For some people of a certain age in the United Kingdom, the phrase “better together” transports them back to the pro-union campaign during the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. The politicians used the phrase as a pithy slogan, seeking to persuade the voting public of their view: that the countries within the United Kingdom benefitted from remaining together, rather than going it alone.
Leaving politics aside, togetherness is an important, and recurring, theme in the Bible. From the beginning, when God said that it was “not good for the man to be alone”[1], mankind was created by God to function best within relationships. Our social structures reflect this in families, in communities, and in nations.
In the New Testament, some of the smallest words in the original Greek express this idea of togetherness. Perhaps your attention is already drifting as the idea of delving into even the most basic grammar of any language brings you out in a cold sweat, or makes you want to watch an Insta reel. Would it help to know that Facebook has been rebranded as Meta, which is a Greek preposition occurring frequently in the New Testament and meaning “with”, “among” or “after”? Perhaps no help at all!
Please allow me to elaborate and mention compound words, prepositions, and prefixes. Here goes . . .
Compound Words
When two words come together to form a new word. Examples in English are foot and ball (football) or snow and man (snowman).
Now that wasn’t too bad, and you are still with me – hopefully!
Prepositions
We will use the BBC bitesize definition which, although far from exhaustive, will serve our purposes:
“A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation to something else. Examples of prepositions include words like 'after', 'before', 'on', 'under', 'inside' and 'outside'.
The house was on the hill beside a tree. In this sentence 'on' and 'beside' are prepositions which show you exactly where the house was.”[2]
Prefixes
A letter or group of letters attached to the beginning of a word to change the meaning and create a new word. Examples are “un” added to happy (unhappy), and “sub” added to heading (subheading).
Now it is time to bring this together and see if a preposition can act as a prefix and form a compound word. The answer is yes. Examples are inhouse and onboard.
Perhaps we have already spent too long with grammar but we will focus on one more example – this time a New Testament Greek preposition that functions as a prefix to form compound words and will bring us back to our theme of “Better Together”.
“Sun”
As a preposition, “sun” expresses a close connection and, when used with different words, it emphasises the idea of unity and teamwork. It can usually be translated as “with” or “together with” and functions in a similar way to the English prefix “co”, as in words like cooperation or co-worker.
It has survived translations into Latin and then into English as the "sym" part of words like symmetry and sympathy, and the "syn" part of words like syndicate and synthesis.
“Sunathleo”
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, emphasizes togetherness by using the prefix "sun" sixteen times. "Athleo", related to athletics, means striving or wrestling. Together they become "striving together." Paul uses this term twice in Philippians (1:27; 4:3) and nowhere else in the New Testament.
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).
Roman citizens in Philippi would have been familiar with military terminology, while the Greeks were well acquainted with athletics and the Olympics. Paul envisioned the local church in Philippi as a team of dedicated athletes striving together in their service for God, functioning as friends and co-workers rather than adversaries or competitors.
Sadly, Euodia and Syntyche are identified by Paul as two women who had previously been effective co-workers in spreading the Gospel, but now they seem to be against each other.
“I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life” (Philippians 4:2-3).
As Christians serving the Lord we are “better together”. Since “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, much more can be accomplished for the Lord when we strive together in common purpose, rather than as individuals striving against each other.
Anyone who coaches a team knows the importance of practice. Teamwork requires effort and perseverance. “Sunathleo” (striving together) is not always easy. Just as a sports team requires different skills and abilities in various team positions (not all members are a Number 9 in an English Premier League or a Quarterback in the NFL), so the same is true of a church. We all have different roles to play, supporting and enabling each other. It is only when we work together as a team that we can expect to see the gospel advance and the blessings flow.
Question:
Are we committed to “striving together” in our local church in harmony with each other and with the Lord?
[1] Genesis 2:18 NLT
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zw38srd
