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Among the Philippians there was dissension in their thinking (4:2), which troubled the apostle; hence, he asked them to think the same thing, even the same one thing, that they might make his joy full (2:2):
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According to the context of this book, the one thing must refer to the subjective knowledge and experience of Christ (v. 2; 1:20-21; 2:5; 3:7-9; 4:13); Christ, and Christ alone, should be the centrality and universality of our entire being.
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The one thing is the subjective experience of Christ as our enjoyment for the church life, the Body life; this one thing should occupy our mind all the time; if we think the one thing, immediately the enjoyment of Christ will be our portion.
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Our thinking should be focused on the excellency of the knowledge and experience of Christ (3:8, 10); focusing on anything else causes us to think differently, thus creating dissensions among us.
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To think something other than the one thing is to rebel against God's economy; God's economy is that we think the one thing.
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Because of the dissension in their thinking, the Philippian believers had different levels of love (2:2); they did not have the same love toward all the saints for the keeping of oneness; if our love toward the saints has been regulated and dealt with, then we will enjoy Christ as we love the saints.
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Being one in soul, joined in soul, is not only for the experience of Christ but even more for the enjoyment of Christ; our experience of Christ should also be an enjoyment of Christ.
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To experience Christ with enjoyment, we need to be in one spirit with one soul; in order to enjoy Christ, we need to have a proper soul, a “co-soul” that is one with the souls of other saints.
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The most important thing for us to do is to experience Christ as our enjoyment today so that the church may be built up for His glory; this is the way for us to be preserved in the Lord's recovery until He comes back.
Morning Nourishment
Phil. 3:8 But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.10 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
In Philippians 2 Paul was encouraging the Philippians to think the one thing and to be one in soul. The one thing is not merely the objective Christ but the subjective experience of Christ as our enjoyment for the church life. This one thing should occupy our mind all the time. We should constantly be thinking about how to experience Christ as our rich enjoyment so that we may have the proper church life. The Body life is the issue of the experience and enjoyment of Christ. When we enjoy Christ, the church life spontaneously issues forth. Thus, the church life comes out of our experience of Christ. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” p. 356)
Today's Reading
The church life robs the devilish things from our minds. In the church life we help all the saints to think one thing—the enjoyment of Christ for the church life. We all think of the experience of Christ for the Body life. In doing this, we are obedient.Whenever we think other things, we are disobedient and rebellious. To think something other than the one thing is to rebel against God's economy. God's economy is that we think the one thing. Has a certain brother offended you? You should not think about that offense, for God's economy does not allow you to do so. If you think about the offense, you rebel against God. This is a serious matter. Murmuring is also rebellious. God's economy does not allow us to murmur. To do so is to be disobedient.
We all have our disposition, and we all are accustomed to murmuring, reasoning, and complaining. But if we are enlightened concerning reasoning and murmuring, we will say, “Lord, forgive my rebellion….I want to be obedient, obeying Your economy to think the one thing. Although certain ones have offended me, I do not want to think about the offenses. Instead, I want to think only of the enjoyment and experience of Christ.”
[In Philippians 2:2] we find not only the matter of the mind but also the matter of the emotion, for love is a matter of emotion. In verse 2 Paul implores the Philippians to have the same love. Thus, they were not only to think the same thing in their mind but to have the same love in their emotion. Many among us today do not have the same love.
Paul's word about having the same love is a weighty word. It is a strong indication that the Philippians had a love that was on different levels. Our situation today is the same. Yes, we love one another, but our love differs, and the temperature of our love is not the same. When we contact certain ones, we are like ice, but when we contact others, we are like boiling water. For some, our love is too cold; for others, it is too hot. Our love should be moderate toward everyone. It should be neither too hot nor too cold. Sometimes people have told me that they love me. But within I said, “Your love is so cold. The more you love me, the colder I become. But your love for others is boiling hot.”
To have a love that fluctuates in its temperature is to have a love that issues out of our natural life. Such a love comes from a soul that has not been dealt with. We can never enjoy Christ in this kind of love. If our love toward the saints has been regulated and dealt with, then we will enjoy Christ as we love the saints. Whether or not our love is proper depends on whether or not we enjoy Christ in our loving of others. If you love others without having the enjoyment of Christ in that love, your love is wrong. It is neither moderate nor proper. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 363, 344)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” ch. 5