Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:01-02, NKJV).
Christ raises up servants and leaders in His church "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…" (Ephesians 4:12, 13, NKJV). And He does so by bringing them through a learning and refinement process so that they become shepherds of His people, tending and feeding His flock on His word, accountable to Himself, the Great Shepherd.
By the time He has qualified them for leadership, they, like Paul, are boundlessly appreciative of the gifts Christ gives His people for life in this fallen world. They, like Paul, rejoice when those under their spiritual care conduct themselves in accordance with the will of Christ for His church. Often, in response to the inevitable opposition and resistance in the world to the things of God, His people require consolation, comfort, fellowship, mercy and affection in ways that only He can provide. And He is able to provide all our needs "exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think," and for that Paul did, as can we, "greatly rejoice".
He starts by making a statement of cause and effect: Therefore if there is…[then] fulfill my joy . This is a classic proposition of logic in the form of "if, then", with either an explicit or implied "else" condition. In this case, it is not so much a conditional statement, but a challenge to his audience to discover those aspects of walking in faith with the Lord. Put another way, the apostle is really saying "since (not if, in the modern sense) - since there are these things in Christ", then reach out and obtain them, and in obtaining them, you will fulfill my joy.
The consolation in Christ he speaks of is the Greek word, paraklesis (parka'-lay-sis), which means to "come closely alongside to provide an abundance of solace, encouragement, and refreshing." It pictures a wounded warrior being carried along a road by his fellows so that he can rest and heal. Note that this consolation is in Christ, and nothing comparable can be found in the world. Only those who have been saved by grace through faith are in a position to receive this gift. Not that He withholds it from the world, but that the world has no capacity to accept it if it were to be bestowed. Like a man without lungs cannot inhale.
Comfort of love, can be paraphrased as the "persuasion of agape", that tidal force of divine, sacrificial love that sweeps the recipient out of the fires of the world into the arms of a loving Lord and Savior, King, Brother and Friend. Someone who has all power and authority to assuage the pain and despair, and who longs to do so with all His heart.
Fellowship of the Spirit is that unique and profound partnership between Jesus and each one of His people, shared as well between each other. It is that quintessential relationship obtained solely through baptism into His death and resurrection into His life. It is so unique that the New Testament writers coined a new word for it, koinonia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah), to attempt to differentiate between this and all other possible divine and human relationships. It speaks of a bond more profound than mere blood, more enduring than mundane human affection, and more transformational than anything else in existence. A child of God is NEVER alone.
Affection and mercy appears in earlier English translations as "bowels of compassion", an attempt to render as accurately as possible the word picture being conveyed. In ancient cultures with pictographic and rich languages, like Hebrew and Greek, the sincerest emotions were depicted as coming from the most inward physical parts. And the combination of deep regard and abundant compassion is ours for the taking in Christ, and among each other.
Next, Paul moves into yet another discussion of the Christian mind, beginning here in the foothills of human experience, and soaring a few verses later into the loftiest heights possible as he reaches upward into the very "mind of Christ". This unity of mind is a key ingredient to his fulfilled joy and can only occur among those informed by knowledge of Christ. It impossible for the natural man, who cannot help but be carried about with every wind of doctrine and by the cunning trickery of deceitful men.
This emphasis on being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind is Paul's song, and source of joy, celebrating complete unity in the faith. In Ephesians he writes of it as, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:3-6, NKJV). This is the same desire for the church expressed by Christ in his High-Priestly prayer in John 17, where He intercedes for each one of us throughout the age that we would be one in Him as He is One with the Father.
It is no wonder then, that Paul's joy and desire as their Pastor was to see his people walk in these glorious gifts from the Lord, coming to Him for that necessary replenishment of consolation, comfort, fellowship, mercy and affection.
