Here is another teaching that I have written from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. Again, Paul’s focus seems to be on the believer getting themself ready for the rapture of the church. The apostle’s writings make it clear that the believer does have a role in the gift of salvation they have received from God. I do not mean in obtaining the gift itself but once received there is work involved in the process to its completion. Do not be deceived in thinking that all that is required of the believer is to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Some think that the Lord will supernaturally transform them as they go throughout their day living any old way they please. If this were so than Paul would not have informed the believer to offer their body to the Lord as a living sacrifice, and to stop conforming oneself to the ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2a). But instead, the believer is responsible in renewing their own mind so that they can be transformed (Rom. 12:2b). If the believer is too lazy to do what is required than they cannot even know what God’s will is (Rom. 12:2c). If the believer practices sowing to their flesh (the sinful nature) than they will reap eternal misery, but if they step up and sow to the Holy Spirit than they will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8). The believer is to consciously walk in the Holy Spirit so they do not do what the sinful nature pressures them to do (Gal. 5:16). If you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ than you will make the effort to crucify the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Gal. 5:24). If you truly do live by the Spirit of God, doing as he instructs, then you will be mindful to walk in him (Gal. 5:25).
“Do all things without murmurings
and disputes, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God
without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom
you are seen as lights in the world, holding up the Word of life; that I may
have something to boast in the day of Messiah, that I didn't run in vain nor
labor in vain” (Philippians 2:14-16, HNV).
Chapter two begins with a word of
encouragement from Paul to the Philippian believers to think the same way, not
in the cultic fashion, but in the way the sons of God who are manifestly united
with Christ are expected to love one another (2:1-2). The believers are to love
the same way, as their spirits are joined together doing the will of God. It is
like those that preached the word of God while Paul was in prison, they spoke
the word of God with boldness and without fear (1:12-14). The genuine did so
because of love, not only for the Lord, but also for Paul because he was held
in captivity (1:16). But of course, there were those that did it because they
had their own agenda (1:17), but that type of self-centeredness is neither here
nor there. Paul demands the believer conducts themself in a way honorable of
the gospel, for this will help prove that they are one-in-spirit (1:27). In
reference to the body of Christ, not one single thing should be done through
self-interest or egotism (2:3a), but instead the narcissist should humble
himself and put others first (2:3b). The believer should not only be interested
in himself but he should be even more interested in the rest of the church
(2:4)—Christ our Lord is the example (2:5-8).
Paul directs the believer to go
about their business without whining or squabbling; in the sense of spreading
rumors which ends up causing quarreling within the church (2:14). Whining and
squabbling hinders the believer’s God-given opportunity to become amemptos
(Greek transliteration for the English words: blameless or faultless) and
akeraios (Greek transliteration for the English words: pure, unmixed, or
unadulterated) children of God (2:15a)—the Bible version I used for this
passage above, translates akeraios as the English word, harmless; as does some
other popular versions. The child of God
is to be amomos (Greek transliteration for the English words: Immaculate,
unblemished, blameless, faultless, and pure), in such a skolios (Greek
transliteration for the English words: crooked, tortuous, twisted, or
dishonest) and diastrephō (Greek transliteration for the English words:
perverted, warped, or twisted) generation (2:15b). Therefore, as verse fifteen
so easily reveals: the believer is to work at becoming blameless and faultless
(free from weakness and deception), and work at becoming pure (not mixing
oneself with the ways of the world or contaminating oneself with occult
practices), and work at becoming immaculate (unsoiled and undefiled), because
of the perverted and twisted generation they were born into.
When the Spirit of God impressed
upon Paul’s mind to write the Greek term γενεά (generation), transliteration
genea, and pronounced ghen-eh-ah', I am sure he was not just referring to the
generation of believer’s living in the apostle’s day. But rather, genea in this
instance would mean throughout the entire church-age. Every generation has been
crooked and dishonest, perverted and warped throughout history, and this, the
final generation of the church which exists just prior the seven-year
Tribulation Period is no exception. Each year, month, and day keeps getting
more twisted by the hour. If you recall in my commentary for Ephesians 5:25-27,
I wrote that Jesus is coming back to receive his bride (Jn. 14:1-3; Matt.
25:1-13), and the bride he receives is not one that is stained (spiritually
weak or defective), or wrinkled (divided). But instead, he is coming for one
that is amomos. He is coming for a body of believer’s that will be unblemished,
immaculate. To be immaculate the church must strive for perfection and not go
about whining and squabbling (2:14). Intentionally getting people to quarrel
within the church body by spreading rumors will blemish the character of the
believer that is responsible, especially if he or she refuses to repent.
Paul writes that the whole body of
Christ are lights – some translations say stars – in this dark world (2:15c),
as it seizes or clutches onto the “Word of life” (2:16a). Paul used the Greek
term logos, that the English bibles have translated, word. Since this epistle
was written possibly A.D. 60-61, it is quite likely that Paul was referring to
the glorified Jesus himself, who is the logos of God (Gen. 21:33; Jn. 1:1, 14;
1 Jn. 1:1-2; Rom. 9:5; 1 Tim. 1:17), when remarking that the believer – should
– hold up or onto the word of life; he is the Divine Expression of the Father.
Because we today depend on the written word of God as the principal source in
receiving divine knowledge, we may assume he was meaning that the believer is a
light when they hold forth what is written in the Scriptures—which is
important. But as said, it is possible that Paul’s intent was that the believer
seizes or clutches onto the person of Jesus – the logos who is from the
beginning, the logos who was with the Father, and the logos who is in fact God (Jn.
1:1) – even though we cannot see or touch him. We clutch onto the person of
Jesus by seeking him in prayer with the written Scriptures to guide us in how
to pray.
Next, the apostle reveals the
motive behind his directive for the church to work at their salvation
(2:12-13), and it is so that he has something to boast about once the “day of
Messiah” occurs (2:16b). As I have written in other places, the day of Christ
refers to the rapture of the body of Christ (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Paul has the
knowledge that his labor will not be viewed as ineffective once the church is
raptured out of this world into the eternal realm if the believers become
blameless (amemptos) and pure (akeraios). This goes for the believers in his
day that he wrote to personally, and for the believers all the way throughout
the church-age that have studied and mediated on his divinely-inspired
writings. Paul knew when he was teaching and writing to the church that it is
important that the believer becomes like Christ (Eph. 4:22-24; 5:1-2) and there
is no excuse for the believer to be sowing to the sinful nature (Gal. 6:7-8).
The believer is expected to personally work at the salvation he has received so
that when the rapture occurs, they are not spiritually weak or defective, nor
are they guilty at causing division within the church; they must work at
becoming immaculate (without blemish)—this is what is written.
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