2:1
The “therefore” refers back to 1:27. Paul calls on them to live a life worthy of the gospel, so it is telling us how to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. The phrase “any encouragement from ...” can be read as “any exhortation from ...” From what it says in 2:2 it seems that the threat of disunity was a real danger, and given the pressure the church was under this is not surprising. In such a situation all sorts of people would think they had a teaching from the Lord, and what they thought or said may well have been good, but they also needed to consider the unity of the church, and, in particular, to avoid unduly criticising the leaders. Leaders have to make real decisions, decisions that then have an effect, and in difficult circumstances difficult decisions almost always have some negative consequences. Opinion givers offer their wisdom without actually having to implement it, and when implemented things are never quite so simple as they at first seemed. This is not to say leaders should be above criticism, but we need to take a measured approach.
Paul then turns to appealing to positive virtues. If someone has received comfort from Christ’s love, or knows something of the Holy Spirit, or has any tenderness and compassion. The Lord gives all sorts of virtues and encouragements to us, but we need to use them and act on them.
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