Growing In Love Produces The Fruit of Righteousness

Nick Minerva • Sep 14, 2021

In our last post we see that knowledge and discernment shape our growing love. In verse ten we are given the reason.

Philippians 1:10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

Know What Is Best

The reason that knowledge and discernment shape our love is so that we would be able to examine what is right in front of us and determine what is excellent and what is best. Not only do we need to determine right from wrong, we also need to determine what is best from second best. 

Now the word approve means more than just cognitively recognize, it’s embrace and delight in. Based on a growing knowledgeable and discerning love, we pray that we can joyfully choose the things that are best in this life. Our life is a series of choices. This is why we need discernment. What we choose day in and day out shapes our lives. 

Foolish and sinful choices leave us unprepared for the coming of Jesus. We live in view of “that day of Christ” by knowing Jesus and passionately pursuing a life that matters. Now we can take comfort in the fact that this is a prayer. This is something that we are called to grow in. The reason we are praying this way is because we need to grow in being able to approve the things that are superior. We need knowledge to know what’s right and wrong AND discernment to know what is best for us according to God’s Word in each moment. 

It’s easy to look back and see where discernment would have been needed or maybe discernment was there but it wasn’t brought to fruition in a way that it should have been. But the point of this passage is not to look back and beat ourselves up, but to direct how we move forward. It’s God’s desire that his church is a place where people can together walk in knowledge and discernment so that we can help each live out verse ten. 

Pure and Blameless

Why do we need to be to approve things that are superior? So that we can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. God wants us to be ready for the moment when Jesus comes back. Paul would often pray this way for those he wrote to. 

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you. May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.

Jesus is coming back and we should desire to be ready to meet him. Now this doesn’t contradict what we saw in verse 6 that told us that God will finish what he started. Our past justification, current sanctification, and future glorification are all of grace. What this shows us is that we are saved to live righteously. We are saved FOR good works, not BY good works. The fact that Jesus is coming should influence the way we desire to live our lives. 

Live For His Coming

I can remember as a kid whenever my Mom would leave us at home she would give us a job to do that had to be done by the time she returned. She would leave and without fail I would go play and completely forget about that chore…until the moment I heard her car pull up into the driveway. Then there was that moment of panic – MOM’S HOME! I would race off to start what I was told to have finished. 

Paul is reminding us that Jesus is coming. This truth should cause us to live pure and blamelessly. Now we may read this and think, aren’t we already pure and blameless in Christ? Positionally, yes. But Paul is not referring to our position in Christ. He is referring to the way we live. You can see this by the fact that he is asking for it. You don’t need to keep asking God to justify you. You’re justified! 

Be Real

Paul is praying that our lifestyle would be pure and blameless. Pure means sincere. It literally means to have been exposed by sunlight and found genuine. 1

In ancient times, buyers would hold up a piece of pottery to the sun to make sure there were no cracks that had been covered up. In modern times we hold up a dollar bill to the light to see the watermark that proves it’s real. That’s the idea behind this word. 

It means sincere. It denotes transparency of heart. Paul is praying for their moral transparency. He is praying that our purity would not be just be our position in Christ, but that our lifestyle would continually grow into more and more alignment with our position in Christ. Paul is praying for real moral change to take place as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. 

He prays that we would be pure. He also prays that we would be blameless. Blameless doesn’t mean sinless. To be blameless means the way I live my life isn’t leading others into sin. It’s not causing others to stumble. It means I have a clear conscience. 2

The same word is used throughout the New Testament. Consider the following verses.

Acts 24:16 I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and men.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him . 

WHY?

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Aim To Please Jesus

Now, because of our position in Christ, it’s impossible to make God love us more. But just because we are totally loved by God doesn’t mean he is always happy with our choices. Every parent understands this on some level. You always love your kids, no matter what. But that doesn’t mean you are always pleased with how they are behaving. 

God’s love for us is never in question. And it’s because of that love we want to live blamelessly. We make it our aim, our goal, our purpose, to be pleasing to him. This means we are continually waging war against the sin in our life through confession and repentance and actively pursuing holiness and seeking to please God in everything we do WHILE we are trusting in Christ’s sinless perfection. 

Saved For Good Works

It means we increasingly become filled with the fruit of knowledge. You’ll notice between verses 10 and 11 that there is no “and” or “then” between pure and blameless and filled with fruit of righteousness. So it would seem that filled with the fruit of righteousness is what it means to be pure and blameless. Galatians 5:16-26 is a great passage that lays out for us the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. There are also many other passages that tell us good works are a fruit of grace. 

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work .

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

The good works that God calls us to do are a part of living a pure and blameless life. It’s not just what we don’t do, it’s also what we do. Now at the beginning go verse 11 he prays filled with this fruit. These means there are no half measures! Paul ain’t playing. We will meet Jesus so let’s get at it.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Pursue Growth

Living a life that was pleasing to God was a consuming force in Paul’s life. This is not a prayer for us to go clean ourselves up so that we can meet Jesus. It’s a prayer for us to grow in Christ-likeness, which flows from our union with Christ. It’s a prayer to become what we are because we are going to meet Jesus. And the fact that this is a prayer shows us that this is a work of God in our lives. Verse 11 says this comes through Jesus Christ. It’s not trusting in ourselves to grow in holiness. We can’t rely on how long we have been in church. It’s not about how polished you are or how articulate you are. Holy living comes through Jesus Christ. 

What Paul is doing is praying in alignment with what God is doing. So the example for us is: Pray in accordance with God’s will and then live your life in a way that reflects you believe God is going to answer that prayer. 

We diligently pursue growth in reliance to God’s answer to prayer for our growth.

Are you praying for specific, spiritual growth in your life and are you striving to experience that growth in dependance on the Holy Spirit?

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  1. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1506/csb/mgnt/0-1/

  2. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g677/csb/mgnt/0-1/

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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