Philippians: Live in Harmony
Philippians 4:1-3; Ephesians 6:10-17 - Stand strong and stand in harmony with the Lord.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”
Philippians 4:1-3 NASB1995
We’re now in the last chapter of Philippians. I have several verses in this last chapter highlighted from previous times reading through the Bible in one year. I look forward to examining every verse and learning along with my readers.
The first verse in Chapter 4 is actually a continuation of the last passage in Philippians 3. Paul deeply loves the saints at Philippi, using my beloved to describe them twice in that same verse. He longs to see them, considers them his joy and crown and tells them to stand firm in the Lord. Paul makes this exhortation to stand firm in several of his epistles, most famously in Ephesians 6:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB1995
Standing firm in the Lord means being strong in His might. We need to fight the battle every day against the schemes of the devil. From the commentary for Ephesians 6, Enduring Word has these ways for how we can lose or waste our strength, quoting a sermon from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
In his great series of sermons on this text, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones listed many ways in which he believes Christians wasted their strength. It was as if they had received some of the available might of God, but it simply leaked away like water in a bucket that is full of holes. These are some of the things Lloyd-Jones thought sapped the strength of the Christian:
Committing to too many spiritual works or things.
Too much conversation.
Arguments, debates, wrangling.
Laziness.
Too much time in the wrong company.
Too much foolish talk and joking.
Love of money and career.
A desire for respectability and image.
An unequal yoking with an unbeliever.
Ungodly entertainment.
A wrong attitude toward or doubting the Word of God.
“We have to walk on a knife-edge in these matters; you must not become extreme on one side or the other. But you have to be watchful. And, of course, you can always tell by examining yourself whether your strength is increasing or declining.” (Lloyd-Jones)
So it is a balancing act in our lives of faith. We can do too much, do too little or be distracted and enchanted by the things of this world. We can get into endless arguments, debates and wrangling, probably driven by our desires for respectability and image. This is a perfect segue into the next verse, which is illustrated by the AI image that Steve created for the top of this devotional. Paul urges two women from the congregation at Philippi to live in harmony with the Lord.
These two women, Eudoia and Syntyche, are apparently not seeing eye-to-eye and are having some disagreements, perhaps on church matters or on doctrine, or on who hosts the best scripture studies and gets the most attendees. Paul, who has been accused relentlessly of misogyny over the centuries, deeply honors these two women by saying that they shared in the struggle for the Gospel with him. They are important to him and he wants them to be leaders by putting aside their differences. He also wants the recipient of the letter (the “true companion) to work with them and with another believer named Clement plus other believers who are written in the Book of Life.
You are written in the Book of Life if you have repented and believed in Christ as your savior. No true believer should doubt his or her eternal security in Christ. I have wondered about this because I took a detour from belief for a number of years. But I was brought back to Him so I do not doubt His word!
Back to the conflict that concerns Paul - Ray Pritchard has some excellent commentary on helping people of faith mend relationships quoted in Precept Austin:
I wonder how these two women felt when they heard their names read in public. Two thousand years later they stand for women who couldn’t stand each other.
I find it instructive that Paul doesn’t give us very many details. We can’t tell from his words the background of the problem, and nothing he says lets us know who was right and who was wrong. Instead of taking sides, he simply exhorts these two Christian women to settle their differences.
That’s a useful principle to remember because in most disputes it usually doesn’t matter who started it. Once animosity builds up, there is generally plenty of blame on every hand.
We do know this much. Paul regards these women as genuine believers (their names are written in the Book of Life, v. 3). They are evidently personal friends of his who worked with him in founding the church at Philippi. The word “contended” in verse 2 means to engage in competition and indicates that these women were strong, determined, hard-working, and probably opinionated. They had their own views of how things should be done. With that background, it’s easy to see how a rift might develop.
Instead of focusing on the causes, Paul exhorts these two women to “agree"—which literally means to come to one mind. It doesn’t mean seeing eye to eye on every detail; instead it indicates a personal choice to focus on the things that united them in Christ.
As we ponder this short section of Scripture, here are six principles for handling our interpersonal problems:
Separate convictions from opinions
Be willing to ask forgiveness
Look for opportunities to show kindness in small ways
Pray for the success of the other person
Ask God to remove bitterness from your heart
Ask a friend to hold you accountable in this area
In his book What They Never Told Us About How to Get Along With One Another, Judson Edwards lists six rules for healthy relationships:
Agree more … Argue less
Listen more … Talk Less
Produce more … Advertise less
Confess more … Accuse less
Laugh more … Fret less
Give more … Receive less
These are all good words we need to take to heart. I exhort all my readers to consider the state of your relationships.
There are some great words to live by in that commentary. Remember this chart (see below)? This is now the third time I’ve used this messy chart in this study of Philippians. Some of those branches happened after people were in disharmony about the Gospel. Some of them happened during or after wars or internal conflicts that left hundreds or thousands dead (note the copyright from truthforsaints.com)
Two women at the very beginning of the church on this planet somehow found themselves in a disagreement that led to disharmony in the body of Christ. What a surprise! Ray Pritchard once again hits it out of the ballpark with this humorous story from one of his sermons as quoted on Precept Austin (no offense is intended to those who are in the tan section of the spaghetti chart, which includes us):
Once upon a time a man took a walk and came to a bridge. When he got to the middle of the bridge, he saw a man standing on the rail, obviously about to jump. The man was distraught so he said, “Don’t jump. I can help you.” “How can you help me?” asked the man on the rail. The first man replied with a question of his own: “Are you a Christian?” “Yes, I am.” “That’s wonderful. So am I. Are you Catholic or Protestant?” “I’m Protestant.” “That’s great. So am I. What sort of Protestant are you? Are you Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, or something else?” “I’m a lifetime Baptist,” said the man on the rail. “Praise the Lord,” came the reply. “So am I. Let me ask you this. Are you Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” “I’m Northern Baptist.” “Are you Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?” “I’m Northern Conservative Baptist.” “Well, call Ripley’s. This is amazing. So am I. Are you Northern Conservative Baptist Fundamental or Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed?” The man on the rail thought for a moment and then declared, “My father raised me as a Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed.” “It’s a miracle,” said the first man. “Put ’er there, pal. So am I.” Then he asked, “Are you Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Plains Region?” The man on the rail said, “That’s easy. My family has always been Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Lakes Region.” “This is a miracle of miracles. I don’t often meet a brother who shares my own heritage. One final question: Are you Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Lakes Region Council of 1855 or Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Lakes Region Council of 1872?” The man on the rail replied instantly, “Since the days of my great-grandfather, we have always been Northern Conservative Baptist Reformed Great Lakes Region Council of 1872.” This statement was followed by an awkward pause. Looking up, the first man cried out, “Die, heretic!” And he pushed him off the bridge.
We laugh at that story because in many ways it is so close to the truth. If two Christians agree on 79 out of 80 points, they will usually focus on the area where they disagree. And often, the smaller that final point, the more likely they are to argue about it. I don’t know what it is, maybe just human nature, that causes us to focus on the small things that don’t matter while ignoring the large areas where we agree 100%.
It’s one thing to disagree on truly heretical doctrine that is sneaking its way into a denomination. This disagreement is appropriate, in my opinion. But oftentimes, we are in disagreement about things that don’t matter. What are the concerns for having so many denominations? Gotquestions.org has some answers:
Some of the problems we are faced with today as we look at denominationalism and its more recent history:
1. Denominations are based on disagreements over the interpretation of Scripture. An example would be the meaning and purpose of baptism. Is baptism a requirement for salvation, or is it symbolic of the salvation process? There are denominations on both sides of this issue. In fact, baptism—its meaning, its mode, who can receive it, etc.—has been a central issue in the separation of churches and forming of new denominations.
2. Disagreements over the interpretation of Scripture are taken personally and become points of contention. This leads to arguments that can and have done much to destroy the witness of the church.
3. The church should be able to resolve its differences inside the body, but once again, history tells us that this doesn’t happen. Today the media uses our differences against us to demonstrate that we are not unified in thought or purpose.
4. Denominations are used by man out of self-interest. There are denominations today that are in a state of self-destruction as they are being led into apostasy by those who are promoting their personal agendas.
5. The value of unity is found in the ability to pool our gifts and resources to promote the Kingdom to a lost world. This runs contrary to divisions caused by denominationalism.
As we have personally experienced, many “non-denominational” churches have to be slightly different than other similar churches in some nebulous way and often they refuse to pool resources but would rather reinvent the wheel instead of partnering with an established church or group of churches for common mission needs. They become a “denomination” of one, perhaps with a couple of campuses here and there. Alas, one of these days someone in authority at a church like this will become discontented with something and will “break away” again. You can ask a question about who is truly in authority at your church - if it is the Gospel rather than the preaching personalities and personal agendas, then you are probably at the right place.
So Paul wants the two women and us as believers to be in harmony with the Lord. They can disagree over the less essential aspects of the faith, but being in harmony with the Lord means being one with Him. Gotquestions.org has a nice answer for this again:
Among the many denominations and divisions of the Christian faith, debates arise. There are disagreements about church polity, six-day creationism, mode of baptism, and eschatology. There are differences of opinion about social drinking, the gifts of the Spirit, and what makes clothing “modest.” Some of these issues are more important than others, and it is good, to prevent unnecessary clashes and divisions, to distinguish between what is worth debating and what is not.
The Bible is clear that some things are worth fighting for. Truth, by definition, is separate from falsehood. We are to take a stand against false teachers and “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3). Issues that introduce “another gospel”—a message of salvation other than what the Bible teaches—must be denounced (Galatians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 11:4). Revelations, writings, or opinions that are presented as infallible or on par with the Bible must be rejected as heresy (Revelation 22:18; Jeremiah 14:14). We are also to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We do not compromise God’s Word or water-down the gospel. If it is a matter of salvation or holy living, we should take a strong stand. Other matters may be handled differently. First Timothy 1:4 instructs Christians not to “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.” So the Bible gives us some guidelines about what is worth debating and what is better left alone.…
Jesus wants His children to “be one.” His impassioned prayer to the Father just before His crucifixion reveals His deep desire for us: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20–21).
We can “agree to disagree” on issues that do not involve salvation or godly living. Our ultimate goal should not be to prove our point but to model the kind of love and acceptance that Jesus showed His disciples (John 13:34–35). No human being has all the answers on every subject. Our goal should be to immerse ourselves in God’s Word so that we recognize error when we hear it. But we must also purpose to approach every non-essential issue with a teachable spirit so that we can best fulfill God’s desire for unity in His church (1 John 4:12). In the words of 17th-century theologian Rupertus Meldenius, “In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”
When we first left the ELCA because it was going down a man-made path of apostasy, we found an on-line group of Lutherans who had also left that denomination. Many were quite adamant that our souls were in jeopardy unless we immediately joined a Missouri Synod or WELS Lutheran church (and no other type of church or denomination), because of their traditions of keeping within the bounds of the Luther Catechism, reciting liturgy and having public confessions of faith, singing old hymns, reading certain Bible translations and having closed communion (after you are approved by the lead pastor). When you think about it, none of those things are truly essential to faith. Remember, the thief on the cross had none of those things, yet he is in Heaven with our Lord. Keep what is essential in front of you at all times and be in harmony with the Lord and each other.
My next devotional examines Philippians 4:4-5. These two short verses tell us to rejoice and to know the Lord is near.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to be in harmony with You at all times and to know what is essential for my faith journey. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 07/26/2025 and 07/27/2025 to review commentary for Philippians 4:1-3.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 07/26/2025 to ask the questions, ‘Why are there so many Christian Denominations?”, “In the Christian faith, what issues are truly worth debating?”.