A Humble Message for a Proud City
Much of the traffic to Rome from the east funneled through Philippi, which served as a gateway from the Middle East to Greece and Italy. For Christians in this affluent city, Christ came clothed in humility. In the Book of Philippians we meet a Savior who is human, vulnerable, and accessible. He lays down His rights and assumes the role of a servant. Though the world tells us to seek honor and power through selfish ambition and empty conceit, Scripture urges us to find status and dignity through the “lowliness of mind” that characterized Christ (Phil. 2:3). For now that means sacrifice and even suffering. But eventually it means praise from God and joy in His pleasure. The path to glory is humility. The way to gain is loss. The road to life is death.
More: For more on this strategic crossroads city, see Philippi’s profile at Acts 16:12.
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The Reformed Soul
Charles Colson (1931–2012), known to his friends as Chuck, served as special counsel to President Nixon during the early 1970s and became a central figure in the Watergate scandal. Known for his ruthless political tactics, Colson once boasted that he “would walk over my grandmother if necessary” in order to further his political agenda. But as the Watergate scandal unraveled, Nixon’s “hatchet man” abruptly abandoned his former ways in order to pursue a new life in Christ.
Colson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and as a teen he volunteered in a campaign to reelect his state’s governor. After serving in the Marine Corps from 1953 to 1955, Colson became the administrative assistant of a United States senator. Colson earned his law degree in 1959, founded a law firm that became an instant success, and joined Nixon’s administration in 1969.
Colson was tasked with destroying Nixon’s political opponents, and Colson’s merciless and, at the same time, imaginative strategies made him a favorite with the president. “When I complained to Colson, I felt confident that something would be done,” Nixon later commented. “I was rarely disappointed.” In 1972, presidential advisors conspired to burglarize and wiretap the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building. Implicated in the scandal, Colson left his post in March 1973 and was indicted one year later for obstruction of justice due to his participation in the attempted cover-up. Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, the first and only American president to voluntarily step down from office.
Deeply affected by a copy of C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity (see here for an article on the life of C. S. Lewis), Colson surprised himself and all who knew him when he chose to abandon his pride and follow Jesus. Press conferences rang with laughter. Sarcastic headlines were splayed across newsstands: “‘Tough Guy’ Colson Has Turned Religious.” “Colson Has ‘Found Religion.’” When criticized by those who suspected his newfound faith was a ploy to reduce his sentence, Colson drolly responded, “If anyone wants to be cynical about it, I’ll pray for him.”
While Colson did refute some of the charges made against him, he pled guilty to a crime he said he had indeed committed. He was disbarred, fined, and sentenced to one to three years in prison. In the end he served only seven months, but during this time Colson gained insight into the injustices of the prison system and the need for more effective rehabilitation, leading to the foundation of Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976. Today, Prison Fellowship Ministries is the world’s largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. It includes evangelism and reentry programs as well as the Angel Tree program, which helps provide Christmas gifts to children whose parents are behind bars.
As the author of more than thirty books, a magazine columnist, and the host of BreakPoint, a daily radio commentary, Colson became an outspoken advocate for teaching and mentoring others in a Christian worldview. He founded the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview in order to bring together a group of believers for the purposes of research, study, and networking. “Christians must see that the faith is more than a religion or even a relationship with Jesus; the faith is a complete view of the world and humankind’s place in it,” Colson writes. “Christianity is a worldview that speaks to every area of life.… If we don’t know what we believe—even what Christianity is—how can we live it and defend it?” (The Faith, co-authored with Harold Fickett).
Like the apostle Paul, Colson stands as a model of the reformed soul. Once destructive, he became constructive. Once ruthless, he became gracious. Once a prisoner of his own sin, he was set free by Christ and used his chains to further God’s cause in this world.
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Humility: The Scandalous Virtue
When Paul praised “lowliness of mind,” he invited scorn. Like modern society, Greek and Roman culture exalted the rich and powerful, not the humble. “Lowliness of mind” would have seemed a preposterous contradiction; lowly people, such as slaves, had no intelligence; only the wealthy upper classes possessed education and were worthy of honor.
Humility seemed especially out of place in Philippi. Home to a Roman military colony with the pretentious name of Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis, the city lived under the jus Italicum (“law of Italy”), creating a miniature self-governing version of the Roman empire. The Philippians would have considered themselves quite important.
Yet Paul insisted that his Philippian readers cultivate humility. He did not advocate a groveling, servile demeanor but that they would see themselves in relation to God. Biblical humility means evaluating ourselves accurately—nothing more, nothing less. Instead of thinking more highly of ourselves than is warranted (Rom. 12:3), we should recognize the full range of our strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. Real humility makes us not self-deprecating but truthful.
Jesus praised the “poor in spirit” (literally “the destitute”; Matt. 5:3), and David expresses such people’s humble attitude in Psalm 39:4–6:
Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.
Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
The prophet Micah said that humility is one of three essential virtues that should rule our lives (Mic. 6:8):
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Humility is essential if we want to walk with God. Scripture insists that we either walk humbly with Him—or not at all (Ps. 138:6; Is. 57:15; 1 Pet. 5:5–7).
More: Humility affects three key areas of everyday life: our circumstances (see “God Is in Control” at James 4:13–16), our nature (see “Living with Original Sin” at Rom. 7:21), and how we see ourselves (see “The Measure of All Things” at Heb. 2:6–8).
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Name means: “Charming.”
Not to be confused with: Epaphras, an associate of Paul’s from Colosse (Col. 1:7; 4:12), whose name also means “Charming.”
Occupation: Unknown, but he may have been Paul’s coworker in spreading the gospel; Paul described him as a brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.
Best known as: The messenger sent by the Philippian church with a gift to Paul during his house arrest in Rome and who carried back the apostle’s letter written in reply.
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Paul says Euodia and Syntyche had “labored” with him in the gospel (Phil. 4:3). Elsewhere he praised other women who helped him in his ministry (see “Women in the Early Church” at Rom. 16:12). Paul does not reveal the exact nature of the work of these two women, but he hints at their effectiveness: he was eager to have them settle their dispute, probably because it obstructed their work with others.
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Women and the Growth of Christianity
Euodia and Syntyche (Phil. 4:2) were only two of the many women who had a role in spreading the gospel and leading the early church to maturity. Note the variety and significance of women’s involvement:
Activity | Reference |
Prayed | |
Received the Spirit | |
Were converted | |
Hosted the church in their homes | |
Received help | |
Were thrown in prison | |
Helped the needy | |
Were raised from the dead | |
Aided Paul and his ministry partners | |
Were freed from evil spirits | |
Were often the first converts in a city | |
Traveled with Paul | |
Taught others | |
Carried Paul’s letters | |
Excelled in ministry and were described as “among the apostles” (according to one possible translation) | |
Worked alongside men to proclaim the gospel |
More: Women also had a major part in Jesus’ life and work. See “The Women Around Jesus” at John 19:25. To learn about two important female missionaries, see articles on the lives of Ida Scudder (here) and Amy Carmichael (here).
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The new pattern of thinking summarized in Philippians 4:8 is only one of several changes that God works within His followers. See “New Creatures with New Character” at Galatians 5:22, 23.
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Paul sounds relaxed and upbeat in Philippians 4, but earlier in the book he mentions his “chains” (Phil. 1:13). Most scholars agree that Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle, probably in Rome. His situation was anything but comfortable—he likely faced a death sentence. That background accentuates his powerful message of joy and contentment.
Paul had experienced wealth and privilege firsthand. He was both a Roman citizen and a prominent member of the Jewish community (3:4–6; Acts 22:3–5, 25–29; 26:4, 5). As an apostle of Christ, however, he had faced extraordinary hardships—jailings, beatings, stonings, forced expulsions, shipwrecks, and more. He had suffered intense emotional and spiritual disappointments (2 Cor. 11:23–33).
Either extreme—living in plenty or in want—tests our character. But Paul had a secret in every circumstance: “Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). Rather than worrying about what he had or didn’t have, he looked to Christ to satisfy his needs. The result was an unfaltering contentment no matter what his external circumstances were.
Letting our failures and disappointments dominate us draws us away from the God who cares. Yet when times are good, we can feel tempted to forget God, and often forget to be grateful. Human desire is an unruly thing; we seem to never have enough, and modern culture constantly pushes us toward discontent (see “Guard Against Greed” at Luke 12:15). But whether we lack necessities or live in plenty, we have a lifetime to practice the habit of contentment. Whatever circumstances we face, Christ is always enough.
More: Where does contentment end and responsibility begin? Or what about setting goals and taking initiative? See “A Command to Work” at 2 Thess. 3:6–12. Brother Lawrence practiced a lifestyle of contentment through disciplining his heart and mind to yield to God’s presence. See here for an article on the life of Brother Lawrence.
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