In my last post, I discussed the joy and affection that Paul and the Philippian church had for each other. Today we will look at the apostle’s prayer for the Philippian church.
9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020)
1:9 – After talking about his affection for the Philippians, Paul now tells his readers of his prayer for them, that their love would grow in knowledge and discernment. It is important to see that Paul did not just want the Philippians to grow in love. He wanted their love to grow in two specific ways. Knowledge is not just attaining intellectual information but also gaining the experience to help define the situation you are in. Discernment, according to the Dictionary of Bible Themes is: “The sound judgment which makes possible the distinguishing of good from evil, and the recognition of God’s right ways for his people.”* The study notes of the Christian Standard Bible call it a “moral sensitivity.” When you can love others with this type of knowledge and discernment you have a mature love that is not misguided.
1:10 – The reason Paul wants this for the Philippian church is so they “may approve what is superior.” Sometimes in life, we have to make choices between two seemingly good options. Charles Spurgeon is credited with the quote, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.” When we can tell the difference between right and almost right, good and great, great and greater, and then choose right over almost right, great over good, and greater over great, we will be found “pure and blameless” when we find ourselves before the throne of God.
1:11 – Not only would the Philippians be pure and blameless, but Paul tells them that they would be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.” This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) whom God presented to demonstrate his own righteousness “so that he would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). The fruit of that righteousness is the works that we produce because of the work of Christ within us. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to produce things like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). And none of this is for our own glory. When we have fully devoted our lives to Christ and made him the Lord of our lives we become less concerned with our own glory or status. Instead, we live to worship, serve, and glorify him, and him alone.
*Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).