That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Paul prays with thanks and joy for fellowship in the gospel, confident that He who began a good work will carry it on until Jesus returns. To approve what is excellent means love abounding more and more in knowledge and judgment gives clear spiritual sight to recognize and choose what is best and to shun every false path. To be sincere and without offense means living pure, blameless and true, doing no wrong to others and putting no stumbling block before them, all the way till Christ comes. That enduring life comes only by a living union with Christ as branch to vine, being filled through Him with the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. Such growth is both duty and privilege, requiring constant advancement by every means of grace, for merely knowing what is excellent only condemns unless divine grace renews the heart and is tasted for oneself.
Prayer Setting and Wording
Paul's prayer is one of thanks and joy for fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, with confidence that He who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. In that prayer he holds the believers in the heart as partakers of grace with him in bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, longing after them and invoking grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ upon the saints in Christ Jesus. Those saints are the subjects and citizens of the kingdom of heaven, called to live in a way the gospel can approve with sincere and blameless character as they await the day of Christ.
To approve things that are excellent is for love to abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, giving spiritual discernment to recognize, discern, and choose what is best and truly excellent. That discernment brings clear spiritual eyesight to shun every false path, for Satan has laid many tracks that cannot be entered. The choosing is urgent because time is very short and each must render an account to God for time, words, and influence, and it means giving employment, thoughts, and pleasures to what is more excellent than gratifying the lusts of the flesh. Such constant, intelligent advancement toward a higher standard in the knowledge of Christ is both duty and privilege, requiring faithful use of God-given talents in His service and greater interest in eternal things than in temporal wants.
To be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ is to live pure, blameless, and true, without causing others to stumble or giving offense, and to remain so until Christ returns in readiness for Him. Sincerity means much more than is commonly supposed, being true to others, doing them no wrong and never suffering them to be unfaithful in duty. It allows no haphazard work but carries the spirit of Christ in all dealings, keeping rooms in healthful condition that approval can rest on them. For those set over others, especially youth, it means being wise counselors and sincere Christians under divine authority rather than severe, harsh, overbearing managers. When a tempted soul seeks Christ with all the heart, Christ gives peace, joy, and abounding love of this kind as evidence of being led and taught of God and a faithful doer of the Word.
This discerning, sincere life is to continue till the day of Christ as the result of a vital living connection with Christ as branch to the vine, being filled through Jesus Christ with the fruits of righteousness to the glory and praise of God. That fruit-bearing evidences discipleship by obedience and glorifies the Father as good works are seen. It comes only by abiding in Christ and having His words abide within, making a person one with Him with the mind and attributes of Christ and harmony between the human will and the Father's will, for without Christ nothing acceptable to God can be done. It is gained by improving every means of grace, grasping the promises, pressing close to Jesus, encouraging tenderness and compassion, keeping the eye single to the glory of God, and maintaining a living connection with God.
Growth and Faithful Living
Growth toward what is excellent is both duty and privilege, calling for constant, intelligent advancement in the knowledge of Christ toward a higher standard by faithful use of God-given talents in His service and greater interest in eternal things than in temporal wants. When a tempted soul seeks Christ with all the heart, Christ gives peace and joy and love abounding yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, so that he approves excellent things and is sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God as evidence of being led and taught of God and a faithful doer of the Word. That discernment comes from love abounding more and more with wisdom from above, and it is gained by improving every means of grace, grasping and appropriating the promises of God, pressing close to Jesus, encouraging tenderness and compassion, keeping the eye single to the glory of God, maintaining a living connection with God and living near God, and having pure Christlike love to God and others rather than self-centeredness. God does not require what cannot be done, but believers are to pray for power, expect it, and receive it so as to grow to Christian maturity. Maintaining the warmth and purity of that love requires a constant supply of Christ's grace, with self-examination and proving whether they are in the faith and employing every means for this growth.
The life called for includes humble, self-watchful correction that binds words of encouragement to reproof with discernment and a wholesome, cheerful but not light and trifling Christlike spirit, with faithfulness and faithful responsibility sustained by God's sufficient grace. Sincerity means much more than is commonly supposed, being true to others, doing them no wrong and never suffering them to be unfaithful in duty, with no haphazard work but carrying the spirit of Christ in all dealings, keeping rooms in healthful condition that approval can rest on them, and for those set over others, especially youth, being wise counselors and sincere Christians under divine authority rather than severe, harsh, overbearing managers. It makes a person an ever-growing Christian and a guide and example to others in strong faith, complete consecration, perfect love, ardent zeal, patience, longsuffering, kindness and compassion, and steady advancement in the knowledge and love of Christ, without gathering too many worrying and perplexing burdens. So labor multiplies the fruits of the Spirit and profiting appears to all, with present and future usefulness depending on that connection with God.
Christ's sinless life in human nature shows that through grace humanity can overcome temptation and stand in Him. Yet merely recognizing and approving what is excellent is not enough when a person still follows a path God has forbidden, for knowing what is right without choosing it leaves no true, experienced relish for the good. Religious knowledge of truth, warnings, promises, the refuge from wrath, the remedy for sin, and the right way can remain only theoretical without the renewing power of divine grace felt on the heart and without tasting for oneself that the Lord is good, leaving no readiness for Christ, and all such knowledge only increases condemnation unless the Christian life takes on this different mold. This calls for clear spiritual eyesight to shun every false path because many tracks have been laid that cannot be entered, which is urgent because time is very short and each must render an account to God for time, words, and influence while working for eternity without losing a moment. It means giving employment, thoughts, and pleasures to what is more excellent than gratifying the lusts of the flesh, with the eye single to the glory of God preparing a person for whatever work or responsibility in Christ's line, however difficult or dangerous, and making progress plain to all.
Paul prays with thanks and joy for fellowship in the gospel, confident that He who began a good work will carry it on until Jesus returns. To approve what is excellent means love abounding more and more in knowledge and judgment gives clear spiritual sight to recognize and choose what is best and to shun every false path. To be sincere and without offense means living pure, blameless and true, doing no wrong to others and putting no stumbling block before them, all the way till Christ comes. That enduring life comes only by a living union with Christ as branch to vine, being filled through Him with the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. Such growth is both duty and privilege, requiring constant advancement by every means of grace, for merely knowing what is excellent only condemns unless divine grace renews the heart and is tasted for oneself.
Prayer Setting and Wording
Paul's prayer is one of thanks and joy for fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, with confidence that He who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. In that prayer he holds the believers in the heart as partakers of grace with him in bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, longing after them and invoking grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ upon the saints in Christ Jesus. Those saints are the subjects and citizens of the kingdom of heaven, called to live in a way the gospel can approve with sincere and blameless character as they await the day of Christ.
To approve things that are excellent is for love to abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, giving spiritual discernment to recognize, discern, and choose what is best and truly excellent. That discernment brings clear spiritual eyesight to shun every false path, for Satan has laid many tracks that cannot be entered. The choosing is urgent because time is very short and each must render an account to God for time, words, and influence, and it means giving employment, thoughts, and pleasures to what is more excellent than gratifying the lusts of the flesh. Such constant, intelligent advancement toward a higher standard in the knowledge of Christ is both duty and privilege, requiring faithful use of God-given talents in His service and greater interest in eternal things than in temporal wants.
To be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ is to live pure, blameless, and true, without causing others to stumble or giving offense, and to remain so until Christ returns in readiness for Him. Sincerity means much more than is commonly supposed, being true to others, doing them no wrong and never suffering them to be unfaithful in duty. It allows no haphazard work but carries the spirit of Christ in all dealings, keeping rooms in healthful condition that approval can rest on them. For those set over others, especially youth, it means being wise counselors and sincere Christians under divine authority rather than severe, harsh, overbearing managers. When a tempted soul seeks Christ with all the heart, Christ gives peace, joy, and abounding love of this kind as evidence of being led and taught of God and a faithful doer of the Word.
This discerning, sincere life is to continue till the day of Christ as the result of a vital living connection with Christ as branch to the vine, being filled through Jesus Christ with the fruits of righteousness to the glory and praise of God. That fruit-bearing evidences discipleship by obedience and glorifies the Father as good works are seen. It comes only by abiding in Christ and having His words abide within, making a person one with Him with the mind and attributes of Christ and harmony between the human will and the Father's will, for without Christ nothing acceptable to God can be done. It is gained by improving every means of grace, grasping the promises, pressing close to Jesus, encouraging tenderness and compassion, keeping the eye single to the glory of God, and maintaining a living connection with God.
Growth and Faithful Living
Growth toward what is excellent is both duty and privilege, calling for constant, intelligent advancement in the knowledge of Christ toward a higher standard by faithful use of God-given talents in His service and greater interest in eternal things than in temporal wants. When a tempted soul seeks Christ with all the heart, Christ gives peace and joy and love abounding yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, so that he approves excellent things and is sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God as evidence of being led and taught of God and a faithful doer of the Word. That discernment comes from love abounding more and more with wisdom from above, and it is gained by improving every means of grace, grasping and appropriating the promises of God, pressing close to Jesus, encouraging tenderness and compassion, keeping the eye single to the glory of God, maintaining a living connection with God and living near God, and having pure Christlike love to God and others rather than self-centeredness. God does not require what cannot be done, but believers are to pray for power, expect it, and receive it so as to grow to Christian maturity. Maintaining the warmth and purity of that love requires a constant supply of Christ's grace, with self-examination and proving whether they are in the faith and employing every means for this growth.
The life called for includes humble, self-watchful correction that binds words of encouragement to reproof with discernment and a wholesome, cheerful but not light and trifling Christlike spirit, with faithfulness and faithful responsibility sustained by God's sufficient grace. Sincerity means much more than is commonly supposed, being true to others, doing them no wrong and never suffering them to be unfaithful in duty, with no haphazard work but carrying the spirit of Christ in all dealings, keeping rooms in healthful condition that approval can rest on them, and for those set over others, especially youth, being wise counselors and sincere Christians under divine authority rather than severe, harsh, overbearing managers. It makes a person an ever-growing Christian and a guide and example to others in strong faith, complete consecration, perfect love, ardent zeal, patience, longsuffering, kindness and compassion, and steady advancement in the knowledge and love of Christ, without gathering too many worrying and perplexing burdens. So labor multiplies the fruits of the Spirit and profiting appears to all, with present and future usefulness depending on that connection with God.
Christ's sinless life in human nature shows that through grace humanity can overcome temptation and stand in Him. Yet merely recognizing and approving what is excellent is not enough when a person still follows a path God has forbidden, for knowing what is right without choosing it leaves no true, experienced relish for the good. Religious knowledge of truth, warnings, promises, the refuge from wrath, the remedy for sin, and the right way can remain only theoretical without the renewing power of divine grace felt on the heart and without tasting for oneself that the Lord is good, leaving no readiness for Christ, and all such knowledge only increases condemnation unless the Christian life takes on this different mold. This calls for clear spiritual eyesight to shun every false path because many tracks have been laid that cannot be entered, which is urgent because time is very short and each must render an account to God for time, words, and influence while working for eternity without losing a moment. It means giving employment, thoughts, and pleasures to what is more excellent than gratifying the lusts of the flesh, with the eye single to the glory of God preparing a person for whatever work or responsibility in Christ's line, however difficult or dangerous, and making progress plain to all.