Confidence Comes from our Security In Jesus

Nick Minerva • Sep 06, 2021

We can have joy-filled confidence, despite our circumstances, because of the work of God in our lives. Look at Philippians 1:6. This may be my favorite verse in Philippians.

Philippians 1:6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The good work that God began, for some back in Acts 16, God was going to finish. God was the one that would carry them on to completion, to that final day when they stand before Jesus. Paul is encouraging this church and us that we will be preserved to the end because we are in Christ. 

“Salvation is not by human achievement, but by divine accomplishment through the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross.”

Steven J. Lawson 1

Our Security in Christ Produces Confident Joy

Because God has begun this work in us, we can rest assured that he will complete it. You can be as certain of heaven as though you have already been there for hundreds of years. Know, how do we grow in this confident joy? How do we experience it? First of all, we continually trust in God. 

Continually Trust in God

Psalm 20:7-8 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.

When we place our confidence in what God is doing, instead of what man is doing, we can stand firm in the battles that we face. This means every day we get up and adopt a heart posture of dependence on God. Even if we aren’t doing something that brings us outside of our comfort zone, even if we are doing something that feels mundane, we don’t place our trust in earthly things, we don’t place our trust in ourselves, we place our trust in God. 

Hebrews 10:35-37 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

God Rewards Endurance

God will reward faithfulness to him, so the writer of Hebrews encourages and warns us to not throw away our confidence because we need endurance. Yes, life is hard, but you can live with confident joy because God is going to finish what he started in you. God is going to finish what he started. God started this good work the moment we received justification by faith. And by his grace and through his Holy Spirit he is carrying it on through our sanctification. 

Every hardship, every difficulty, every test of faith is an opportunity to surrender to the Holy Spirit to allow him to carry on this good work that he started, that he will complete, the moment we stand before Jesus and receive our full inheritance. This is glorification. That is the moment our faith becomes sight. In this one little verse, we see the entire process of our salvation taking place. And we see that it is all the work of God. 

God Has No Unfinished Projects

All of us have started a DIY project with all the zeal of Chip Gaines on demo day, only to have that excitement fade and the project left unfinished. But God is not like us. His zeal to complete the work he started in you will not fade. This is good, confidence-building news! And it’s a sure promise. The Word of God breaks through the fog of confusion that we are facing like a light in the darkness and gives us sure ground to stand on. You can live with confidence that God is working in you because you are in him.

Kent Hughes is the former Senior Pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Hughes is the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Disciplines of a Godly Man. In his commentary on Philippians 1:6, he says “As I reflect on my fifty plus years in Christ it is indeed God who has kept me. It is not my grip on God that has made the difference, but his grip on me. I am not confident in my goodness. I am not confident in my character. I am not confident in my history. I am not confident in my “reverend” persona. I am not confident in my perseverance. But I am confident in God.” – Kent Hughes 2

Faithfulness IS Fruitfulness

We experience joy-filled confidence as we regularly place our trust in God. We also grow in confidence as we see the fruit of his work in our lives. When God does the work of salvation in the lives of people, they bear fruit. They demonstrate a life of faithfulness. This is what Paul says in verse 7. 

“ Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” 

Their partnership was an observable fruit of the work of God. There was observable fruit to their faith. All the things Paul commends this church for are the fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John talked about how this produced fruit in his life.

3 John 4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth .

Seeing the fruit of God working in your life produces confidence because it reinforces that God is working. Later in Philippians Paul tells this church…

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Confidence Produces Holy Living

Having an assurance of salvation does NOT lead to idleness, but joyful obedience, perseverance, and endurance. Knowing God is going to finish what he started produces faith to live holy lives. It produces faith to live in such a way that advances the kingdom of God because it reminds us that we are co-laborers with God. Many of us can look back throughout our lives and see God’s faithfulness over and over again. We can see God working in our hearts and through our lives. We have had those experiences that were undeniably the Spirit of God working through us. That is what Paul is expressing as he hears about this church. And as we look around at the work of God in our lives we too can experience joy-filled confidence. 

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  1. Lawson, Steven J., and John MacArthur. Philippians For You. The Good Book Company, 2017.
  2. Hughes, R. Kent. Philippians: The Fellowship of the Gospel. Preaching the Word , Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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