the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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King James Version
Philippians 1:27
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Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about your circumstances, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind contending together for the faith of the gospel,
Whatever happens, ride in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I get to come see y'all or not, there won't be any doubt y'all are riding for the brand. Y'all will be riding together through the Holy Spirit, sharing the same faith, and helping each other.
Only let your behaviour do credit to the good news of Christ, so that if I come and see you or if I am away from you, I may have news of you that you are strong in one spirit, working together with one soul for the faith of the good news;
Only conduct yourselves worthily of the glad tidings of the Christ, in order that whether coming and seeing you, or absent, I may hear of what concerns you, that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul, labouring together in the same conflict with the faith of the glad tidings;
Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith that comes from the gospel,
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel;
Only let your behaviour be worthy the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or be absent, I may hear concerning you, that ye stand fast, in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Only let the lives you live be worthy of the Good News of the Christ, in order that, whether I come and see you or, being absent, only hear of you, I may know that you are standing fast in one spirit and with one mind, fighting shoulder to shoulder for the faith of the Good News.
Onely let your conuersation bee as it becommeth the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may heare of your affaires, that yee stand fast in one spirit, with one minde, striuing together for the faith of the Gospel,
Only behave yourself worthily of the gospel of Christ, so that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I hear the things concerning you, that you stand fast in one spirit and one soul, striving together in the faith of the gospel,
Onely let youre conuersacion be as it becommeth the Gospell of Christ, that whether I come & se you, or els be absent, I maye yet heare of you that ye cotynue in one sprete and one soule, labourynge (as we do) to mayntayne the faith of the Gospell,
only conduct yourselves in a manner becoming the gospel of Christ, that whether I come to see you, or else am absent, I may have this account of you, that you are stedfastly of the same resolution, and unanimously contend for the faith of the gospel,
Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.
Only [be sure to] lead your lives in a manner [that will be] worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I do come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit [and one purpose], with one mind striving side by side [as if in combat] for the faith of the gospel.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or 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;
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Only let yovre conversacion be as it be cometh the gospell of Christ: that whether I come and se you or els be absent I maye yet heare of you that ye contynue in one sprete and in one soule labouringe as we do to mayntayne the fayth of the gospell
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel;
Only let your manner of life be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Only worthily of the good news of the Christ conduct ye yourselves, that, whether having come and seen you, whether being absent I may hear of the things concerning you, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul, striving together for the faith of the good news,
Only one thing concerns me: Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong with one purpose, that you work together as one for the faith of the Good News,
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.
Only conduct your lives in a way worthy of the Good News of the Messiah; so that whether I come and see you or I hear about you from a distance, you stand firm, united in spirit, fighting with one accord for the faith of the Good News,
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Onely let your conuersation be, as it becommeth the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or els be absent, I may heare of your matters that ye continue in one Spirit, and in one mind, fighting together through the faith of the Gospel.
Only conduct yourselves as becomes the gospel of Christ: so that whether I come and see you, or whether I am far away, I may hear of your good conduct, that you are standing firm in one spirit, and in one soul, and triumphing together through the faith of the gospel;
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Good News of Messiah, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;
The only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you - that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel,1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1; Jude 1:3;">[xr]
As it becometh the gospel of the Meshiha, so have your conversation; that if coming I see you, or absent, I may hear of you, that you stand in one spirit and in one soul, conquering together for the faith of the gospel;
Let your conduct be as becometh the gospel of the Messiah; so that if I come I may see you, and if absent I may hear of you, that ye stand fast in one spirit and in one soul, and that ye strive together in the faith of the gospel.
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Live your lives as the Good News of Christ says you should. If I come to you or not, I want to hear that you are standing true as one. I want to hear that you are working together as one, preaching the Good News.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or 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;
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,
Only, in a manner worthy of the glad-message of the Christ, be using your citizenship; in order that - whether coming and seeing you, or being absent, I may hear of the things which concern you - that ye are standing fast in one spirit, with one soul, joining for the combat along with the faith of the glad-message;
Only let your conversation be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you, or, being absent, may hear of you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind labouring together for the faith of the gospel.
Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear your circumstances, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Only let your conuersation be, as it becommeth the Gospell of Christe: that whether I come and set you, or els be absent, I may yet heare of your matters, that ye continue in one spirite, in one soule, fyghtyng together for ye fayth of the Gospell.
Just be sure you live as God's people in a way that honors the Good News of Christ. Then if I come and visit you or if I am away from you, I will hear good things about you. I will know that you stand together with the same purpose and that you work together like a team to help others believe the Good News.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires, so that, whether or not I am able to go and see you, I will hear that you are standing firm with one common purpose and that with only one desire you are fighting together for the faith of the gospel.
Oneli lyue ye worthili to the gospel of Crist, that whether whanne Y come and se you, ethir absent Y here of you, that ye stonden in o spirit of o wille, trauelinge togidere to the feith of the gospel.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
let: Philippians 3:18-21, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:11, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Titus 2:10, 2 Peter 1:4-9, 2 Peter 3:11, 2 Peter 3:14
the gospel: Romans 1:9, Romans 1:16, Romans 15:16, Romans 15:29, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 9:13, Galatians 1:7
whether: Philippians 2:12, Philippians 2:24
I may: Ephesians 1:15, Colossians 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 3:6, Philemon 1:5, 3 John 1:3, 3 John 1:4
that ye: Philippians 2:1, Philippians 2:2, Philippians 4:1, Psalms 122:3, Psalms 133:1, Matthew 12:25, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Corinthians 13:11
in one: Jeremiah 32:39, John 17:20, John 17:21, Acts 2:46, Acts 4:32, Romans 12:4, Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Ephesians 4:3-6, James 3:18, Jude 1:3
the faith: Proverbs 22:23, Acts 24:24, Romans 1:5, Romans 10:8, Ephesians 1:13, 1 Timothy 1:11, 1 Timothy 1:19, 2 Timothy 4:7
Reciprocal: Numbers 2:2 - about the Numbers 14:9 - Only rebel Deuteronomy 15:5 - General Deuteronomy 28:13 - if that thou Judges 7:24 - sent 2 Samuel 10:11 - General 1 Chronicles 12:17 - heart 1 Chronicles 19:12 - If the Syrians Psalms 50:23 - ordereth his conversation Song of Solomon 7:1 - thy feet Mark 9:50 - have peace Acts 2:1 - they Acts 15:36 - and see Romans 12:16 - of the Romans 13:13 - us Romans 15:5 - grant Romans 16:2 - as 1 Corinthians 4:8 - without Galatians 4:18 - I am Galatians 5:1 - Stand Ephesians 5:3 - as Ephesians 5:15 - walk Philippians 2:16 - Holding Philippians 3:16 - let us mind Philippians 4:3 - help Colossians 1:29 - striving Colossians 2:6 - walk Colossians 2:19 - knit 1 Thessalonians 2:2 - much 1 Thessalonians 3:8 - if 2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold James 3:13 - a good 1 Peter 1:15 - so 1 Peter 2:12 - your conversation 1 Peter 3:2 - behold Revelation 17:13 - one
Cross-References
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ,.... Or "behave as citizens worthy of the Gospel"; for not so much their outward conversation in the world is here intended, which ought to be in wisdom towards them that are without; so as to give no offence to any, and to put to, silence, the ignorance of foolish men, and them to confusion and: shame, who falsely accuse their good conversation in Christ; though this is what is highly becoming professors of the Gospel; and a moral conversation proceeding from principles of grace, under the influence of the Spirit of God, is very ornamental to the Gospel, being what that requires and powerfully teaches; but the conversation of the saints one with another, in their church state, is here meant. The allusion is to cities which have their peculiar laws and rules, to which the citizens are to conform; and such as behave according to them act up to the character of good citizens, and becoming, and worthy of the charter by which they hold their privileges and immunities. A church of Christ is as a city, and is often so called; the members of it are citizens, fellow citizens, one with another, and of the household of God, and have laws and rules according to which they are to conduct themselves; as such do who walk worthy of their calling, and becoming the charter of the Gospel by which they have and hold their freedom and privileges, as citizens of the new Jerusalem: and such a Gospel walk and conversation lies in such things as these; constant attendance on the preaching of the Gospel, and on the administration of Gospel ordinances; a strict observation of the rules of behaviour towards persons that have given offence, either in public or private; a just regard to the discipline of Christ's house, in admonitions; reproofs, censures and excommunications, as cases require; cultivating love, unity, and peace; keeping the ordinances as they were delivered; retaining and striving for the doctrines of the Gospel; holding the mysteries of it in a pure conscience, and adorning: it by a becoming life and conversation. This the apostle recommends as the "only", the main and principal thing these saints should attend to; and as what would give him the greatest joy and pleasure to hear of, whether he should ever come and see them again or not:
that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs. The Vulgate Latin version reads "hear of you"; and so do the Syriac and Ethiopic versions:
that ye stand fast in one spirit; meaning either the Gospel, which is the Spirit that giveth life; so called because it is from the, Spirit of God, and that by which he is conveyed into the souls of men, and contains spiritual things: this is one, uniform, consistent scheme of truths; find in this believers ought to stand fast, and should abide by it, and never give up, or part with anyone branch of it; and so to do is one part of their Gospel conversation; for the apostle in this and the following things points out the several parts of that conversation he exhorts to: or else the holy Spirit of God is intended, who as he is the beginner of the good work of grace on the soul, is he also who carries it on and will perfect it; and therefore to him should the people of God look for grace and strength, to enable them to stand fast in the profession of their faith, to hold fast without wavering, and to persevere to the end; who is that one Spirit by which they are baptized into one body, and become fellow citizens with the saints: or the spirit of love, unity, and peace is here meant: true Christian love makes the saints to be of one heart and soul; and in this single affection to one another should they stand fast; brotherly love should continue, and all endeavours be used to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace; which is another branch of becoming Gospel conversation: the apostle adds,
with one mind, or "soul"; either signifying the same as before, or else that they should be of one judgment in the doctrines and ordinances of the Gospel, and abide therein; which is necessary to their harmonious walk and conversation together, as citizens of Zion:
striving together for the faith of the Gospel: by the "faith of the Gospel", may be designed the grace of faith, which comes by the Gospel; as the means of it, and by which the Gospel becomes useful and beneficial to the souls of men, and which has the Gospel for its object; for faith comes by hearing the word, and that is only profitable when it is mixed with it, and is that grace which gives credit to every truth of it, upon the testimony of divine revelation: now as the doctrine of faith is that which the saints are to strive for, the grace of faith is that by which they strive for it; by which they resist Satan, oppose false teachers, and overcome the world; and agreeably to this sense the Arabic version reads, "by the faith of the Gospel": though rather the doctrine of faith is intended, that word of faith, or faith, which is the Gospel itself, and which is often so called; and for this, in all its parts and branches, believers should strive; as for all those doctrines of faith, which concern the unity of God, the trinity of persons in the Godhead, the divine sonship of Christ, the proper deity and distinct personality of him and the blessed Spirit; and for all such doctrines as regard the state and condition of men by the fall of Adam, as that the guilt of his sin is imputed to all his posterity, the pollution of nature by it derived and communicated to them, that the bias of man's mind is naturally to that which is evil, and is averse to that which is good, and that he is impotent to everything that is spiritually good; and for all those doctrines which regard the free and distinguishing grace of God; of election, as eternal, personal, and irrespective of faith, holiness, and good works, as motives and conditions of it; of the covenant of grace, as from everlasting, absolute and unconditional, sure and firm; of redemption, as particular, and as proceeding upon a full satisfaction for sin to law and justice; of justification by the righteousness of Christ; of peace and pardon by his blood; of regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, as entirely owing to powerful and efficacious grace, and not to man's free will; of the saints' final perseverance, the resurrection of the dead, a future judgment, and eternal life, as the free gift of God: striving for these, as wrestlers do with one another, to which the allusion is, supposes persons to strive and wrestle against; and they are such as oppose truth and themselves unto it; as all such that deny divine revelation, or the authority of the Scriptures; that say that Jesus is not the Messiah; or that Christ is not the natural and eternal Son of God; or that deny his proper deity, his satisfaction and righteousness; that reject the efficacious grace of God, and the operations of the Spirit as unnecessary, to regeneration and conversion; that advance and plead for the purity of human nature, the power of man's free will, and ascribe justification and salvation to the works of men: all such are to be contended with and strove against, and that not with carnal weapons, but with spiritual ones, with the Scriptures of truth; by which a good warfare with them may be warred, and the good fight of faith fought with much success; and the whole requires great care and solicitude, earnestness, zeal, constancy, and courage: striving together for these, intends either striving with the apostle, and as they had him both as a fellow soldier, and for an example; or rather striving one with another, their ministers with their members, and their members with their ministers; the one by preaching, writing, and disputing more especially, the other by bearing a constant testimony to truth, and praying for the success of it; and both by dying for it when required; and so to do is to have the conversation as becomes the Gospel of Christ.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Only let your conversation - The word “conversation” we now apply almost exclusively to oral discourse, or to talking. But it was not formerly confined to that and is never so used in the Scriptures. It means conduct in general - including, of course, our manner of speaking, but not limited to that - and should be so understood in every place where it occurs in the Bible. The original word used here - πολιτεύω politeuō - means properly “to administer the state; to live as a citizen; to conduct oneself according to the laws and customs of a state;” see Acts 23:1; compare examples in Wetstein. It would not be improperly rendered: “let your conduct as a citizen be as becomes the gospel;” and might without impropriety, though not exclusively, be referred to our deportment as members of a community, or citizens of a state. It undoubtedly implies that, as citizens, we should act, in all the duties which that relation involves - in maintaining the laws, in submission to authority, in the choice of rulers, etc., as well as in other relations - on the principles of the gospel; for the believer is bound to perform every duty on Christian principles. But the direction here should not be confined to that. It doubtless includes our conduct in all relations in life, and refers to our deportment in general; not merely as citizens of the state, but as members of the church, and in all other relations. In our manner of speech, our plans of living, our dealings with others, our conduct and walk in the church and out of it - all should be done as becomes the gospel. The direction, therefore, in this place, is to be understood of everything pertaining to conduct.
As it becometh the gospel of Christ -
(1) The rules of the gospel are to be applied to all our conduct - to our conversation, business transactions, modes of dress, style of living, entertainments, etc. There is nothing which we do, or say, or purpose, that is to be excepted from those rules.
(2) There is a way of living which is appropriate to the gospel, or which is such as the gospel requires. There is something which the gospel would secure as its proper fruits in all our conduct, and by which our lives should be regulated. It would distinguish us from the frivolous, and from those who seek honor and wealth as their supreme object. If all Christians were under the influence of the gospel, there would be something in their dress, temper, conversation, and aims, which would distinguish them from others; The gospel is not a thing of nothing; nor is it intended that it should exert no influence on its friends.
(3) It is very important that Christians should frame their lives by the rules of the gospel, and, to this end, should study them and know what they are. This is important:
(a)Because they are the best and wisest of all rules;
(b)Because it is only in this way that Christians can do good;
(c)Because they have solemnly covenanted with the Lord to take his laws as their guide;
(d)Because it is only in this way that they can enjoy religion; and,
(e)Because it is only by this that they can have peace on a dying bed.
If people live as “becometh the gospel,” they live well. Their lives are honest and honorable; they are people of truth and uprightness; they will have no sources of regret when they die, and they will not give occasion to their friends to hang their heads with shame in the remembrance of them. No man on a dying bed ever yet regretted that he had framed his life by the rules of the gospel, or felt that his conduct had been conformed too much to it.
That whether I come and see you - Alluding to the possibility that he might be released, and be permitted to visit them again.
Or else be absent - Either at Rome, still confined, or released, and permitted to go abroad.
I may hear of your affairs ... - I may hear always respecting you that you are united, and that you are vigorously striving to promote the interests of the gospel.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 27. Let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel — The apostle considers the Church at Philippi as a free or imperial city, which possesses great honours, dignities, and privileges; and he exhorts them to act, αξιως, worthy of or suitably to those honours and privileges. This is the idea that is expressed by the word πολιτευεσθε, act according to the nature of your political situation, the citizenship and privileges which you possess in consequence of your being free inhabitants of Christ's imperial city, the Church. The apostle resumes the same metaphor, Philippians 3:20: ἡμων - το πολιτευμα εν ουρανοις ὑπαρχει· For our citizenship is in heaven; but in this last verse he puts heaven in the place of the Church, and this is all right; for he, who is not a member of the Church of Christ on earth, can have no right to the kingdom of heaven, and he who does not walk worthy of the Gospel of Christ cannot be counted worthy to enter through the gates into the city of the eternal King.
Whether I come and see you — Leaving the matter still in doubt as to them, whether he should again visit them.
In one spirit — Being all of one mind under the influence of the Holy Ghost.
Striving together — συναθλουντες. Wrestling together, not in contention with each other, but in union against the enemies of the Gospel faith-the doctrine of Christ crucified, and freedom from all Mosaic rites and ceremonies, as well as from sin and perdition, through his passion and sacrifice.
