Philippians 4:2-3

Although Mike has cut me loose, I decided to post on these verses anyway.

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:2-3)

According to my commentary, Euodia and Syntyche were possibly two deaconesses in the local church. Apparently there was a point of doctrine on which the two women disagreed. Paul said "I entreat" twice, so as to address each woman individually. Here's an interesting comment by John Wesley:

And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow - St. Paul had many fellowlabourers,
but not many yokefellows. In this number was Barnabas first, and then Silas,
whom he probably addresses here; for Silas had been his yokefellow at the very
place, Acts 16:19. Help those women who laboured together with me - Literally,
who wrestled. The Greek word doth not imply preaching, or anything of that kind;
but danger and toil endured for the sake of the gospel, which was also endured
at the same time, probably at Philippi, by Clement and my other fellowlabourers
- This is a different word from the former, and does properly imply
fellowpreachers.

So it would appear that perhaps Euodia and Syntyche travelled with Paul and the other Apostles from Antioch. Whatever the case, he said that their names were written in the Book of Life, indicating that despite their difference on doctrine, they were genuine sisters in Christ. It would thus appear that we are to have a certain tolerance for differing doctrine. That said, this text shouldn't be taken as a free license to abandon all standards of doctrine. After all, elsewhere the Bible teaches that we should adhere to the standards taught by Scripture (2 Thessalonians 2:15, for example). So we must be careful to not sway from Biblical truth by teaching or believing false doctrines. Nonetheless, there are small points on which Christians, even from the same church, may disagree. Even among our small group, we aren't all at the same place on the Calvinist/Arminian scale. We don't all have precisely the same view on Covenant Theology. We don't all vote the same way, or eat the same food, or listen to the same music. But as the Bible says, our names are all written in the same Book of Life, and we are entreated to agree in the Lord. We have our differences of opinion, and the text does not say that that this is wrong. These differences do not need to affect our fellowship in Christ.

Of course there are doctrines that are worth contending for. I remember this last year in Sunday school, Batty (or maybe it was Chris) asked us to name a few issues that should be considered essential. Things like the deity of Christ, the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith, exclusive salvation through Christ apart from other religions, and the infallibility of Scripture came up. These are all issues for which we should be on the same page. And when someone isn't there, it would be helpful for another brother to lovingly and gently help to bring him to the knowledge of the truth. So implicitly, this text challenges us to separate essential doctrines from non-essential doctrines.