Philippians 1:9-11 9And I am praying this, in order that your love may yet abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment 10so that you may be able to test what is best, in order that you may be pure and blameless on the day of Christ, 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which is through Christ Jesus to the glory and praise of God.
Paul gives more details about the topics of his prayers for the Philippians. There are four interlocking clauses that give the contents of his prayers. There is a sequence and development to these clauses. The first three show purpose or result. The first uses the Greek particle hina that “hints” that what follows is a purpose clause. The purpose and reason for Paul’s prayers is his desire to see the Philippians grow in their love. The object of this love is not stated here, but 2:1-4 gives a clue that Paul wanted them to love (agapē) one another more and to consider the needs of others in the church. They could show their love for God by loving one another. This is not casual love but a deep, sacrificial love God was growing within them. They had this love, as all believers do to some extent, but they needed to grow in it.
God could help them have an overflowing abundance in this love more and more in two key ways. Knowledge (epignōsei) implies more intimate and personal relationship than simply a casual acquaintance. This type of love results with close fellowship and often takes time to develop. All discernment (aisthēsei) is a deep understanding of a situation or person and the ability to act in a godly way when confronted with temptation, evil, or compromise. The Philippians should be able to navigate the situations around them and respond with holiness and righteousness. These two words incorporate the Philippians’ internal relationships within the church and their external relationships with the unbelievers around them.
The second clause is in the grammatical form of an articular infinitive of purpose or outcome. Having knowledge and discernment will help these believers test what is best. They can determine what really matters. There is some much information that bombards our thinking today. We need the same type of spiritual and mental skills as the Philippians so we can wade through everything coming at us and determine what is pleasing to God and what is the loving response. We can grow in this love and insight through the help of God.
The third clause is another hina (in order that) that introduces the final goal of Paul’s prayer. He is hoping that the Philippians will develop two key character qualities that will prepare them for when Christ comes again. When Christ comes to judge the living and the dead, we want to be found pure and blameless. The word pure (eilikrineis) has the meaning of being sincere and unmixed with something impure. This is genuine and authentic love that has grown in a person through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. It is undefiled with selfish ambition or vain conceit (2:3). Self has been crucified and sin has been cleansed, resulting in pure thoughts, motives, and actions. Blameless (aproskopoi) refers to something undamaged and uncompromised. The conscience can be blameless through obedience to God’s commands (Acts 24:16). This goal is similar to what Paul prays for the Thessalonian church in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Verse 11 begins with a perfect passive participle having been filled. The form of this word is significant. First, the passive voice points ahead to the agency of Jesus Christ mentioned later in this verse. It is through Jesus Christ that righteousness comes. He opened the way to God and brought forgiveness of our sins by his sacrificial death on the cross. Second, the perfect tense implies that the Philippians had experienced this “justification” with God through Christ and were growing in this. Righteousness is not simply something we get, like a union card into heaven. It is something that grows in us and becomes evident in how we live. It should empower and guide our relationships with everyone we meet. It guides our consciences and ensures we are guiltless before God and people. We will fail if we try to do this on our own. It is something that happens in us through the Holy Spirit. We cannot be passive but must be responsive to this work of God. This is all to bring glory and praise to God, not ourselves, our church, family, nation, or any other human entity. However, all of these will be profoundly impacts by our righteous response to God’s work in us.
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