PAUL’S PRAYER-DESIRE FOR THE PHILIPPIANS

(Part 4)

Phil. 1:9-11

Morning Meditation 10/23/16

Verses 9-11 say, “And 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 offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

We have been looking at Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Philippi. We have been studying his prayer list. We will continue down the list. He says next, “ . . . That ye may approve things that are excellent . . .” This is a very important thing in the life of the Christian. It was so important that Paul names it in this epistle. He wants the Philippian Christians to know that he feels that it is important enough to tell them that this is one of the things for which he prays.

The word translated “ye” is the plural you. The King James Bible always helps us with this plural pronoun by translating it “ye.” So he is speaking to the whole Church at Philippi. The word “approve” translates “dokimazo” and means, “to test, to examine, to prove, to scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as the testing of metals.” A. T. Robinson says that the first meaning of this word, “is to distinguish between good and evil and that is not always easy in our complex civilization.” The verb is a present active infinitive. We cannot correct our past though we can be forgiven where needed. But we can take responsibility for the present. The active voice means that we need to make present tense decisions that will change how we live now. There are so many who cannot tell the difference from right and wrong.

Then he adds, “That ye may approve the things that are excellent . . .” The words “are excellent” translates “diaphero” and means “to carry through.” Kittel says, “It is used in Rom. 2:18 and Phil. 1:10 with reference to what is essential either in fulfilling the law or in the Christian life.” It is a present active participle. This means that these excellent things should be carried through in the Christian life now. The active voice means that for this to happen a choice must be made. The Christian life is a life of choices. We are confronted with the wrong all the time. We have to make a choice between the right and the wrong.

In Paul day there were false teachers that came out of the Jewish community who were influenced by the success of early Christianity. There are those who will get on the band wagon of almost any popular movement. But these teachers were not willing to become Christians to the point where they were willing to recognize that their religion was now wrong. So they adopted a gospel with their own definition of it. Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians to refute one of those perversions of truth. There, it was mixing the Jewish law and grace, and circumcision was the sign. If you want to be a Christian they said, “You must not only believe in Christ, but you must also keep the law and be circumcised. Paul refuted this. This is the very issue over which the council at Jerusalem met to discuss: “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). When a believer is confronted with an issue like this, a testing of the veracity of this is right. The way to test a concept like this is by the Scriptures. After the Council at Jerusalem had discussed this and prayed about it, they approved the thing that was excellent: Acts 15:7-11 says, “And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

Here we have an illustration of the meaning of the words, “That ye may approve things that are excellent.”

How should we go about approving the things that are excellent? First, let me say there are two basic areas which need our excellent approval; doctrinal and moral.

Let’s look for a moment at the doctrinal. It is important to God that you stand right on doctrine. Paul’s prayer list is addressed to the local assembly at Philippi. The local Church’s doctrinal statement needs to be right. The Churches that I have been associated with over the years had articles of faith. We always gave the new members a copy of the articles of faith. We wanted them to know what the Church they joined believed. It is important that the local Church approve doctrine that is excellent. I could not be a member of a Church that did not believe the right thing about essential doctrines. Someone might say, “Who is to determine what is right doctrine?” God’s Word of course is the answer. Jesus established the Church during His personal ministry and said the gates of hell would not prevail against it. It has been here for the last two-thousand years. The Church has had time to discuss the issues and make a statement of faith that is correct. I believe in the historical faith, and it did not begin with the protestant reformation. I believe this historical faith should influence our beliefs. The doctrines believed should not be embraced without question. The Church has not always been right. The Church in not infallible. The Word of God IS. So individually, I have the right and responsibility to “approve the things that are excellent doctrinally.

Now let’s look for a moment at the morally excellent. Christians are confronted daily with the world’s point of view on morals. Should we as Christians adopt the world’s view on abortion? We believe as Christians that abortion is murder. If we believe that life begins with conception, there is no other conclusion to which we can come. So when the Christian has to make a decision about an issue like this, he must make it in favor of the Scriptures. No Christian walks by faith who does not consult and obey the truth of Scripture. The supreme court of the United States does not determine the morals of the Christian. We must approve the things that are excellent.

Homosexuality is being accepted more and more as an alternative life style. A Christian knows this is a moral issue and that the Bible takes no uncertain stand. It is plain in Romans one and in many other places that the homosexual’s perversion of the truth is an abomination to God: “Lev. 20:13 says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” When the Christian is confronted with this issue, he must “approve” or “disapprove.” If he approves, he approves what God disapproves. This puts him against God. True repentance at the time of salvation was supposed to put the Christian on God’s side. If some professed Christians have ever repented, they have repented of their repentance.

Every moral issue with which the Christian is faced, he must make a decision. We cannot be neutral. Jesus said in Matt. 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Jesus says we cannot be neutral. He is still the head of the Church. He determines what is believed on doctrinal and moral issues.

I can just hear someone say, “How far should I go in the application of my doctrinal conviction and moral standards?” That is a good question. For beginners, Jesus should be our example. On doctrine, He taught the truth but forced it on no one. We should follow His example in being open about what we believe without being repulsive. On moral issues, we should not violate the Scriptures or our conscience. When confronted with issues like abortion, we must not do it or endorse it. For the Christian, abortion is murder. There is no neutral position for the Christian.. Jesus is still the head of the Church and He said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

On issues like homosexuality, there is no neutrality. The Bible says in Lev. 20:13, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” We are not going to change the world’s view on things like this. But neither are we to adopt the world-view to avoid their hatred of the truth for which we stand.

There are many other smaller issues with which the Christian is faced daily. It is important that each thing with which we are faced, we “approve the things that are excellent.”

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White