Love Jesus 13

Excerpt from Philippians Verse by Verse (2017), by Grant R. Osborne, Kindle edition.

“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Phillipians 1:9-11

This final request sums up the others, as each of these qualities—love, discernment, and blamelessness—constitutes a “fruit of righteousness” in their lives.

Paul’s prayer is that on the day when Christ returns he might find them “filled to the full” (plēroō) with the fruit of their righteous lives.

“Righteousness” has multiple meanings.

It is the righteous power of the Godhead in our lives but even more the result of that work in us. Here we have the three stages of “righteousness” in Paul, seen especially in Romans 3:24.

1. As a result of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, God has declared us righteous in his eyes (justification);

2. And then has begun the process by which he makes us righteous before himself (sanctification);

3.  The result of which is that we live righteously for him (ethical righteousness).

All three may be intended here, but the third is the primary thrust.

Paul challenges the Philippians to allow the power of Christ to bear righteous fruit in their lives and then to allow that fruit to grow exponentially and fill them to capacity as they get ready for Christ to end this world and launch eternity.

The purpose of all this is not their own reward but “the glory and praise of God.” …

In everything we do we are to seek not our own self-glory (“vain glory,” Phil 2:3) but to glorify God with our life and activities. That should be our prayer every morning. As a teacher and preacher I pray this every time I proclaim God’s word.

In the prologue to Ephesians (1:3–14) this plea that God be praised occurs four times (vv. 3, 6, 12, 14). Every spiritual blessing we experience and everything we do is to have as its goal the praise of God’s glory.