βOnly let your conversation 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 gospelβ (Phil. 1:27).
Interestingly, whenever Paul uses the phrase βstand fast,β it is always to challenge people to stand fast in an area in which they were not standing fast! For instance, he tells the Corinthians to βstand fast in the faithβ (I Cor. 16:13), for they had lost their faith in one of the fundamentals of the faith, the resurrection (I Cor. 15:12-50). He told the Galatians to βstand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us freeβ (Gal. 5:1) because they were forsaking grace for the law. He told the Thessalonians to βstand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taughtβ (II Thes. 2:15), especially the βtraditionβ of working for a living (3:7-12). The Thessalonians had become so excited about the Rapture that many of them quit their jobs in anticipation of the Lordβs coming!
But here in Philippians 1:27, Paul tells the Philippians to βstand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.β This is because two ladies in the church were quarreling (4:2), and some in the church were siding with Euodias and some with Syntyche. βStriving togetherβ is the Greek word sunathleo. The prefix sun means together with, and athleo is the word from which we get athlete and athletics. Athletes are often teammates who must strive together to achieve a common victory, and this is what Paul was calling on the Philippians to do for the cause of Christ.
Notice Paul isnβt talking about faith in the gospel. The faith of the gospel is our faithfulness or fidelity to maintaining the gospel as God gave it, just as old βhigh-fiβ or βhigh-fidelityβ records claimed to be highly faithful to the sound recorded in the studio. We are to strive together to maintain fidelity to the gospel God gave to Paul.
Finally, Paul does not say we should strive with one another for the faith of the gospel. He rather says we should be striving βtogetherβ as those who see the fellowship of the mystery with those who donβt. With all the talk about βpeace on earthβ, how refreshing it would be if we could enjoy the βconversation peaceβ Paul longed to see in Philippi! (Psa. 133:1; Eph. 4:3). source
