READING TIME: 3-5 MINUTES
April 17, 2020
Philippians 1:6 – what’s the “good work”?
Some Calvinists have incorrectly understood this to teach that God will continually work to sanctify all who are truly born again until the point of physical death or until the return of Christ and that His work will inevitably be successful. The lack of the continuing transformation of life, is then, supposed proof that a man is not born again. Final failure is not possible according to this verse, they say. For many Calvinists, faith is not belief, but a belief that results in persevering in good works and faith, no one can be sure of his eternal destiny. That is an extremely sad way to interpret the Bible and it’s a perfect example of how not to interpret the Bible! Can you see that if you believe this, assurance of salvation is impossible?
Concerning the “P” in TULIP (Perseverance of the Saints), I believe the focus should not be on a believer’s perseverance, endurance, and performance. The proper focus should be on Christ’s ability to keep His promise to preserve His saints. It takes God at His Word and upon His sure promises. I believe that sanctification is certainly desired, but not necessarily rests guaranteed or automatic.
Dr. Tom Constable correctly writes that “This verse does not teach that God will keep all Christians faithfully persevering in the faith and in good works until they die. Believers can and do resist, oppose, and limit God’s sanctifying work in them (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19). Perseverance in faith and good works is not automatic for the Christian. The New Testament writers consistently urged us to persevere, recognizing that some Christians will not do so (Titus 2:11-13; Heb. 2:1; 4:1; 6:1-8; et al.). Even some of Paul’s fellow workers did not persevere faithfully (1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:17-18; 4:10). Even though some Christians do not persevere in faith and good works, God will persevere in bringing them to glory (i.e., will glorify them). Thus it is God who perseveres in the work of salvation, not necessarily man.”
First of all, what does the expression “day of Christ” mean in this verse? The two expressions “the day of Christ” and “the day of Jesus Christ” occur only three times in the Bible. All three occur in Philippians (also see Phil 1:10; 2:16). This expression refers to the Bema, the Judgment Seat of Christ where the works of believers will be judged to determine their eternal rewards. No believer will come under judgment (John 5:24), but this particular judgment concerns rewards and loss of rewards (Rom 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:5-15; 9:24-27; 2 Cor 5:9-10; 1 Jn 2:28).
In Phil 1:6 Paul doesn’t say “good works” (contra to the way many Calvinists interpret this), but it’s the singular “good work.” Paul was not referring to the good works the Philippians were doing and would continue if they truly were saved (he was not referring to sanctification or regeneration), but the good work is their financial support of Paul’s ministry as the previous three verses show (see Phil 1:3-5). Notice that the first word of v. 6 is the word “for” which connects this verse with the previous verses. Their “fellowship in the gospel” in v. 5 is a clear reference to their financial support. This is the reason why Paul wrote that he thanks God for them (v. 3) and prays with joy for them (v. 4). Also, see Phil 4:15-17 which confirms this understanding. Paul was grateful that the Philippians shared their resources for the cause of Christ which made possible the proclamation of the gospel. The sense of “financial contributions” fits the context of the epistle well. Elsewhere, Paul speaks of “fellowship” (Gr koinōnia) in terms of financial aid.
Paul in effect is saying, “I am sure that God will finish what He started. Your financial sacrifice has not been and will not be in vain. God will complete it.” “Complete it” refers to the good work of their financial sharing in Paul’s gospel ministry.” Paul was confident that God would take their gifts and continue to use them up until the Bema. In other words, God would see to it that there is ongoing fruit from the gifts the Philippians gave for Paul. This means that our gifs have eternal significance until the Rapture, even if we “graduate to glory” before then.
It is very encouraging to remember that the Philippians’ gifts resulted in Paul writing several letters and these letters are still bearing fruit nearly 2,000 years later. This means the Philippians believers are still gaining eternal rewards for their support of Paul’s ministry.
In other words, like many missionaries who followed, Paul is assuring his supporters that the good work of giving which they began will be completed by God with a significant impact for Christ through Paul’s ministry to others. God will honor and bless the missionary efforts of the Church in ways far beyond what we can understand and He will take their contributions and use them mightily!
Sources Used
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