There are different parts of this verse that we can explore.
One is the need for two people to be helped to agree, the two women named in verse 2.
Two is the fact that there was someone who was supposed to help them, maybe the person is in a unique position to do so for whatever reason.
And the third is a short history of these two women that shows they used to agree and work together in the gospel ministry, not for themselves.
They struggled together in the gospel ministry, and the team included Paul, one Clement, the two women, and others. He called them coworkers, meaning that, though they were women, they were not seen as less than.
Fourth and lastly, the mentioning of names in the book of life.
A. Intervention
What Paul is asking for is an intervention by a third party. Left to their own devices, the two women probably would not see eye to eye. Maybe this is one of the reasons Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
When sin entered the world, we first saw the blame game in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve, and a lack of taking responsibility.
When one party does not take responsibility, the possibility of reconciliation, in my opinion, is slim. What about when no one takes responsibility? Then we have a dire situation.
And there could be a situation in which there is only one responsible party, which reveals a power dynamic that should be considered.
It may be a false power dynamic because we have a condition that creates a victim mentality, where people see themselves as being acted on, and not actors in their own rights with the ability to reject abuse and chart a new course of freedom, the ability to walk away from abusive situations, reject abusive conditioning and individuals.
But between man and God, there is only one party with the fault, and that is man and not God. And God would not be reconciled with man for two reasons:
- God cannot stop being God. He is too just to tolerate evil, not able to condone wrongdoing (Habakkuk 1:13).
- And man is incurably bad (Jeremiah 17:9).
So what is the way out?
The wisdom of God comes into gear. Wisdom is nothing if it cannot surmount problems.
The solution is His Son, the sacrifice of His Son, on whom His wrath (judgment on sin) was spent, so that through faith in that Son we come from death to life (John 5:24). That is the essence of the gospel wherein we are reconciled to God.
And even if we sin now, He is our advocate before God (1 John 2:1); our high priest (Hebrews 4:14-15), through whom we approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy and to find grace to help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Through him, we are back in fellowship with God. Jesus (the true companion of both the Father and us) appeals on our behalf before God and appeals to us on behalf of God (2 Corinthians 5:19), saying I am the way to the Father.
B. Struggle
So these two women, who were together, fell apart. But before then, they used to struggle together in the gospel ministry. It is interesting that the word struggle was used here. Why struggle? Because that is what it is.
It is not a tea party; the gospel ministry is not. Look at what Paul went through as depicted in the book of Acts. Its highs and lows; restrictions, limitations, persecutions, etc. But they did not give up. We exit amidst opposition. For example, Jesus said in the world, we would have trouble and suffering (John 16:33).
It is the same language of struggle he used in Ephesians 6 (10-16), where Paul talked about principalities and powers that stand in opposition, while urging the people to have their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Don’t be quick to say that your or others’ struggles are not up to Paul’s. Nobody’s struggle, even if it is an insult (Luke 6:22), is diminished in the Bible.
C. Co-workers
And there is the issue of co-workers. They are not just workers; they are co-workers, meaning they banded together with Paul. They shared the joy and pain of ministering together.
D. Book of Life
What about a name written in the book of life? That’s a heavenly book of people who are alive to God. And we are alive to God through faith in Jesus. If you are alive to God, it means you are that person; that means you are alive in Christ, your name is in the book of life. It is what Paul meant when he said, “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19).
Paul said those people’s names are in the book of life, not as if there were no other names in it. It’s just a shorthand about how certain Paul is that they belong to God, even those two women who disagree.
From Addiction to Freedom by Favour Oyinloye (repeat)
Nature Song: Experience the Holy Spirit
Audiobook of the Month: The prayer of deliverance: a journey through Psalm 107
