I thank my God in all my
remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my
prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good
work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It
is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my
heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my
imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God
is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ
Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with
knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is
excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled
with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the
glory and praise of God. (ESV)
If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.
Throughout
each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of
understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the
lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...
The Faith and Works Connection
Jesus starts the partnership by bringing us individually together by faith. Jesus unites us in the Spirit and Jesus will bring our partnership into perfect harmony when we are glorified.
We are justified, sanctified, unified and ultimately GLORIFIED by faith in the gracious work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
Whenever Christians lose sight of that foundational truth we end up getting into a big mess.
The good and correct slogan of our faith is that We are saved by grace through faith - NOT BY WORKS. In another letter Paul writes, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
But - and this is a very important BUT - while we are saved by faith alone, our Scriptures make clear that true saving faith never stands alone, it always produces fruit.
James says it this way, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:14-17 ESV)
In other words, if we say we are Christians, yet there is NO evidence of Gospel transformation in our everyday life - in our generosity, in our hatred for sin in our heart, in mourning over the sin in the world around us, in a love for Jesus and His church, etc..., - then we cannot confidently say we are in fact Christians.
One pastor says it would be like a pear tree claiming to be an apple tree. The fruit just doesn't match the profession. This doesn't mean that once you become a Christian then you are instantly holy, sin free, grateful, generous and gracious. But it does mean that your life should immediately begin the transformation process that Jesus promised, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)
This freedom is a freedom FROM the enslavement of sinful lust, greed, bitterness, fear, resentment and hate, selfishness and the like.
This freedom is a freedom TO live for others, resist temptation, and increasingly submit all of your life to the rule and empowerment of your good, glorious, gracious and great king, Jesus.
Or as Paul simply said it:
After he wrote that "...by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
He followed that up immediately with this famous line, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)
If we say we have been saved, yet are not growing and walking closer with God to do the good that we were created for by Jesus, then we may need to ask if we are the pear trees trying to convince everyone (even ourselves) that we're apple trees.
So, what does all of this have to do with the February passage of Philippians?
It has to do with the link between Paul's assurance of God's faithfulness to the Church in Philippi and Paul's confidence that their faith is actually genuine.
Paul says, "It is right for me to feel this way...," it is right for me to believe that "He who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ..." because the Philippians have been partakers of grace with Paul, "...both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel."
You Philippians didn't just claim Christ when it was easy, when you saw me (PAUL) released from the Philippian jail by God's power in the early days of the church (Acts 16:25-40), but you've also stood by me and followed Christ when things have gotten much more difficult, "in my imprisonment."
And, you've not only supported me (PAUL) from afar through prayer and financial assistance, but you Philippians have also been partakers of grace with me through your own, "defense and confirmation of the Gospel."
Paul has faith in God's work in the Philippians and God gives Paul evidence that Paul's faith is correct by the fruit of faith that the Holy Spirit is producing in the lives of the Philippians.
This matters today.
At the level of personal holiness, we must not simply go on living like the world - sinning without remorse or repentance or conviction - and still claim to be in Christ. Our growth will sometimes come in spurts of advancement in spiritual maturity and at other times we will be growing so slowly (as slow as an actual apple tree) that we may wonder if we are actually being changed. But, we should be able to look back over the course of time since first coming to faith and be able to say, "Yes, God is changing me and has changed me here, and here, and here."
Paul warns us, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)
If, for some reason, you do feel like you've failed the test, this is no time to give up. Simply do what Christ has called you to do from the beginning Repent and believe. Give your life to Christ, live in community with other Christians whom you can confess your sins to, live in community with Christians whom you can receive correction and encouragement from and whom you can love and serve in the power that comes through the Spirit.
Don't give up because of who you have been. Live in the freedom of who you will be if you abide in His word.
At the global level, there has never been a more dangerous time to be a Christian than right now. Martyrdom, imprisonment and other atrocities await those who give their lives to Christ in many regions of the Earth.
And even here in America, loss of family and friends, public mocking and character assassination and more awaits many of us who will live according to Jesus' lordship in our lives and for those of us who will refuse to violate our Christian conscience in order to toe the line of our culture and the laws of a morally bankrupt government.
In this era, when persecution comes, will we support those who like Paul, are imprisoned for their faith? In this era, if persecution and hardship continues to mount at our own doorsteps, will we give a loving, gentle honest reflection of Jesus' love to those who hate Him?
I am sure that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way because you are partakers of grace with Paul - both in his imprisonment and in the confirmation and defense of the Gospel.
