by Larry Ferrell | December 2, 2017
One of the reasons why God has saved us is that we might be fruitful Christians. He has not saved us merely that we might be free from judgment and go to heaven when we die, but that the character of Jesus Christ might be reproduced in us while here on earth. We are to live in the flesh but not of the flesh. We are to do good works that Christ might be glorified and that many might be brought to faith in him. God is somewhat like a father who is raising a large family. He is pleased to have the family, and he is delighted you are a member of it. But he is not satisfied only with that. He also wants you to grow us to be a good citizen spiritually speaking. He wants productive children. He wants your life to be fruitful with good works. This is the message of Philippians 1:9-11.

In praying for the Christians at Philippi, Paul asks for three things. The first thing that Paul says the Christian needs is abounding love (vv. 9-10). The Christian must be filled with Christ’s love. This must be a love according to knowledge. The word used here is a special word (epignosis) that refers to advance spiritual knowledge. It is a knowledge that comes to the Christian through a study of God’s Word. The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, so the Holy Spirit enables us to discern how love should operate. The love with which the Christian should be filled must be discriminating. We are to discern what is best. The Christian life must be motivated and informed by love. Without love we are only clanging symbols. But this was never intended to be a wishy-washy, undefined, sentimental love. It is the love of Christ. Hence, it must be a love governed by biblical principles and exercised with judgment.

The second prerequisite of a fruitful life is that the life must be pure or free of obstructions. The word Paul uses means “oven tested.” This doesn’t mean we must be perfect, for none of us is. But it does mean that our lives must be open before God and before others. There must be no hypocrisy. Our lives are not perfect. In this life we will always have flaws, but we must not disguise them artificially. We must be sincere. God’s love will not flow through a Christian whose life is a sham. Hypocrisy will stop the flow. Fortunately, however, we may also say that God’s love will flow through an honest Christian, no matter how marred the vessel.

This leads to the fact that we must be fruitful Christians (v. 11). This does not refer to internal righteousness: love, joy, peace, and so on; these are the fruits of the Spirit. It refers to what is seen externally. The fruit of righteousness is the fruit that righteousness produces. This is to be seen in the innumerable acts of kindness and service to which every believer in Jesus Christ is called. We need to note also that the Christians are not only called to bear fruit, they are called to be fruitful. That is, to bring forth much good fruit. How is this to be done? It must be done by depending on Christ. This will involve a more faithful study of the Bible, for it is through the Bible that we know Jesus. The first psalm contrasts the way of the ungodly man with the way of the man whose life is fruitful (Ps. 1:3). Why is he like this? The answer is in verse 2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” What a difference there could be in many lives if Christians would learn to let Christ flow through them as they seek him in Scripture.

Christ’s parable about the vine and the Gardner makes one more point about fruit-bearing. You not only need to be joined to Christ in order to be fruitful, you also need to be pruned. This is actually the way that Jesus’ parable begins (John 15:2). Have you felt God doing this with you? He wants to, for your life has many things in it that are not bearing spiritual fruit. They may be hobbies, habits, relationships, aspects of your occupation. They may even be things that you consider so precious that you think you would die if they were removed. Yet they should be, and God will work to do it. It’s true of course, that not all hobbies, habits, or relationships require pruning. God may be using them now in marvelous ways. They are not sinful; they may be what God wants you do. Nevertheless, each of us holds to things that God will remove that we might serve him better (v.6). The cutting may hurt. You may think that God is killing you. But the result will be good for you, for it will result in good works, done by Jesus Christ in you, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11 Reflection Questions:
It what ways do you feel God is doing some pruning in your life? Are you fighting it?
How is your study of the Bible doing? What will you do to enhance it?
Is your sincerity showing daily or is hypocrisy hiding it?

Be the first to comment