Reading the Word

Philippians 1:1–6 (ESV)

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 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.

Understanding and Applying the Word

In these introductory words in the Letter to the Philippians, Paul gives thanks to God for the believers in Philippi and remarks that he is sure that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Who and what is Paul referring to?

When you became a believer, you were born again through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. You were given new life. We often forget this aspect of salvation. We talk a great deal about forgiveness of sins, but for some reason our new life in Christ is forgotten. Our new life begins and is a process of growth to maturity for the rest of our lives. As we mature, we put away the old self and its world desires and ways and we become more and more like our Savior as we desire the things he desires. This all happens through the work of God in our lives and one day, God has promised, that we will stand before him complete. This is the day Paul refers to. It is the day of Jesus Christ. When Christ returns for his people and gathers us together to be with him forever. We will be with him and sin will no longer be a part of our lives in any form ever again. What an amazing promise that God has already begun to fulfill in us and we grow closer to every day.

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