And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. [Philippians 1:9-11 NKJV]
There are four parts to this prayer.
The first is that love will grow. In praying this, Paul acknowledges that love is already there, but recognizes that there is always room for more love.
He is not calling us to a blind love. The Hallmark Channel is full of stories of people "falling in love". Because of the love, they are blind to the faults of their paramour. Their delusional love leads to tragedy and a broken heart. This is not the kind of love that Paul is praying for us.
A love that is based on knowledge and discernment loves with eyes wide open. It doesn't leave us blind to a person's faults, but it allows us to forgive those faults. Instead of being deceived or taken advantage of, we can be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." [Matthew 10:16 NKJV]
This is not a sappy sentiment, but the deep, heart-felt love of God, as He loves through us.
The next thing he prays is "that you may approve the things that are excellent." Approve is used in the sense of testing a metal for purity. We keep that which is pure, and discard the waste. This can apply inwardly, to our own sanctification, as well as outwardly, to the teaching that we choose to hear and believe.
He tells us, "Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." [1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 NKJV]
Then He prays, "that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ." "Sincere" refers to our inward condition, while "without offense" refers to our outward behavior.
When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, many of the Jews in the city rioted and threatened to kill Paul because they were offended by his teaching and preaching of the gospel. Some time later, while making a defense against his accusers, Paul made this statement, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.” [Acts 25:8 NKJV]
We see by this example that "without offense" doesn't mean that nobody will ever be offended. The fact is that if you live a devoted Christian life and talk about Jesus, the world will be offended, because they are offended by Christ. To say that you have not offended means that you have acted sincerely in obedience to the will of God.
At the time of his arrest, Paul was in the temple performing a Jewish ritual. We know from his letters that Paul didn't live under the Law, didn't keep the Sabbath, and didn't feel the need to perform temple rituals. He did so to keep peace the Jewish believers who still practiced the Law.
It is not hypocrisy to change your behavior based on the company you keep, if your motives are sincere, and the gospel is not compromised. Paul said,
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. [1 Corinthians 9:19-22 NKJV]
We are free from the constraints of Law, but - out of love - we should live our lives so that we do not offend. "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak." [Romans 14:21 NKJV]
Finally, he prayed that we would be "filled with the fruits of righteousness." This is not speaking of righteousness as a fruit of the Spirit, but that our righteousness will bear fruit. Paul said, "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." [1 Corinthians 15:34 NKJV]
John has this to say about righteousness, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." [1 John 3:10 NKJV]
Righteousness is the condition which is acceptable to God. It is not a state which we can achieve, but is granted to us by God's grace. We are made righteous by the blood of Christ.
Having been made righteous in God's sight, we are then urged to live righteously - that is, without sin. This is possible, as Paul said, "that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." [Romans 8:4 NKJV]
The righteous life is lived, not by trying to live righteously, but by drawing closer to God, and keeping your mind on Him.
Let's make this prayer of Paul's our own. We can pray it over our own lives, as well as interceding for the church.
Lord, I pray that you will make this prayer a part of my life. Give me the grace to draw ever closer to You, that I may know true righteousness, that I may grow in Your grace, and that I may bear fruit as You give the increase.
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