Paul wants the Philippians to be pure & blameless for Christ when He returns. What does this mean?
[8 1/2 min. read]
*This is DAY 15. Click here for 1-14.
DAY 15/THURSDAY
Philippians 1:9-11
Pure & Blameless for Christ
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
Q & A
Q: Why did Paul pray that the love of the Philippian believers would abound more & more in knowledge & depth of insight?
A: So that they might be…
- able to discern what is best;
- pure & blameless for the day of Christ.
On DAY 14, we studied discernment. Today, we are looking into what it means to be pure & blameless for Christ.
Pure vs. Polluted
The word “pure” has two important definitions for us.
pure:
| free from moral fault or guilt |
| not mixed with anything else; free from what weakens or pollutes |
Once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord & Savior, you are pure according to the first definition above. In Christ, you are free from moral fault or guilt because He has cleansed you by His blood, shed on the cross for your sins.
We have been justified by grace, or as some like to put it: by the grace of Christ it is “just as if I’d never sinned.”
However, until Jesus returns to earth, we are living in a broken, fallen world affected by sin, among people who are still slaves to sin, in our own flesh, which still has sinful desires. We are already justified, but we are being sanctified.
sanctified = purified
Every moral decision (choice between right & wrong) we make as believers either keeps us pure or mixes in some sin. This sin does not keep us from going to heaven (we are justified by grace!), but it does affect our purity. The spiritual process of sanctification makes us more pure.
Not Mixed with Anything Else
Jesus’ half-brother James, a prominent leader in the early church, wrote,
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 (NIV)
You cannot be pure if you are polluted by the world. What does it look like to be polluted by the world?
“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
4You adulterers (unfaithful cheaters)! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him. 6And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
‘God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble,’
(Proverbs 3:34).7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor…
17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
James 4:1-10,17 (NLT)
Every time we choose to do something the way the world does it, we “cheat” on God! Think of it this way: Each time you turn in the direction of the world, of our culture, you are turning away from God — turning your back on Him! On the One who so loved you He sent His Only Son to live & die & rise so you could have a relationship with Him!!! (And, yes, I feel all of those exclamation points are appropriate.)
Don’t Love the World’s Stuff
The apostle John wrote a lot of strong words about the world as well.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
I John 2:15-17 (NIV)
The things of this world that seem so important right now — money, grades, teams, activities, friends, followers, boyfriends/girlfriends, popularity, entertainment, new stuff, pleasure & comfort — are passing away. They will not last long; as a matter of fact, they are already on the way out.
We may be tempted to argue: “But I need those things for life while I’m still here on earth!”
Jesus said,
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
34So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:31-34 (NLT)
We don’t have to worry about the things we need in this life. Our heavenly Father provides all we need! We have no reason to worry over and seek these things for ourselves. Jesus tells us our main concern: seeking God’s kingdom (working for God & serving others) & living righteously (doing what’s right according to His Word).
To be pure for the Day of Christ, we must not mix into our lives the ways of the worldly, unbelieving culture around us that does not worship God.
To Blame Or Not to Blame?
blameless:
| faultless, guiltless, innocent |
When Jesus returns on “the day of Christ,” everyone will be judged, Christians & non-Christians. Christians will go to the new heaven & new earth for eternity in the very presence of God & Christ; non-Christians will go to hell to suffer the pain of eternal separation from God & from all His goodness & blessing.
Furthermore, Christians will also be judged for what they did and did not do as believers and will be rewarded, or not, based on this. We will be blamed for making sinful choices, losing eternal rewards & blessings that could have been ours. The blameless saints store up their treasures in heaven.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)
Eternity is always to be the focus of the Christian, not the temporary things of daily life here on earth. To be found blameless, we must take our eyes off the world and fix them on Christ.
Don’t Live as the World Lives
We read some of what James wrote to Christians about their worldliness. Likewise, Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians about how they were still living like people of the world, still letting their sinful natures control them.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?“
I Corinthians 3:1-3 (NLT)
Sounds a lot like what we read from James 4, doesn’t it?
Paul continues in his letter to the Corinthians, stressing that their works on earth will have a great impact on their rewards, or lack of rewards, in eternity.
“Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
I Corinthians 3:10-15 (NLT)
- Worldly works will be burned up.
- Works done for wrong motives will be lost.
- Works of sanctification (becoming more like Christ) will remain!
- Any works done with the pure motive of serving Christ will be rewarded!
To be found pure on the Day of Christ, don’t let yourself be polluted by the world. Don’t try to mix in what pleases your sinful nature with what pleases God.
To be found blameless on the Day of Christ, store up your treasures in heaven. Work for Christ; do the work of becoming more like Christ.
DAY 15/THURSDAY Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
Our family wants to be found pure & blameless on the Day Jesus returns!
Lord, purify us; let us not give in to the temptations of the world that is here today but gone tomorrow.
May we be found blameless in Your sight, serving others to please You & becoming more like Christ with each choice we make.
In His name,
Amen.
DAY 15: Paul wants the Philippians to be pure & blameless for Christ when He returns.