Philippians 1:9-11 -- The Commentary
This is Part 2 of my commentary on Philippians
1:9-11. In Part 1 I share the personal spiritual struggles I
dealt with in my early adulthood and my personal testimony. I
hope you take a few minutes to read Part 1, because it will help you
understand why I fell in love with the book of Philippians many
years ago, especially verses 9-11 in the first chapter. They
are the foundation on which I base my personal convictions and a
terrific guide for making decisions that please the Lord.
In this I pray, that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that
ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offense until the day of Christ;
being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are
by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
You’ll notice that the chart below looks much like a
set of stairs. This is to show that the different attributes in
verses 9-11 are foundational, one builds on another. You can’t go to
step 2 until you’ve accomplished step 1. You can’t reach step 3
until you’ve achieved step 2, and so on.
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unto the glory and praise of God |
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filled with fruits of righteousness |
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Sincere and without offense |
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approve things that are excellent |
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more knowledge and all judgment |
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love may abound
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Verse 9 is the beginning of a list of things Paul is
praying for the believers at Philippi. He prays, first of all, that
their love may abound. Love for what? Or, for whom? Paul could have
been praying that their love for each other abound (Ephesians 1:15,
Colossians 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:3). It’s possible
that he was praying that they be filled with Christ’s love . After
all, if we aren’t filled with Christ’s love, how can we love others?
Another possibility is that Paul was praying concerning their
character, that they would be characterized by love. Perhaps he
was praying that their love toward the Lord would abound (Philemon
1:5). Whatever
the case, Paul wanted their love to abound yet more and more in
knowledge.
We know in our earthly relationships that the more
we love someone, the more we want to know about him or her. We want
to know his/her favorite food, favorite color or fragrance. What
makes him happy? What makes her sad, or angry? Love draws us closer
and produces a desire to have a more intimate knowledge of another.
I think that’s why Paul mentions love as the basis of gaining
knowledge. Love gives the incentive and motivation to know more. Why
shouldn’t it be the same with the Lord? Our love for Him, first of
all, should always be increasing. Then, as our love for Him abounds,
we will desire to know more and more about Him, His teachings and
His doctrines (Colossians 1:9-10). And, it’s through God’s Word that we can gain
knowledge of Him. That, and through prayer.
When our love abounds more and more in knowledge, we
will begin to make better judgments, or decisions. Why? Because the
better we know the Lord, the better we will know how He will
respond. When we can truly answer the question, “what would Jesus
do?” we will make better decisions. This is the work and evidence of
the Holy Spirit’s control in our lives.
As we start making better decisions, we will
eventually approve those things that are excellent. The word
“approve” refers to testing, or proving that something is worthy.
Paul also used a similar word in Romans 12:2 when he instructed us
“to prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God.”
Obviously, there are multiple choices for every
decision we make. Our choices can be the antithesis of godly. They
can be sinful, even evil. We can make poor decisions, or just okay
decisions. The decisions we make can actually be a good ones; but as
we contemplate our choices for each and every decision we face,
there is always one that is the best, the most excellent one. The
second chart illustrates this.
Decision/Action |
Bad |
Poor |
Okay |
Good |
Excellent |
Repeat information
told to you in confidence |
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Provide food/meals
to a family in need |
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Wait until Sunday
morning to study the SS lesson you'll teach |
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Share a gospel
tract with a waiter in a restaurant |
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Talk negatively
about a co-worker with another co-worker |
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Portion of your
tithe goes toward car repairs |
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Obviously, not all the decisions listed above would
be considered “excellent” choices. I purposely checked the
“excellent” category to indicate the goal for which we should
strive. Even when confronted with several “good” choices, the key
question to ask is, “what is the most excellent choice?” As our love
abounds in yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, we
will desire to approve those things that are excellent. This would
be what most pleases the Lord. This chart helped me tremendously
because it showed me that making excellent choices is about more
than choosing between right and wrong. Even when confronted with
several good choices, there is always going to be one that is the
most excellent...the one that most pleases the Lord. Therefore,
that’s the one I should choose.
As we begin to make excellent choices, we will be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. The word
“sincere” actually comes from a Latin word, sine cera, which
literally means “without wax.” In Greek it means “sun tested.” When
I first learned about china, I was taught that the thinner and more
transparent the china, the better its quality. This was also true in
ancient times. Pottery that was thick and non-transparent when held
up to the sun was considered a lesser quality than the more
translucent pottery. However, the thinner and finer pottery was
fragile and could more easily crack in the firing process. Dishonest
vendors would often try to cover up the cracks by trying to conceal
it with a wax substance and try to pass it off as perfect. Once the
piece was painted or glazed, the crack would be virtually
undetectable unless it was held up to the sunlight to test its “sincerety.”
Like the dishonest vendors, we Christians too often
put on our spiritual suit of clothes in an attempt to cover up the
hypocrisy that lies within our hearts. Obviously we aren’t perfect
and we all have our flaws, but God always knows our heart’s
intentions and motives (1 Samuel 16:7, Isaiah 55:8-9). Paul prayed that as our lives are tested and
held up to His light, we would be proved worthy, sincere and without
offense.
A natural result of this lifestyle is being filled
with (or controlled by) the fruits of righteousness (Colossians 1:6,
10), which are by
Jesus Christ. “The ‘fruits of righteousness’ is an Old Testament
expression that has to do with the fulfilling of all of the
requirements of the Law. Righteousness was to be the product of the
Law because the Law revealed the righteousness and holiness of God.
What Paul desires in the lives of these believers is conformity to
the standard of God’s revealed holiness. But this righteousness
about which he prays here does not come from the Law The fruits of
righteousness for which Paul prayed were the result of walking after
the Spirit (Romans 8:4), not the flesh. These fruits are produced ‘by Jesus
Christ.’”. And, finally, all that we love, know, discern and
approve is to be unto the glory and praise of God. Paul was always
conscientious that our primary motive should be to glorify Jesus,
and he reminded us of this throughout his epistles in verses such
as, “Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all
to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
What excited me so much about these verses is the
focus on the positive things I can be doing rather than on the
negative things I shouldn’t. There are no “thou shalt nots.” There
are no rules with the threat of punishment if I fail to obey.
Instead, the foundation of my making good decisions is to be my love
for the Lord. When I get caught up with what’s right and wrong, or
whether or not a particular action is permissible for me to do, the
focus is on myself. I’m really trying to determine how close I can
get to the “sin line” before crossing it. In other words, I’m
concentrating on what I can get away with.
I’m not proposing that I shouldn’t be concerned with
wrong doing. Instead, I’m proposing that I should be more concerned
with right doing. And, not just doing right, but doing excellently.
When my sights are on Jesus Christ and proving my love for Him. I’m
not going to be thinking about how close my toes can get to the sin
line before going over it. I’m going to be thinking about how close
I can get to Jesus and what will please Him.
Another reason the Philippians 1:9-11 type of
decision-making process is so meaningful to me is because the type
of Christianity I was raised with was guilt ridden. The key
motivation in making the right choice was to make one feel guilty. I
found no joy in making a decision strictly on the basis of guilt, or
just to avoid consequences — even when the right decision was made
in the end. To illustrate this point, consider the following story.
Though humorous, I think it makes a valid point.
The Naughty Parrot
A young man named John received a parrot as a
gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse
vocabulary. Every word out of this bird's mouth was rude,
obnoxious and laced with profanity.
John tried and tried to change the bird's
attitude by constantly saying polite words, playing soft music,
and anything he could think of to set a good example. Nothing
worked. Finally, John got fed up and he yelled at the parrot.
And, the bird yelled back. John shook the parrot, and the bird
got angrier and ruder. Finally, in a moment of desperation, John
put the bird in the refrigerator freezer.
For a few minutes, John heard the bird squawk
and kick and scream... then suddenly there was quiet. Not a peep
for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the bird, John quickly
opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out
onto John's outstretched arm and said, "I believe I may have
offended you with my rude language and actions. I am truly
sorry, and I will do everything to correct my poor behavior."
John was astonished at the bird's change of
attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a
dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask
what the chicken did?"
The parrot finally got the message only after some
extreme threats and a perception of what was in store for him if he
didn’t change his behavior. Unfortunately, his future obedience will
always be a result of fear for his master, and what will become of
him if he disobeys. Just think of the difference in their
relationship if the parrot had chosen to please his master out of
love. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out
fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect
in love” (1 John 4:18). Fear and love are not compatible. When
love is perfect, fear has no place in a relationship.
Combine this concept with that of Philippians
1:9-11. As our love abounds, fear should decrease. What a difference
in our relationship with the Lord when we choose to serve Him out of
love. There is a sweetness in our relationship and a “joy
unspeakable” (1 Peter 3:8) when we serve the Lord out of a willingness of heart,
rather than from a sense of duty.
Parents, consider the following scenario (if you’re
not a parent, rework the circumstances to fit a situation or
subordinate at work): You arrive home and see that your children
have vacuumed the floors, dusted the furniture, washed and dried the
laundry, set the table and are ready to serve dinner. What is your
response? Well, it depends on your expectations. If you had left
your children orders that all of these chores were to be completed
before you arrived home, your response would be based on how well
your children followed your instructions. Were the floors vacuumed?
Was the laundry done and put away? If the chores weren’t completed,
there would be consequences, right? But what if you hadn’t given
your children any such instructions, and they had done all these
chores to please and show their love for you? You would be kicking
up your heels, thinking you had the best kids in the world.
Under which conditions would you, as a parent,
receive the most pleasure? Obviously, this is a ridiculous question
to ask. If you came home with the expectation that the chores
“better be done,” you would enter the house scrutinizing the floors
and furniture to determine how well your children had followed
through on your instructions. But can you imagine if your children’s
actions were motivated by love? You’d be overjoyed. You’d be
bragging on them to all your friends and co-workers, telling them
what great kids you have. On the other hand, which children do you
think did these chores with the most joy? Obviously, those who were
motivated to do them out of love. Those who did them as an
assignment most likely did them either out of a fear of punishment,
or because they expected some type of compensation in return, such
as doing them in exchange for an allowance. In either case, their
motives were selfish and self-centered.
I think this scenario is a great illustration of the
lesson I learned from Philippians 1:9-11. I had no joy in my
Christian life when my decisions were based on duty or fear of the
consequences if I didn’t obey. When I make excellent choices now
because my love for my Heavenly Father is abounding more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment, approving those things that are
excellent, my life is filled with joy. Like the parent, I believe
that our Heavenly Father is most pleased when, as His child, I make
excellent choices and obey Him out of love. When I obey Him out of
fear of the consequences, there is no joy in that -- not for Him and
not for me. That’s what the law was about thousands of years ago.
That’s what legalism is about today.
I have come to a better understanding of the Law
through Ray Stedman’s book, From Guilt to Glory in which he
describes the Law’s purpose. First, it was a standard of conduct. It
was the expected behavior. When an Israelite fulfilled the Law, he
didn’t receive an “atta boy” or a pat on the back for a doing a good
job. There was no reward for doing the expected. However, anything
less was a sin. While rewards might not have been handed out for
following the Law (which produced righteousness), there sure were
consequences when the Law wasn’t followed. Thus, the second purpose
of the Law was to condemn failure. It punished wrong doing.
Therefore, the effect of the Law was to discourage. It gives a sense
of despair. While churches today enjoy proclaiming God’s grace,
there are still churches which continue to uphold an unspoken “law.”
They expect a particular mode of behavior from their members.
Anything less than that brings about condemnation. On the surface
those churches may appear to be growing and thriving, but I believe
a closer look would reveal many joyless, unhappy church members. The
reason for that is they have been taught to do the right thing by
following the rules, rather than being allowed to do the right thing
because they have been taught to love Jesus.
We make hundreds, maybe even thousands, of decisions
everyday, from what we wear, which route to take to work, what we
eat, how we treat others, how we perform our job, how we worship,
and what we do with our free time. Unlike the Israelites who lived
under the guidance of law, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to
help us make excellent choices. That’s the beauty of what we
believers have today under the dispensation of grace. While we still
have His instruction book, the Bible, to show us how we should live,
God did not make us robots to automatically obey every command or to
live within a restricted set of circumstances. He has given us the
wonderful privilege of deciding for ourselves that He is worthy of
our love and devotion, and we demonstrate that by saying, “Lord,
thank you, I choose your way.”
As you evaluate your life, remember it is the
excellent choices we make which most glorify and please the Lord. To
help you determined how your life’s activities are achieving that
goal, here’s another way to use the chart shown earlier in this
commentary. List, instead, all the activities in which you primarily
spend your time. Some possibilities are listed for you to get you
started.
Activity |
Bad |
Poor |
Okay |
Good |
Excellent |
Work/Vocation/Career |
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Household Chores |
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Shopping |
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Eating |
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Television/Video Games |
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Participatory Sports |
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Spectator Sports |
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Hobbies |
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Music |
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Church/Bible Study |
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Movies |
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School/Training |
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Complete the list based on your own lifestyle, then
go back and rate each activity. Granted, there are many activities
that are necessary in life, such as household chores, that you might
have a hard time placing in the “Excellent” category. Yet if you can
honestly say that those activities are being done for the proper
motive “...whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1
Corinthians 10:31), then
why not rate them as “Excellent?” When you finish rating the
activities, what does the list reflect about your life? In which rating(s) do most of your activities fall? Does the list reveal that
your overall life is pleasing to the Lord? If not, then you may need
to realign some of your activities, or make readjustments about how
you’re spending your time, and how you’re living your life.
I join Paul in his prayer that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may
approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and
without offense till the day of Christ, Being filled with the fruits
of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and
praise of God.
References
Martin, Ralph P. The New Century Bible
Commentary - Philippians. (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
Grand Rapids, MI: 1976, Reprinted 1989) 68.
Boice, James Montgomery. Philippians - An
Expositional Commentary. (Ministry Resources Library,
Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI: 1971) 54.
Pentecost, J. Dwight. A Joy of Living - A
Study of Philippians. (Lamplighter Books, Zondervan
Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI: 1973) 24.
Hawthorne, Gerald F. Word Biblical
Commentary, Volume 43, Philippians. (Word Books, Waco, TX:
1983) 25.
Stedman, Ray C. From Guilt to Glory, Volume
1, Hope for the Helpless. (Originally published: Multnomah
Press, Portland, OR: 1978) 211-222.
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