Philippians 1:6 and Progressive Sanctification

"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; [Philippians 1:6]

Does Philippians 1:6 guarantee progressive sanctification? I had always grown up with this view. And even today, I can hardly listen to Christian radio, a sermon, or just conversation with fellow believers and go very long without hearing Philippians 1:6 cited in this very sense. In fact, at the local fellowship I attend, our pastor cited this verse in this very sense this last Sunday.

The classic interpretation is that the "good work" that God has begun in the individual believer (salvation) will continue and carry on to culmination until the day of Christ. In essence, sanctification is progressive. And, God is bringing this to fruition in the life of the individual believer.

It was not until college, that some other brothers challenged my view on Philippians 1:6. And, as I looked and thought more about this text over the years, I have come to the position that there is definitely another viable interpretation. While it is certainly true that God is the author of our salvation from A to Z (justification, sanctification and ultimately glorification), I am not sure that this verse teaches that idea. It all hinges on what Paul is referring to by the "good work" that God has begun.

Check out this article for a more technical discussion on why there is quite possibly a better interpretation --> Phillipians 1:6

High-Octane Grace

Eager to get my hands on a copy of this book -->  Defiant Grace

"Law feels safe; grace feels risky. Rule-keeping breeds a sense of manageability; grace feels like moral vertigo. After all, if all that we are is by grace, then there is no limit to what God can ask of us. But if some corner of our virtue is due to personal contribution, there is a ceiling on what God can ask of us. He can bring us only so far. He can only ask so much...

It’s time to enjoy grace anew — not the decaffeinated grace that pats us on the hand, ignores our deepest rebellions and doesn’t change us, but the high-octane grace that takes our conscience by the scruff of the neck and breathes new life into us with a pardon so scandalous that we cannot help but be changed. It’s time to blow aside the hazy cloud of condemnation that hangs over us throughout the day with the strong wind of gospel grace. You ‘are not under law but under grace’ (Rom. 6:14). Jesus is real; grace is defiant; life is short; risk is good. For many of us the time has come to abandon once and for all our play-it-safe, toe-dabbling Christianity and dive in. It’s time, as Capon put it, to get drunk on grace — 200-hundred-proof, defiant grace."

- Dane Ortlund, Defiant Grace: The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus

The Mitotic Spindle

I would dare to say that there is not a scientist on the planet that can fully explain this. Oh, some may be able to describe the action of the mitotic spindle, no doubt, and maybe even publish papers or develop targeted drugs to the cell. But, can this most basic mystery of life be truly understood apart from the Divine? Surely our conception of God is far, far too small!

Nero, Paul, Canines, Sons... and the great reversal of power and glory

"... bearing in mind T. R. Glover's comment on a Roman Emperor's condemnation of the Apostle to the Gentiles - that the day was to come when men would call their dogs Nero and their sons Paul."

- F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free.

Far more than an emotional salve...

One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience’s mind the question of Truth. They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is true but because it good. And in the discussion they will at every moment try escape from the issue ‘True or False’ into stuff about good society, or morals, or the incomes of Bishops, or the Spanish Inquisition, or France, or Poland — or anything whatever. You have to keep forcing them back, and again back, the real point. Only thus will you be able to undermine their belief that a certain amount of ‘religion’ is desirable but one mustn’t carry it too far. One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance.

- C.S. Lewis, Christian Apologetics 

I am currently in a place circumstantially where there is an abundance of opportunity to speak of God's goodness and His sovereignty to those outside of Christianity. And, what I so often hear in reply is something to the effect of, "You know, I am so glad that you have God/religion in your life that can give you comfort and peace." As if to say, "I am glad that this thing you believe 'greases the wheels of your life' and acts as an emotional salve in your distress."

And, while Christianity surely affords peace and comfort that the world cannot know, to stop there is to tragically miss the main thing. We do not cling to God because He gives an emotional balm or even because He is what sustains us through the fiercest gail (though as a loving Father, He does this)... we cling to Him and trust in Him because we are convinced Christianity is true - a Savior died a substitutionary death on a cruel cross and a grave is empty because He rose in power and Victory. We have become convinced that this is far more than a salve, it is true.

S-RT: Bon Jovi, Glory, and Playing it Safe

Really enjoyed this post today from Dane Ortlund's blog.   If you are not a frequenter to "Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology," you ought to be...

Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology: Bon Jovi, Glory, and Playing it Safe: Bon Jovi : It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever The Apostle Paul: Your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:3) ...

Singing the Blues in Chapel Hill

Duke, Carolina down to the wire... doesn't get any better than this...

A Heavy Dab of Lipstick and Mascara on an Unpopular Word

Submission is an unpopular word today, but if there ever were a characteristic that marked the believer and set his or her life in utter distinction to those around them, submission has to be at the top of the list. It’s such an unpopular word that we so often in deriving an understanding put a heavy dab of ‘cultural lipstick’ and ‘what we want to hear’ mascara on the concept.

Just to illustrate this, as I think back on the many sermons that I have heard on submission (and I mean many sermons) particularly as related to marriage, I have probably heard more content on what submission does not mean rather than what it actually means. This is telling. What is so carefully explained from the pulpit is what submission does not look like, what it surely must not involve and where the clear boundaries are to be drawn. I get it on one level; we live in a world where there has been a lot of abuse of authority. Still, it is rare to hear from even the best teachers of our day what submission means.

We do not like yielding control to authority. We rebel against this… I rebel against this. We rationalize this word and muse more about it’s boundaries, limitations and exceptions rather than the heart of submission and what is pleasing to God. And, yet, submission is fundamental to the victorious Christian life… as the Bride to Christ, as the wife to the husband, as the employee to the boss, and as the child to the parent. The fragrance of Christ must include submission. For He our ultimate example: submissive to His father even to the point of death.

“...He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross...”. [Philippians 2:8]

If you want a life that is going to stand out, submit to your authority. When all others disagree, submit and do it with a glad heart. While others are undermining, questioning, and even grabbing for the reigns of control, do just the opposite. By your very submission, your life will stand apart and give testimony that the God you serve is altogether different.

The Reproach of Christ > Riches of Egypt

A favorite of mine...

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. [Hebrews 11:24-26]

One of my great fears is that I will come to the end of my life and reflect on the 'crossroad moments' where the opportunity to abandon self and serve God unreservedly presented in a unique way. And, realize the opportunity was there to in essence 'throw my life away' from the world's perspective and to grab hold of God's agenda, only to find that I squandered such moments and failed to esteem the reward - choosing instead to grip on ever so tightly to the transient "riches of Egypt." It's only in the abandonment that life is truly found.

Competing Passions

Very stirred by a message last Sunday by Dr. Erik Thoennes. Here is a quote he referenced that has been ringing in my head this week...

We live in a world of competing passions. If we do not die to self and fill our lives with the consuming passion of the worship of God in the nations, we will end up with other passions. It's possible to deceive ourselves into thinking we have Biblical passions when, in reality, all we have done is to baptize the values of our culture and give them Christian names. We will have chosen apostolic passion only when our hearts are filled with God's desire for His Son to be worshiped in the nations.

- Floyd McClung