Anxious, fearful, troubled, discontent Christians – what are we to make of them? They seem to live in a state of constant turmoil. How has the gospel failed them? Why have the promises broken down? What can be done for them, and insofar as we all struggle to overcome anxiety and fear, what can be done for us?

The Apostle Paul’s answer is three-fold. We may liken consistent peace of mind to a three-legged stool consisting of prayer, meditation, and practice. While the “peace of God” is supernatural, it is sustained by means. Remove a leg, and the stool collapses. He urges us to pray: don’t be anxious but pray and the peace of Christ which passes comprehension will be ours in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6, 7).

He also calls us to contemplate the virtuous and praiseworthy. Upon these we are to “let (our) minds dwell.” Upon these things we are to meditate. Great care must be taken to fill our minds with what is true, honorable, just and pure, and exclude all that is unworthy. Fail to do this, and the world’s lies and impurities will stir up lust, covetousness, and doubt, turmoil, discontent and unbelief.

Finally, the third leg of the stool is practice. The apostle Paul writes,

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. (Phil 4:9)

He uses exactly the same terminology in verse 9 as he did in verse 8. There he said, “Let your mind dwell on these things” (tauta logizethe). Now he says, “Practice these things” (tauta prassete). The virtues upon which the mind is to dwell are the virtues that are to be put into practice. The Lord Jesus has no interest in creating a race of gurus. Contemplation is to lead to action. Meditation is to lead to implementation. The result? Not only will we have the “peace of God,” but He promises the abiding presence of the “God of peace.” He will be “with us.” There can be no greater promise, and no more certain cure for anxiety than that. God Himself will be with us in the midst of our trials and troubles.

The Bible is an intensely practical book. Faith is the chief concern of biblical religion. We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone apart from works (Gen 15:6; Rom 3:21–5:1; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8, 9). This priority is in our passage as well. Prayer is the first step in conquering anxiety. Prayer is the supreme act of faith; but the faith which alone justifies never stands alone. True faith always leads to action. Prayer is the foundation of peace, but it doesn’t stop there. We are to be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (Jas 1:22). Faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Lk 11:28). Jesus said the wise man is one who hears His words and acts upon them (Mt 7:24). The Apostle Paul says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2:10). We are not to merely formulate correct doctrine; or be content with blissful private devotions; we are not to merely think tranquil thoughts about our common humanity. The word is to become flesh in us.

The virtues of verse 8 to be appreciated and pondered wherever found are the same as those taught and exemplified by the Apostle. The characteristics of verse 8 “had been presented clearly and specifically in Paul’s teaching and instruction as well as by his exemplary behavior,” says O’Brien.1 By calling attention to his own pattern of ministry and life, the Apostle not only taught how to live, but also how we are to teach. Prayer and meditation must now be joined by practice. He uses four verbs to make his point, all in the aorist (a past tense) and each nuanced.

Practice

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

First, the Apostle Paul reminds us of his teaching. He uses his first two verbs to do so.

1. “The things you have learned . . . (from) me” (maranthō). The nuance of this verb, O’Brien suggests, could be the initial teaching about Jesus, about faith and salvation, and about what it means to be a disciple (e.g. Eph 4:20, 2 Tim 3:14).

2. “The things you have . . . received . . . (from) me” (paralambanō). This is a broader term which Hawthorne calls “a technical term for the receiving of a tradition for the purpose of handing it on intact to others.”2 The Apostle Paul can urge the Corinthians to “hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you” (1 Cor 11:2; cf. 1 Thess 4:1; 2 Thess 3:6). Its nuance, O’Brien suggests, might pertain specifically to “ethical and procedural rules.”3

Together, “learned and “received,” indicate the whole body of Christian doctrine, especially its ethical teaching. Right practice begins with right teaching. The Philippians had been taught by Jesus and the Apostle Paul to practice what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, reputable, excellent, and praiseworthy. They had been taught to live holy lives; to practice honesty, integrity and truthfulness. They know the importance of virtue. If they would experience the peace of God and the God of peace, they must now practice what they had been taught, what they already knew.

One can see the importance of a teaching ministry in the church. The Apostle Paul’s past tenses (aorists) are important. They had been taught these things. Is this not one of the great needs of our day? Christian people are well-entertained, but not well-taught. The oft published contemporary statistics of Christian doctrinal, biblical, and ethical ignorance are dismal. Our people “perish for their lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). There is no shortage of preaching today. One can hear it on the radio, on TV, on CD’s and DVD’s, on web sites and ipods. Yet there is “a famine for the word of God” in our day as in Amos’ (Amos 8:11). Platitudes, not principles, are preached; excitement not sanctification is sought; self-help not Christ-crucified is the message; entertainment not mortification is the result. Of course Christians’ lives today are in turmoil. Poor choices are being made because they’re ignorant. It is vital that the church teach and Christians study the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). It is Scripture that makes us wise unto salvation (2 Tim 3:15). It is Scripture that is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. It is Scripture that equips us for every good work (2 Tim 3:16, 17). It is Scripture that is to be preached in season and out of season, and is the source of the “sound doctrine” that we need (2 Tim 4:1-3). Before the Christian virtues can be practiced they must be known. For them to be known they must be taught. Once they are taught they must be practiced. There are no higher priorities for the church. Christian peace is directly related to Christian practice. The peace of God will be found only where the word of God is practiced.

Second, the Apostle Paul reminds us of his example. He employs two more verbs to do so. Together they describe “the impression made on the Philippians by Paul’s Christian character.”4

1. “The things you have . . . heard . . . (about) me.” This probably refers not to what they had seen themselves, but to what they had heard secondhand about the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry. It refers, says O’Brien, to what they “heard about Paul’s character and demeanor, how he faced his trials, and so on.”5 The Bible distinguishes gossip from reputation, the former based on misinformation and motivated by ego or envy, and the latter based on observation and reliable sources and motivated by wisdom. The Apostle Paul had established a consistent reputation, and word of his faithfulness had spread far.

2. “The things you have . . . seen in me.” They not only had heard about the Apostle Paul’s faithfulness, but they had seen it firsthand. He had provided a consistent example of moral excellence, of virtue. He had modeled godliness. They not only had heard, but also “saw in him a godly example to follow.”6 I’d be a little slow to say these sorts of things. I know that other leaders and I need to be good examples, but I don’t want people to look too closely. the Apostle Paul shows no such reticence. As he was able to say earlier,

Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. (Phil 3:17; cf. 1 Cor 4:16;11:1)

“They had before their very eyes a pattern of what it was like to be a true Christian.”7

The Philippians had the benefit of this other crucial element in the ministry of the church. The truth taught had been lived. The virtues preached had been practiced. The Apostle Paul had provided a living, flesh and blood example of Christ’s discipleship after which they could pattern their own lives.

The leaders, and particularly the teachers in the Christian church, must provide models of the truth taught or the gospel lacks credibility. This is why the New Testament provides long lists of character qualities for those who would serve as elders and deacons (1 Tim 3; Titus 1) and calls them to be “examples to the flock” (1 Pet 5:1-5).

We’re really saying two things.

First, we need living models of the Christian life. When I first began to experience significant spiritual growth in college, one of the key ingredients was older classmates who modeled both deep commitment to Christ and bold witness. As I watched them I concluded, “This can be done.” The Christian life can be lived. They weren’t perfect. But they were zealous and credible. They emboldened me. I suspect we all need spiritual role models.

Second, we, in turn, must endeavor to be living examples of the Christian life for others. We are all called to be models at least at some level. This is unavoidably so. We all have those who are younger or less mature than we are, who to some measure look up to us. Parents, your children are watching. Make no mistake about it. Your pattern of commitments will most likely be their own. Your pattern of discipleship will become their standard. If you are lukewarm, so will they be. If you are nominal, so will they be. If you are flippant, so will they be. If you are a hypocrite, they may abandon the faith all together. If you are a strong, devout, committed believer, your children, eventually, ultimately, will be such too.

Long-time members of the church, you are the model of membership for new members of the church. You are being watched. Your pattern of attendance, your interaction with visitors, the level of interest and concern for fellow-members are all being quietly evaluated. Older people, you are the model of Christian discipleship for younger people. This is true all up and down the line. The nursery school children are watching the elementary school children; the elementary school children are watching middle school children; the middle school children are watching the high school children; the high school youth are watching the college students, and so on. Committed, credible models of Christian life and ministry are crucial. We mature both by what we are taught and what we see. We need instruction and we need examples. The goal of both is practice. Merely knowing what is right – memorizing the catechism, reading the books – knowing all the Christian clichés and thinking what is right and claiming to be believers and saying, “I have faith” and “I know Jesus” will do us no good on the judgment day if we do not also practice what is right. Jesus says there will be many who will claim to know Him, who call Him “Lord,” who even do miracles in His name, and yet He doesn’t know them because they are “workers of lawlessness” (Mt 7:23). “Practice these things,” the Apostle says. Practice confirms faith. Practice reveals conviction.

Peace

Finally, he concludes, if we will pray and meditate, live out the truth, conforming our thoughts and practices to the word of Christ in daily life, then “the God of peace will be with (us)”. This is a step up from verse 7 where “the peace of God” is promised to those who will in prayer and thanksgiving make their requests known to God. Here God Himself is promised to those who are obedient. Remember the context here is anxiety. Our souls are disturbed and troubled. What does he promise? The presence of God. Churchill said during World War II that once the United States entered the war he never again feared defeat. He was certain of victory with America at Britain’s side. We should expect a similar psychological relief with the promise of nfinitely greater help. The Lord of hosts is with us (Ps 46:7). What fear can I not now face? What trial can I not now endure? What enemy can I not now confront? Ask with the psalmist,

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Ps 27:1a)

And again,

The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? (Ps 27:1b)

If God Himself is with me, if the God for whom all things are possible and for whom nothing is impossible is with me, to protect and to provide, then indeed, whom shall I fear? Whom shall I dread?

What does he mean by the “God of peace?” We can’t be sure if he means “the God who is in Himself peace,” or “the God who is the source of our peace.” But chiefly when the Apostle Paul thinks of peace, he thinks of the peace God has made with us through Christ Jesus. We who were enemies of God, who were alienated and hostile to God, are now at peace with God through the cross (Rom 5:1). This God who made peace (objectively) and gives us peace (subjectively) will be with us in all His power and with all His provisions. There is no greater privilege in Scripture, there is no greater promise than that of the presence, moment by moment of the living God. He will be with us even in the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23:4). He will be with us as our refuge and strength in time of trouble (Ps 46:1ff). “Lo, I am with you always,” Jesus promised (Mt 28:20). “I will never leave or forsake you” (Heb 13:5; cf. Josh 1:5). Knowing that God is with us means we can rest. Calm can settle upon us. We can cast all our anxiety upon Him, knowing that He is there, and that He cares (1 Pet 5:7). The peace of God comes to us above all through knowing that the God of peace is with us.