FIRST QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #4
JANUARY 24, 2025
"UNITY THROUGH HUMILITY".

 

The church at Philippi—Paul’s first church plant in Macedonia—was experiencing, or was at risk of experiencing, disunity and division. From prison, Paul writes with pastoral urgency:

“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:2–4, NKJV).

In these few verses, Paul both calls for unity and provides the only recipe by which such unity is everpossible.

Often, when division arises, the proposed solution is a call for “unity in the midst of diversity.” Such appeals typically encourage people to come together around what they share in common while setting aside the areas in which they differ. In practice, however, this amounts to a call for unity in the midst of disunity.

During my time in medical school, I was invited to join a Bible study formed by students from various Christian denominations. The stated goal was to set aside all doctrine and simply come together to study the Bible. This approach immediately struck me as odd—how could one study the Word of God while refusing to discuss the teachings contained within it?

Nevertheless, I attended. It quickly became apparent that “putting aside all doctrine” really meant putting aside anything that others did not already agree with. If someone introduced a new idea or a differing biblical perspective, it was promptly dismissed as a divisive “doctrine” unworthy of consideration or discussion.

When it comes to the church of God, unity in the midst of diversity proves unworkable for the same reason. The moment one biblical teaching intersects with another person’s opposing view, debate begins and the arrows fly. History bears solemn witness to this reality. More than 1,200 years of medieval history demonstrate the inevitable outcome of religious diversity—an outcome of persecution that produced anything but unity during the Dark Ages. The inquisitions, in one form or another, have continued even into the present.

It is also important to note that Paul did not call for unity with “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18), nor with “a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). Paul understood that spiritual unity with religious people who oppose the cross of Christ and follow after a false gospel is unattainable. He likewise recognized that unity with the world would necessarily result in division from Christ.

Yet Paul’s call for unity is not vague or idealistic. He makes it unmistakably clear what true unity looks like and how it is achieved and preserved. He offers the only answer to diversity and division—and that answer is found not in a method or a process, but rather in a person: Jesus of Nazareth.

Paul had counseled the church to have “the same love, being in one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). He was not simply saying to be in agreement on these things. Rather, he was being very specific about a love of God, a oneness with God, and a divine mind that exists in Jesus. This is what he was counseling them to embrace and possess.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5–8).

And that love, oneness, and mind are characterized by the very condescension and humiliation of Jesus for the sake of all of us. Jesus literally humbled Himself to death—that is, “even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Christ emptied Himself. He who was in the very form and nature of God did not see His goodness as something to usurp and grasp onto for Himself, as another tried to do, but freely let it go and made Himself something infinitely less than what He had been. He willingly let go of all the fullness of God and made Himself in the fallen form and nature of man.

He did this to such a degree that He said of Himself:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30).

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John 7:16).

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49).

“The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10).

He emptied Himself so that He could by faith be filled with all the fullness of God.

“He came not doing his own will, nor speaking his own words, nor doing his own works. It was the Father’s will which was done in him; it was the Father’s words that were spoken by him; and it was the Father’s works that were done in him. That is to say, he emptied himself that the Father might appear in him. And when he emptied himself, the Father did appear in him. And so, ‘in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.’ He was ‘God manifest in the flesh,’ ‘God with us.’” —Alonzo T. Jones, Home Missionary, Vol. 3, November 1891, p. 9.

And this He did to “redeem us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13) and “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And the way He did it was by way of the cross—by the way of self-emptying of all of Himself for the sake of others. And, “because Christ emptied himself, God filled Him with all the fullness of the Godhead. That is what love always does. Love never holds back and binds its possessions to itself, but love gives, and in giving always receives more than it gives. And inasmuch as Christ gave all, God gave Him all things. That is what the cross of Christ means, giving up all for love’s sake. It meant that to Christ, and that is what it must mean to us: and God asks us to embrace the cross in order that we may receive that which He has for us. That fullness which came to Christ never could have come to Hm except for the cross. It is true that He was perfect before He gave Himself, but He gave up all that in His work for man there might be no semblance of selfishness. For the unselfishness of Christ all righteousness was won for those who would accept the cross.” —Alonzo T. Jones, General Conference Daily Bulletin, Vol. 1, March 5, 1897, p. 277.

And this alone is how church unity can be achieved. It is achieved in the person of Jesus Christ—by receiving Him and the mind of Christ, which is freely given to all who hunger and thirst for the same self-abandoning love of God.

Do you hunger and thirst for all of Him? Then let’s receive Him, let Him give you His mind even now—and never let Him go.

“‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who ... emptied himself.’ It will accomplish in you exactly what it did in Him—it will empty yourself. And when thus you have emptied yourself, immediately you will be filled with God, even with all the fullness of God; so that while of yourself you can do nothing, God, who dwelleth in you, will work in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:21; 2 Corinthians 6:16); so that God will be in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13); so that you will not speak your own words, but the words of Him that sends you (1 Corinthians 2:12, 13; John 3:33, 34); so that, in a word, in you it shall still be God manifest in the flesh.

“Oh, ‘let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who ... emptied Himself.’ For this is the faith of Jesus. And ‘here are they that keep ... the faith of Jesus.’”          —Alonzo T. Jones, Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, November 27, 1900, p. 760.

~Kelly Kinsley