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Firmness and Unanimity Enjoined.
v. 1. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
v. 2. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
v. 3. And I intreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help those women which labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the book of life.
The apostle here draws the conclusion from the previous exhortation: Therefore, my brethren, beloved and yearned for, my joy and my crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, beloved. What a world of kindness is contained in these appealing words, in which the apostle not only addresses the Philippians as his beloved, but shows the tenderness of his affection for them also by writing that he is yearning for them with a homesick longing, that his heart is desiring to be with them. They are his joy, they have always given him cause for rejoicing. They are the crown of his work, such as faithful pastors will be crowned with as a great honor. This being the case, they should stand firm in their Christian faith and life; they should not permit themselves to be led astray by the false teachers and their followers; they should avoid both extremes, selfishness and carnal-mindedness. The apostle has the confidence in them that they will fulfill his expectations.
To the general admonition to firmness, which grows out of unanimity, the apostle adds a specific exhortation: Euodia I beseech, and Syntyche I beseech, to think the same in the Lord. He wants these two women to drop their differences. Both of them were well-known, active members of the church at Philippi. But there was a rift in the lute, probably due to jealousy; there were dissensions, which, with the purity of the congregation's life, loomed up all the more lowering. So Paul admonishes them to work in harmony, to be of the same mind, to put aside their alienation, their estrangement. The same thing happens also in our days namely, that women in the various organizations of the church are bothered by jealousy and thus disturb the tranquility of constructive work. A careful, but firm admonition may avert disruption.
The matter caused the apostle some concern, as his next words show: Yea, I pray also thee, my sincere yoke-fellow, be of assistance to these women that have fought with me in the Gospel, with Clement and the other fellow-laborers, whose names are in the book of life. The differences were of such a nature that Paul seemed to fear the written admonition alone might not succeed in this case, wherefore he earnestly begs his yoke-fellow, one of the bishops or presbyters of the congregation at Philippi, to take charge of this matter. Note: The word translated "yoke-fellow" may be a proper noun, Synzygos, the name of one of the bishops or some other well-known member. He should help these women in their difficulty, be of assistance to them, show them the way out of their real or supposed grievances. If necessary, Clement and all the other workers, probably the entire presbytery, should be called upon to settle the dispute and to restore harmony. The names of these coworkers of the apostle are in the book of life, they are entered in the list of the elect unto salvation. Mark: It is said of these two women that they had strenuously labored with the apostle in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Women are by no means excluded from active participation in the work of the Church, but their tactful labor may do much to advance the cause of the Gospel, if they do not become entangled in jealous quarrels.