Pure and Blameless

Paul’s letter to the Philippians has a similar tone to his letter to the Thessalonians. Particularly in his desire to see them pure and blameless in the day of Christ. Our 21st-century ears hear a literal call to be perfect in his call to action, and yet that doesn’t sit well next to other scriptures—even Paul’s other letters. I zero in on this phrase because if we misunderstand–it can cause us to do the opposite of what will help us grow in our faith.

I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Phil. 1:3-11

Neither Paul nor Peter were pure and blameless in their actions. None of the people of faith listed in Hebrews 11  were pure and blameless. Some even did atrocious things and yet still “made the cut” as a person of faith. So, is the goal to try, try, try, to become perfect? No. As we see in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we don’t grow in our faith through our own efforts to be good. We cannot be perfect.

A Work of God

In verse six of this text, Paul alludes to his intent. He tells them, “the one who began a good work among you” will bring that work to completion. Our spiritual growth doesn’t happen through gritting our teeth and trying really hard. Our transformative growth is a work of God within our hearts. There’s a level of cooperation in which we participate, but as I wrote in Faithfulness, if we make “right living” our primary focus we lose sight of what really matters—our relationship with God and each other.

Paul hasn’t lost sight of his relationship with the Philippians. They also embrace their relationship with Paul. Prior to this letter, the church in Philippi collected money to support Paul while he was in prison. Nobody in this story is wallowing in guilt or shame, which is why I believe this church understood what Paul meant with his encouragement to be found blameless. It’s an encouragement to continue in the faith and, as they do, they will continue to grow in wisdom and maturity.

As you focus on developing a healthy relationship with God and your community, may love and wisdom increase! How is God already working in your life? Who are the people growing alongside you?

Photo credit: Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash