God’s Word for You
Philippians 1:27a Worthy of the Gospel
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Monday, March 2, 2026
27 Conduct yourselves in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ
This thought from Paul, so carefully worded, takes us in two directions. First, he certainly means that we never want to bring disrespect to the gospel or to Christ. Even if we were to add this as a request to our morning prayers, our evening prayers, and to every meal prayer, we could pray about it more every day. What did Peter learn? It was a bitter lesson. As Jesus was leading the eleven disciples out of Jerusalem across the valley to the Mount of Olives, he warned them: “You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ Then Peter said to him, ‘Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Amen I say to you, today, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times’” (Matthew 26:31-34). And of course, that is just what Peter did in the courtyard of the high priest.
Man can bring dishonor to the gospel by doubting it, by not taking it seriously, by not holding it up as God’s own divine truth. Dishonor can come by claiming that there are other pathways to heaven apart from Christ who laid down his life on the cross to atone for our sins. Dishonor can come to the Word of God by belittling the Commandments, either a single one or all of them, with actions or with words, or the way that men and women discard them from their thoughts, resulting in “consciences that have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2).
To conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ is to take the word of God, law and gospel, exactly as God intends: as the inspired word, to be used in all of life’s circumstances (2 Timothy 3:16). It is to have true faith in Christ. Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians also touches this point: “If we live in a manner worthy as his citizens, we will also reign with him, if only we believe” (Polycarp 5:2).
Paul’s words also take us in the direction of carrying a cross to be worthy of the gospel of Christ. We must not pursue crosses, as if they are merely fine experiences to be had. God lays them upon us or permits them to be laid upon us for several reasons:
1, To humble us when we become puffed up about ourselves (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). God wants us to boast about Christ and in Christ, and not in our own deeds or accomplishments. “May I never boast,” Paul said, “except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:13), and by this he meant the cross of Calvary, not the crosses we pick up as we follow him.
2, To suppress or put down the Old Adam and to deny worldly lusts and desires (1 Peter 4:1-2). This shows us that the cross is a means of furthering sanctification. We are not saved by our own crosses, but already being saved, we are improved in our Christian living through them. “He who has suffered in his body is done with sin” (1 Peter 4:1).
3, To test and thereby to strengthen our faith (1 Peter 1:6-7). God disciplines us. Suffering happens also to the ungodly, but the godless are truly punished by God, “either so that being admonished by the punishments they may come to their senses, or, if they are not converted, they perish” (Heerbrand). But the godly who believe in Christ are forgiven all their sins and guilt, and therefore the suffering they undergo is not a punishment. It is without a doubt suffering, but it is discipline, as when a father disciplines a child, or when a teacher disciplines a student through hard work that implants a good lesson in the memory. God says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent” (Revelation 3:19).
4, To drive us to look to God for help through prayer (Isaiah 26:16). God may do this driving through means of the devil, the world, or our own sinful flesh. Such are the tools of God to dishearten the godly and to turn our eyes to heaven for help. For with God, all things are possible.
5, To turn our attention away from worldly things to spiritual and eternal things (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). The final goal of the crosses of Christians is the goal of salvation. Our God blesses us by challenging us with those things that are most dangerous to our souls, those things that tempt us the worst. By permitting these temptations to come in the form of crosses, he guides us to set our attention on him and his forgiveness rather than anything else. Of course, the absolute final goal of our crosses, as with everything on earth, above it, and under it, is to bring glory to God. Jesus said, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed” (John 9:3).
Jesus said: “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). And an ancient Christian wrote: “You who suffer for the sake of the Name ought to give glory to God that God considered you worthy to bear his name, and that all your sins are healed” (Shepherd of Hermas, Hs 9,28,5).
Where God’s word is, the dear, holy cross does not remain far away. “This grieves our flesh and the old Adam,” Luther writes, “for it means that we must remain steadfast, suffer patiently whatever happens to us, and let go of whatever is taken from us” (Large Catechism).
These are ways by which we may conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.