Philippians 4:2

I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yea, I beseech thee also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Despite the unpleasantness regarding the difficulty mentioned, this passage is one of the most precious in the New Testament, because of its mention of the book of life.

I exhort Euodia ... Syntyche ... The repetition of "I exhort" was probably for the purpose of avoiding any semblance of partiality, or any hint of taking sides. No one can say just who these ladies were; but their trouble is easy enough to understand. They had a falling out or disagreement over some point of doctrine or practice, and the animosity between them had become a problem in the whole church. Boice believed that the shadow of this personal friction falls upon several passages prior to this passage where Paul dealt with it. In Philippians 1:8,27; Philippians 2:2 and Philippians 3:16, there have already been exhortations to unity and walking by the same rule; but in this passage Paul boldly confronted the difficulty and demanded a reconciliation.

Caffin considered the repeated "I exhort" as a probable indication that both ladies were at fault.[5]

True yokefellow ... Just who was this? Hewlett allowed that it could have been Luke;[6] Wesley made a conjecture that it was Silas;[7] Clement of Alexandria taught that this referred to Paul's wife![8] Dummelow said it was probably a proper name on which Paul made a pun, as in the case of Onesimus (profitable).[9] It is hardly necessary to add that we do not know who it was. If this writer were asked to guess at it, the answer would be Epaphroditus, following Lipscomb and Lightfoot.

In the Lord ... This expression absolutely dominates Paul's writings. In Philippians 4:1, Paul commanded the Philippians to "stand fast" in the Lord; and here those two women at odds with each other were told to be of the same mind "in the Lord." All spiritual achievements result from being in the Lord. As Knight said, "It is implied here that outside Christ there can be no unity; one cannot love man without loving God."[10] Most disputes are insoluble, except from the discipline that comes of being "in the Lord."

These women ... labored with me in the gospel ... Not merely these two women, but Lydia also had been an extensive helper of Paul's gospel labors at Philippi. It is not necessary in the case of these, any more than that of Lydia, to suppose that they aided Paul in the public preaching. Paul could not forget their helpfulness, their love of the truth and their sacrifices on his behalf; but now all that was wrecked by an unfortunate disagreement. No wonder Paul attempted to heal it.

With Clement also ... Despite the fact of Lightfoot's opinion that Paul was here enlisting Clement to aid in the reconciliation, the language, as it stands, is a reference to Clement having been, along with Paul, helped by the two sisters in disagreement. One encounters extensive comment with reference to Clement's identity, the conclusion usually being that he is not the same as the famed Clement of Rome.

CLEMENT

Ever since the times of Origen (185-251 A.D.), who was a disciple of Clement of Alexandria,[11] there has been a positive identification of the Clement mentioned in the above passage with Clement of Rome who lived until the year 101 A.D. and who himself wrote a letter to the Corinthians.

Despite the unwillingness of most modern scholars to allow it, Barry insisted that "the fact of Clement's being in Alexandria (apparently) at the time of Paul's writing is no serious objection."[12] Philippi was a Roman colony, and he might well have been there part of the time on business. "Furthermore the chronology is not decisive against the identification, although it would make Clement very old when he wrote his epistle."[13] Barry summed it all up by saying:

The identification may stand as not improbable, while the commonness of the name Clement makes it far from certain.[14]

And the rest of my fellow-workers ... Paul's mention, a moment before, of the two sisters in disagreement having helped his own labors, and with Clement also, immediately brought into view a large number of others who had been Paul's fellow-laborers, no less than Clement! Any preacher can see the immediate problem of avoiding calling all those personal names with the almost certain result of leaving out someone who should also have been mentioned. Paul cut the Gordian knot by declaring that God has the whole record in the Book of Life. Beautiful!

Whose names are in the book of life ... For extended comment on the book of life, see my Commentary on Hebrews 12, under "Book of Life." Significantly there is a register of the redeemed kept by God himself without error. As Martin said, "Christian service may pass unnoticed on earth; but the important thing is that God takes note, and will praise at the last (1 Corinthians 4:5)."[15] One's having his name inscribed in the book of life does not, of itself alone, assure eternal life. As Caffin said, "This does not necessarily involve the doctrine of an unconditional, irreversible predestination, or the phrase to blot out of my book (Revelation 3:5) could not be used.[16]

[5] B. C. Caffin, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 20, Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 156.

[6] H. C. Hewlett, op. cit., p. 479.

[7] John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (Napierville, Illinois: Alec. R. Allenson, Inc., 1950), in loco.

[8] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 155.

[9] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 977.

[10] John A. Knight, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. IX, Philippians (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1965), p. 346.

[11] Vergilius Ferm, An Encyclopedia of Religion (New York: Philosophical Library, 1943), p. 177.

[12] Alfred Barry, op. cit., p. 86.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] R. P. Martin, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959), p. 167.

[16] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 156.