Sunday: Disunity in Philippi
Daily Lesson for Sunday 18th of January 2026
Read Philippians 2:1-3. What factors seem to have led to disunity within the church? What does Paul suggest as a remedy?
It must have been a tremendous disappointment for Paul to see the church that he established and loved so much racked with rivalry and consumed with contention. He uses very strong language to describe the problems. “Selfish ambition” translates a word (Greek, eritheia), used earlier in Philippians 1:17 (ESV) to refer to Paul’s self-interested rivals in Rome who were bent on promoting themselves rather than advancing the cause of Christ.
Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com
“Selfish ambition” is among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:20, NKJV), and as James indicates, “where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:16, NKJV). The Greek word for “conceit” is used only here in the New Testament, but appears in extrabiblical literature in the sense of arrogance, hollow pride, and having an inflated sense of oneself. Paul uses a closely related word in admonishing the Galatians: “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26, NKJV).
Note the remedies Paul lists for these problems:
1. Consolation in Christ. Paul will proceed to use Christ’s own example as a powerful motivation.
2. Comfort of love. Jesus reveals divine love and commands us to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
3. Fellowship of the Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit creates a close Christian relationship like the one that pervaded the early church (Acts 2:42; compare 2 Corinthians 13:14).
4. Affection (or compassion). We see this divine quality frequently manifested in the life of Christ (see Matthew 9:36, Matthew 20:34, and Mark 1:41) and described in the parables of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:33) and the prodigal son (Luke 15:20).
5. Mercy. This quality, exemplified by Jesus, is to be seen also in the lives of His followers (Luke 6:36).
6. Being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. What a picture! It is difficult to imagine how Paul could emphasize the importance of unity more strongly. As Paul will point out, the mind we are to have “was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
Have you ever noticed how irritating it can be when people are right and they tell you that all the time? As a teacher it was interesting to note the interactions of “always right” students with those who struggled a bit. Then there were students who were indeed always right but never advertised the fact. And in the cut and thrust of the schoolyard battlefield, these students were always respected, and the know-it-all’s typically were typically given a wide berth.
Churches are so much like schoolyards. I remind myself that growing up does not mean that we leave behind those things that divided us when we were students. We try to make out that we are right, or that everyone else in wrong and we hang on to that idea, like a dog with a string of stolen sausages.
Humility does not come easily to some of us. When I was a kid, because I was a reader, and remembered what I had read, I would often hear people saying things I knew was wrong. And in my own childish way I would speak up and tell them they were wrong and then explain the true situation to them. It took me a little while to learn that was a very poor strategy. People did not take kindly to being told they were wrong.
Let us think for a moment about Christianity. If we are right, should we tell everyone we are right? Or, should be be a little less urgent and show by example and encouragement that we have something to offer that is more important? Do we tell “The Truth” or do we enable the discovery of “The Truth”?
Even though we need to be humble in our sharing of truth, I do not believe we should let individuals just linger in falsehood. We should share what we know using the Bible as the tool to bring truth and not opinion. Paul was an example of bringing truth while imitating Christ. Ellen White who being a woman at a time women were disregarded, had to insist strongly about the light God had given her. Moses who was considered a very humble man had at times to strongly object to the behavior and false believes of the Israelites. Being humble does not equal to silence and shyness.
I agree, but typically trust needs to be built between people before showing them they are wrong can happen. All the people you mentioned invested much time to nurture relationships with the people they would correct.
From the information provided in the Book of Philippians itself, the cause of disunity in the church was attitudinal and not doctrinal (theological).
a) “Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry.” (Phil 1:15–17)
b) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” (Phil 2:3)
c) “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” (Phil 4:2)
In the eyes of Paul, disunity in the Philippians church arose primarily from mindset, pride, rivalry, and personal relationships. He overemphasised “mindset” over doctrine.
“Be of the same mind” (Philippians 2:2)
“Have this mind among yourselves” (Philippians 2:5)
“Be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2)
By examining this viewpoint of “mindset”, a few critical warnings to the church emerges:
i. A church can be doctrinally sound and yet be relationally broken. We can be the Remnant Church but fail to have a true relationship with Lord.
ii. Unredeemed egos are as dangerous as doctrinal error. Pride and rivalry are very strong catalysts for church disunity.
iii. Right doctrine (theology) is not an end by itself but must shape the right character. Confession of doctrines without practice is meaningless. Failing to live rightly in the light of what we believe is as good as believing in nothing.
iv. Leadership conflict boils down to the whole church. Private leadership conflicts have communal implications. When the center is loose, things fall apart in the church.
“Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ… standing firm in one spirit, with one mind.” (Philippians 1:27)
Wonderful insight! I would say that the remnant church can not fail to have a true relationship with the Lord though, it would cease to be the remnant church.
Paul candidly calls out two individuals, sisters Euodia and Syntyche, appealing to them to be united in their service to God (Philippians 4:2–3). These were committed gospel workers who had faithfully contended for Christ, yet Paul’s letter suggests that their conflict as much it might have not been necessary doctrinal but more relational from the tone of Paul’s letter. It is possible that envy, rivalry, or selfish ambition had crept into their ministry, leading them to prioritize self-advancement over mutual love and cooperation. Though they preached Christ, their motives may have been insincere or pretentious, resulting in disorder rather than harmony. Paul reminds them that it is possible to preach and serve out of goodwill, love, and sincerity, drawing motivation from Christ Himself—the One who called, loved, and died for them.
This passage highlights a timeless challenge: while we are in Christ, we do not always live like we are in Christ—a struggle that also affected the Philippian church. Notably, disunity is not limited to young or immature believers; even mature and faithful workers can fall into it. This underscores the need for continual humility and Christ-centered motivation. Paul’s exhortation elsewhere reinforces this call: “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). When believers pursue unity of purpose and love, the gospel of Christ is propelled forward with greater power and credibility.
What a great lesson on humility, and unity these examples of humility and unity should not only be done in church but in our own homes, work and in the communities where we live. It should be how we live our lives as Christians period.
The real inhibitors of true unity are pride, greed, and selfishness. We need to be intentional about overcoming these ungodly habits through prayer and Bible reading. The Holy Spirit will also empower us if we seek Him.
Disunity is solved by one of my favorite Bible verses. It goes something like this: When we turn to the Lord and fear Him, the kind of fear that brings reverence, honor, humility, glorifies and respects the Lord, and honors His leading and will for us. This fear of the Lord brings us no lack(our needs are met overflowing, enough to help others too). Psalm 34:9. A gift for the asking.
Those trapped by the spirit of ‘self-promotion’ perceive everyone else engaged in the work for the Gospel as doing the same thing – competing for dominance. They are unable to perceive the work inspired by a different Spirit – selflessness – which guides the truly faithful to rely on God’s Spirit to do the heavy lifting.
Gal.5:22-23 speaks to the conduct of the believer inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. It is never self-seeking because its actions promote love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – all present in the person lead by the Spirit of God.
Why would anyone willingly shun the source producing these wonderful qualities in us? Maybe the teaching that it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to renew the heart and mind, and us turning to Him for help was neglected when much focus was placed on teaching all about the death of Jesus and its redeeming qualities. Yes, He has been resurrected for our sake, so showing that the Spirit and the act are equally essential for our walk in Christ by Faith.
I am wondering if Philippian church was really “racked with rivalry” as the lesson says. Certainly there is the example of contention in Philippians 4:1, but Paul actually doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about this issue. He does so more in books like I Corinthians for example. This does not mean there were no problems – every church has issues with conflict and ambition – but Philippians as a whole is a positive book.
Also, God knowing that this book would be part of scripture no doubt inspired Paul to write about the example of Jesus in a way that applies to everyone in all times. We all can grow in having the attitude of Jesus.
I could be wrong, of course, but I do think we need to be careful about reading things into verses.
Again, even amidst the so-called followers of Christ, pride and individuality seem to prevail. A Christ-like mind should be the goal of us all: “What would Christ do”? To Jesus be the glory of all our choices!
Philippi was generally a faithful and loving church Philippians 1:3–5 — MSG “Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.Each time I mention you in my prayers, it makes me smile.You have helped me proclaim the Message from the day you heard it right up to the present.”), yet Paul repeatedly urges them toward unity.Philippians 4:2 — MSG “I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want His children holding grudges.”This shows that the disunity was relational and attitudinal, not doctrinal heresy.Relational issues among believers: The division in Philippi was not caused by false teaching but by personal conflicts, pride or misunderstandings. Attitudinal differences: Church disunity often begins with attitudes, behavior, or selfish ambitions, even in a strong, faithful church.
Even relational or attitudinal divisions can damage the church’s testimony and hinder the gospel, so unity must be actively pursued through humility, love, and spiritual cooperation.