the side of Hell in Dante's epic poem "The Divine Comedy", Hell has 28 underground floors. At the bottom are the worst sinners, who are none other than divisives. At home, church, school, business, society or country, almost everyone asks, “Why can’t we be one?” and sighs. However, it is often a lament for others not following their will and ideas. Those who claim such egocentric unity must bear in mind two facts. The first is the fact that there is no other me in this world, and the second is that such an attitude is the main cause of division.
2. The road to harmony and unity
The infighting suffered by some churches was a serious disease that even the Philippian church in the early church period suffered. Therefore, the words of exhortation given for the unity of the church in Philippi have a very important meaning in preventing or harmonizing the internal division of all communities including the church.
The Apostle Paul exhorted the Philippians, who were in a state of internal conflict, to agree with one another if they have the counsel of Christ, the encouragement that comes from the love of Christ, the fellowship with the indwelling Holy Spirit, or mercy or mercy, by staying in Christ. . In other words, if you have received the Lord's various graces and love and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit while living in the Lord, you should have the same love you received from the Lord, unite your souls, and think the same thing. What we need to pay attention to here is that we did not say to become one with one church member, but rather to encourage harmony in the Lord. Please believe that Christ is the center of harmony between the family, the church, and society.
The words of the Lord, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me” are especially important for achieving harmony. Had the so-called giants obeyed these words, denied themselves and followed the Lord of Love, the Church and all other groups would not have been divided. Therefore, there would have been no feuds, quarrels, or wars. Of course, even now, if the so-called giants deny themselves and follow the Lord of love, reconciliation, reconciliation, and peace can be achieved.
The basis for unity is also not any human, any group, any idea, or any doctrine. As for the ground of unity, the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:4 below, “There is one body, and one Spirit, and in the same way you were called in one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. He is one, the Father of all, who is above all, he unites all, and he is in all.”
3. The way to get rid of the dividers
Most divisions are caused by contention, vanity, and pride. Commentator Barclay said, “People quarrel with each other when they are passionate about something, or value their beliefs, or work hard to achieve their plans and proposals. The greater the zeal, the greater the risk of confrontation.” ‘Vanity’ is kenodoxia (κενοδξ?α), which means ‘basic, unfounded, and pretentious self-esteem’ and ‘vain thinking about oneself’. People like this don't get along with other people, and they end up splitting up. Self-conceited people also create divisions wherever they go because they are driven by a sense of superiority and despise others.
The remedy for strife, vanity, or pride is to humbly consider others better than yourself. A humble person is not a person who is incompetent or helpless, but one who recognizes his own shortcomings and limitations before Almighty God and seeks God's power and wisdom. This awareness is only possible when you have spiritual power, so the more you increase your spiritual power, the more humble you become. In other words, the more humble a truly humble person receives, the more humble he becomes.
When I say, with such humility, I consider others better than myself, I do not mean to falsely view my talents as inferior to others. Nor is it meant to make others feel proud or superior. To regard others as superior to ourselves means not only to regard the strengths of others as superior, but also to regard them as objects of God and my love. After meeting the Lord, the apostle Paul, who loved God and humans throughout his life as an apostle of the gospel, confessed in Ephesians 3:8, “I am less than the least of all the saints.”
John Wesley, who was carrying out the Methodist faith movement in England with great success, thought himself to be superior to any other denominations of his time in the faith of the Methodists. Then, after a strange dream, he realized that his thinking was wrong and repented.
In the dream, Wesley went to heaven, which he had missed so much, and was delighted to see the place with the guidance of an angel. As usual, he thought that not many Catholics would be saved, so he asked the angel, “Have any Catholics entered the kingdom of heaven?” The angel replied that there was none. He thought there must be some of the Anglicans, and he asked, “Then how many Anglicans have come in?” Again, the angel replied that there was none. Wesley, having a strange idea, asked how many Lutherans, Baptists, and Presbyterians had joined in turn, but none of them answered. Then, wondering which denomination did so many people come from, I asked, “Is there anyone among us Methodists who are new churches?” Then the angel answered. "There is not. Only those who believed in Jesus as their Savior came in.”
Another remedy for quarrels, vanity, or pride that is the cause of division is to look at one's own affairs as well as those of others.
The German philosopher Nietzsche said: “If you go down the street and see a person who is old or sick and unable to walk, do not help him, but push him down so that he will be removed from society. Only then can our society become a healthy society.” According to these words, it will not become a healthy society, but a society full of discrimination, division, antagonism and fighting.
We must take care of not only our own work, but also the work of others. Where one pursues only one's own rights, intentions, interests, and honor, there will naturally be inconsistencies and strife. On the other hand, altruism that does not look after oneself at all cannot be a life of true love because there is no self to love.
Everyone! Please believe that the more you cling to yourself, the smaller you will become and the more you will ruin yourself. Each of us can become one when we pursue our own good for others, neither selfishly nor altruistically.
4. Conclusion
Our Lord became the propitiation sacrifice for us who were enemies with God because of our sins. The Lord has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. Everyone wants our homes and churches, schools and workplaces, society and the nation to become one. We earnestly pray that all of us may deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow the Lord, so that we may achieve harmony in the Lord everywhere.
(Book: Complete New Testament Commentary Series, Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures, Prayer of Prosperity, Salvation Before Jesus’ Birth)