Why can't it be a good work?

Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

The graduation season is almost coming to an end and the most quoted verse during these times on social media along with graduation pictures is Philippians 1:6🤔. Probably what goes through your mind now will be – “Whats wrong with that? Is quoting scripture a crime? Isnt it a good thing?” Well I would say YES if we quote scripture in context with our current circumstance. The problem of misquoting scripture or cherry picking verses from its context is that it gives a wrong message to others who have not really studied the Bible. Along with that, it imparts a wrong view about God. So as responsible believers, we should always be careful while handling Scripture. Today let us dive little bit into the background of Philippians where the verse we quoted exists, what Paul really meant by the good work he mentioned and how does it get completed.

Background

We know the Church at Philippi was the first Christian church in Europe planted by Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey around AD 49-51. It all began with the Macedonian call Paul received (Acts 16:9). Philippi was a roman colony and leading city in the Macedonian district. The usual custom of Paul was to go to synagogue whenever he arrived in a new city but there was no synagogue in Philippi. So on Sabbath, Paul met a woman named Lydia near a riverside and God opened her heart to respond to the gospel message proclaimed by Paul. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited Paul and his fellow brothers to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” Lydia’s conversion was the first of three significant events associated with the beginning of the church in Philippi. The second was the exorcism of demons from a slave girl, which resulted in Paul and Silas being thrown into prison (Acts 16:16–24). The third important event was the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his family (Acts 16:25-40)

Purpose

From the time it was planted, the Church at Philippi was a healthy church unlike the Churches at Galatia and Ephesus. They were also generous and a model church except some minor issues of disunity (Philippians 4:2-7). In this context, Paul writes the Epistle of Philippians mainly for the below reasons:

- To thank them for the gifts.

- To inform them about his current situation.

- To warn them about the false doctrines (Jewish Christians who insisted on circumcision).

- To remain loyal in their faith and work together for unity in the Lord.

- To encourage them and strengthen them in the Lord.

Text

Paul along with Timothy introduces them as servants of Christ Jesus and he mentions about his remembrance of the Church of Philippi every time. He is excited about the partnership in the gospel the church had from the very first day it was established. As I mentioned before, the church at Philippi was a healthy church and was very eager to spread the gospel of Christ Jesus. They also led a gospel-centered life which attracted others to Christ. Paul had great confidence in the Philippi Christians because of their response to the gospel.

He expresses his confidence by stating that God who began the good work in them will carry onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus. The good work which Paul talks about here is the redemptive work of God in their lives. We know the role of Trinity in Salvation :

• God the Father elected us before the foundations of the world.

• God the Son redeemed us through his substitutionary death on the Cross and

• God the Spirit regenerates us when we believe in the finished work of Christ.

When a person accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, he is justified by faith in Christ alone. Once justified, then the process of sanctification begins. And it is God who started the work of salvation in us. Our role was to believe in Christ but the process of salvation doesn’t end in the initial faith. Both parties (God and us) have an active role in sanctification. Our role and God's role in sanctification have been discussed in detail here. Paul’s intention in writing this verse was to encourage them in the Lord by saying God is faithful to keep his promises. The imperative (expected response) for Philippi Christians is mentioned in verses 9, 10 and 11 of chapter 1. The chief end of all this is to glorify God.

We can also see all three tenses at usage here. At present Paul is confident about the completion of their salvation because of their active role in sanctification. Then he mentions the salvific work of God that happened in the past and affirms its eschatological fulfillment. The day of Christ refers to second coming of Christ when we meet him in future. Nothing in this life can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:39). The assurance of their salvation was completely grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ. So Paul neither has any doubt nor expresses any concern on whether the work of God would be completed. God is the author and finisher of our faith and what he started in us will be carried onto completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

Application

Our responsibility is to completely submit to God. We are not expected to be passive because of the fact that God will carry onto completion. He wants our active participation in sanctification (Philippians 2:12) but at the same time we should recognize the fact that it is God who works in us for his good pleasure and purpose. A Christian who studies Scripture in a balanced manner would recognize the complete sovereignty of God in our salvation and the role of humans in sanctification (abstain from evil and do good works). There is a danger in being at 2 extremes where one theological camp says salvation is the sovereign work of God 100% and we don’t need to do anything whereas the other camp says it is by our own faith we are saved and unless we do good works, we will lose our salvation. So we have to keep a perfect balance in our theology and believe in the divine providence of God where his sovereignty and human responsibility are in perfect harmony and works together to the end. With Christ as our cornerstone, perfect allegiance to God is what we should exhibit.

Conclusion

I hope you have understood the context and the application of Philippians 1:6. We may have a tendency to quote that verse and apply to something like say, our school homework or the coursework we do at college or the job assignments or our married life or any personal matter in our life. I agree that it may offer a personal comfort. But think about scenarios where a believer who gets dropped out from college or a person who wasn’t able to finish his assignment on time or a marriage which started well but ended in a divorce? Was God unfaithful to all of them? First of all, we are not at liberty to apply filters and twist verses according to our convenience. We also cannot apply Scripture to just certain situations of some people and disregard it for some others. If we apply Philippians 1:6 to the above mentioned failures that can happen in anyone's life, then we will have to conclude that God is selective in completing the good work he started. The good work mentioned in Philippians 1:6 is the work of Salvation which God has started in us and is faithful to complete until the day we meet Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with our personal matters in this life. So the thumb-rule is to apply Scripture in context and avoid misquoting verses because it harms the entire framework of God’s word and gives a limited view of God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the good work of Salvation you’ve started in us. We were alienated from you and dead in our sins but in your mercy, you made us alive in Christ. Thank you for the free gift of Salvation, Lord. Sanctify us God and enable us to live according to your purpose. We praise you for the fact that you will complete our salvation till the day of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the assurance of salvation you’ve given us. Lord, prepare us for the coming of our Savior. To you be the glory, honor and praise. In Christ Jesus name, AMEN!!