It is plain that every precept of holy living might be brought under this comprehensive charge. Let us narrow the compass of the exhortation. Let us say, Live inwardly and live outwardly as citizens of that kingdom which the Gospel has revealed.
I. How large a part of life is lived wholly within public life, social life, family life; these do not exhaust the whole being even in those who are most busy, most sociable, or most domestic. Within and beside all these there is for all of us a life yet more real, yet more important; and the danger of all these other kinds of life is lest they should obscure or paralyse or stifle this. It is for our soul's sake, for our eternal welfare's sake, that we must watch and pray against this danger. As in some senses we all have a secret life, which we cannot part with nor make public even if we would, so it is our great business to attend to this secret life, to regulate and cultivate it, in such a way that it may become, as it is here expressed, worthy of the Gospel. We ought to be living our citizenship inwardly towards Christ, our Lord and King. The state of our mind towards Him personally ought to be that which suits and is consistent with our relation to Him as His subjects.
II. And then that which is within will shine through into that which is without also. He whose inner life is that of one whom Christ has saved will be living outwardly also as a citizen of the kingdom not of this world; his aims and motives will be higher than those of men who know not God; he will not be a worldly man; he will not be a vain man; he will declare plainly by his acts that he is one who seeks a country.
C. J. Vaughan, Lectures on Philippians,p. 73.
References: Philippians 1:27. Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xi., No. 640; F. W. Farrar, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xvii., p. 209; J. R. Woodford, Ibid.,vol. xxi., p. 161; W. J. Woods, Ibid.,vol. xxxvi., p. 280; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. iv., p. 345; Spurgeon, Evening by Evening,p. 145; Preacher's Monthly,vol. iii., p. 353; Church Sermons,vol. ii., p. 113.Philippians 1:27; Philippians 1:28. Homilist,vol. v., p. 189; A. Maclaren, The Secret of Power,p. 237.