Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
Certain groups of Christians tell us that it is possible for us to achieve a state of sinless perfection, a state brought on by some form of ‘second blessing’ in which the person achieves perfect sanctification. It is beyond amazing how anyone – especially a Christian – could delude themselves into thinking such a thing. Such a person is under one or both of two delusions; they either grossly overestimate their own moral performance, or they grossly underestimate God’s moral requirements. Like almost all sin, the claim to sinless perfection has its root in pride. R.C. Sproul had this to say about such people: ‘To believe that we are sinless we must annul the standards of God’s Law. We must reduce the level of divine righteousness to the level of our own performance. We must lie to ourselves both about the Law of God and about our own obedience. To do that requires that we quench the Spirit when He seeks to convict us of sin. Persons who do that are not so much Spirit-filled as they are Spirit-quenchers.’ I agree with Mr. Sproul. Like you, I am painfully aware that I am far from perfect, and deeply thankful that God is not yet finished with me.
In one very important way, we as Christians are perfect: we have a perfect standing before God. He holds none of our sins against us because their penalty has been fully borne by our Saviour. Our passport to eternal bliss and glory is guaranteed. But we are still in unredeemed bodies and are still prone to failure and sin. That is one of the reasons why the Holy Spirit dwells within, to help us obtain victory over the weakness of the flesh, and to help us survive the wiles of the devil and overcome the temptations of the world. This is a process that began at Salvation’s day and that continues until we are called Home. This is what Paul is referring to in our text as the good work that God has begun in us, and that He will perform until the day of Jesus Christ. There is only one obstacle that will prevent His performing this good work: ourselves.
Paul speaks of his confidence that the saints in Philippi will allow the Holy Spirit to perform His work. Paul knows these folks, and speaks very highly of them. He not only saw many of them saved during his missionary work in their area, but he also provided them with faithful teaching to instruct them in their Christian walk. He knows of their zeal in the Gospel, of their love and caring for each other, of their faithfulness to the doctrines that he has taught them. On these things, he bases his confidence. How much confidence would he have in the Assemblies where you and I are gathered? How much confidence would he have in you and me as individuals? The same Holy Spirit dwells in us as dwelt in the Philippians, ready to perform the same good work. Let us allow Him to perform it. -Jim MacIntosh