The Affection of Christ

By the end of chapter 1 we’ll learn that the Philippians are worthy of the gospel and privileged to suffer and participate in the grace of God. Paul is trying to convince them that they are worthy of it and called to the same pattern of suffering and exaltation as Jesus, Paul, Tim, etc. And every Christian is called to such!

Last time we learned that Paul has a great affection for the Philippians. The Philippians had gone all the way for Paul in his circumstance in terms of their support in gospel labors.

And Paul was thankful to God for them because God is ultimately the Author of everything the Philippians are. And he is confident that God will complete the work, because that’s the kind of God he is.

Isaiah 55:9–11 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

The text today will further demonstrate to us how fitting Pauls confidence was, and how he continues to pray that the Philippians would grow in their love.

Verse 7.

Paul is confident that God will complete what he had begun in them.

And it is right it is just for him to think this way. He isn’t wishfully thinking that they would persevere in the work. He was sure of it. But how? Did he receive a word from the LORD? No.

Why is it right? Because there was ample evidence in their conduct. Well beyond their financial support. They had remained faithful to the call of the gospel. They had stood with him in the face of persecution and possible imprisonment.

They had defended the gospel in the further propagation and proclamation of it. The defended it against accusation and error. And they had confirmed it. The had strengthened the foundation. Edification and further establishment in the gospel was taking place among them in a way that confirmed it of its powerful working amongst them. Which would have all the more bolstered their witness to the community.

They had not shrunk back. They put their necks out there if you will. As we mentioned, they view Paul as their own body. They went to the line with him even before one of the most vicious Roman Emperor's. And all this because they partake of the same grace of God. “I thank God,” says Paul, “because he started this work.” “I trust God will finish it, because he is one who beautifies all the works he starts.” “And I’m just about my feelings toward you, because I see in you, I recognize in you the same gospel graces I see in myself.” “I see the grace of God in you, why would I feel any other way?”

We know people and churches like this. There are people and churches we can say with great confidence that God is working in that church or in that person. It’s not always perfect, it’s not exact. It can never be because only God knows the heart. But there are ample marks of Christian living and devotedness that tell us what their spiritual state is. They hold right gospel doctrines that are according to godliness. Exactly what we see here. Upholding the truth of the gospel(even in persecution and suffering), and striving after holy living.

There is an interesting and difficult word that will appear 10 times in this epistle. It’s the GK word Phronew. It’s difficult because it really cannot be translated into english. Here is its first appearance in verse 7. The NASB/ESV/NIV says “feel”. KJV/NKJV say “think”. In the NKJV throughout the rest of the letter it will be translated as think, mind, like minded, one-mind, and finally care in Ch 4.

One definition:

“Thus Phronew expresses not merely an activity of the intellect, but also a movement of the will; it is both interest and decision at the same time.”

Another:

The word transiated "think," speaks of the action of a person constantly having his mind directed in a practical way in the good interest of someone. Paul's mind, turned in the direction of the Philippians, would soon turn to prayer in their behalf.

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”

a mind that when it thinks of someone is turned toward their good. Turned toward prayer for them in, selflessness toward them.

I’m so disposed toward you that when I think of you I can’t help but to feel confidence about your spiritual state, and it moves me to affectionate prayer. Is sort of what Paul is saying.

Do mere men think and feel that way? No way. Only those who have the Spirit of Christ in them. Which is why Paul tells them that these feelings are full of the affections of Christ Jesus on their behalf.

Verse 8

The affections of Christ Jesus.

“Splankna” another excellent GK word.

I have deep feeling for you. It literally means from ones bowels. From the intestines. This is the way to express the deepest affection one could have. It’s from the heart, from the depths of my being(in our idiom). I feel for you. Husbands if you want to score romance points with your wife you can express your love to her this way going forward. Honey, I love you from my depths of my bowels. From the lower intestines, all the way up to my lunges and heart.

This is how deeply Pauls affection runs for them. But note how it’s not just Pauls affection, but of Christ. What is the affection of Christ for us. Well it is such that all of his life was for us. The greatest display of his affection is his death on our behalf. Romans 5:6 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” We also know that even in His exalted state he still has a heart full of affection for his people. …..He constantly intercedes for us and sympathizes with us, even now, he is lowly and gentle of heart towards us.

And we could take it as Paul has an affection that is “just like” Christ’s. The same affection as Christ has for you.

But I prefer the understanding that it is the very affection of Christ. Christ’s affection for them is through Paul. Because, who lives in Paul. It’s no longer Paul who lives, but Christ lives in him.

Galatians 2:20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Christ lives in Paul. The life of Christ is being lived out in the apostle Paul. And it comes out in His sufferings, it comes out in his joy, and now in his affection for the people of God the Philippians. Is that true of us. Could we say rightly that the affections of Christ are spilling out from us toward other saints? It ought to be so, and if it’s not, then stir up the Spirit of Christ in you. For God the Spirit—the very Spirit of Christ—is at work in you both to will and to work….

Verse 9.

And now with the feeling and affection of Christ, he prays for them. He prays. Now, why pray? If he has such confidence in there perseverance, then why pray? Because as we mentioned in our summary of Philippians earlier, this is the Christian way. Assurance leads to confident and expectant prayer. It can’t do any other. If it’s any other, it’s not Christian assurance, but wicked presumption. Prayer is one of the means that God uses to bring about perseverance. Prayer is a means of Grace. God brings his saints from strength to strength through his Word and prayer. And just assurance leads to confident and expectant prayer, so prayer increases our assurance. The Spirit in prayer teaches us and further convinces us of our adopted sonship. So far are these two from being in conflict with each other, rather complementary, joined together, two sides of the same coin.

As one commentator notes:

“the same grace of God that saves, is the grace that energizes us to newness of life.”

Even prayer is a gift of grace.

He prays for their love to increase and abound more and more.

Motyer says: Like all his recorded prayers, this one is wholly occupied with their spiritual needs.

We should take note of that. What requests dominate our prayers.

He wants their love to continue to spill over as it had. It was good, they were loving, and abundantly so. He wants an abundant and fruitful crop to come out of them. Abundant would say enough in the GK, but more and more implies the best imaginable harvest.

But their needs to be a working together a harmony with their love. The fruit of love needs to be supported and upheld by knowledge and discernment.

I love running. I want to be a great runner. One of the things that makes a great runner is having legs and lungs that go together. Someones legs and lunges need the right strength, stamina, endurance, and capacity for someone to be a great runner. There is nothing more frustrating for me when I want to go out and have a great run, and one or both of those is out of sink. A great runner will always have those two working together to achieve the times and benchmarks he or she is out to achieve.

Well, just like great running, love needs the same harmony with knowledge and discernment.

Unknowing and undiscerning love will set it’s energies on the wrong objects, toward the wrong efforts. It will exercise itself at the wrong time. At the wrong place.

And it’s natural for the Christian to love, to want to exercise that love, but so often, those energies get put into the wrong place. In ways that stunt growth or even in a backslidden direction. At worst, it will begin to call good evil and evil good, all in the name of love. At best, it will set it’s efforts on things that are good, but not the most excellent.

You see you can’t just love. You can’t just love God and neighbor. That’s misguided zeal. We have this tendency to get Christianity to the lowest common denominator which we call love. And lets go ahead and confess that there are far too many today who are all about getting the right answers and the right doctrine, and are giving much to little attention to godliness and the exercise of love. If you have good theology and not love you are a noisy symbol. We will grant that. And that can be damnable just as much as misguided zeal can be. It’s not an either or, but a both and. Your doctrine, must be in accord with godly living. If it’s not, then it’s not the right doctrine. And your godliness must be in accord with right doctrine.

When these things go together it is a beautiful thing to see. To see a Christian with this maturity, whether old or new is just a thing of beauty. I am amazed at the way certain athletes are able by God’s gifting, take to their sport and perform it with such excellence, and beauty. Steph Curry in basketball, Rafa Nadal in Tennis, Tiger Woods in golf, Noah Lyles and Usain Bolt in track. It is amazing to see what the harmony of all the body mechanics and laws of physics combine to display. But none of that compares to the beauty and glory, and amazement of a Christian walking in a love that is combined with knowledge and discernment. It’s out of this world, it points us to the world to come. It’s a glimpse of Christ in them. We don’t worship them, but rather adore what God in Christ is doing in them. We should be glad when we see that, and should find such as worthy of imitating.

And notice lastly before v.10, that there is no immediate righteousness for the Christian. No immediate holiness. Any one who says such is deceived, because there is no such thing as an immediate harvest. Who plants seed and goes out the next day to harvest it. No it grows up, and continues to grow until it’s ready. A whole season, or a whole life. You never arrive. Until death or Christ come.

Your love must grow and continue to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your love must be a love that pursues holiness, fruits of righteousness. It must be one that can approve the things that are excellent.

Verse 10.

diaphora — the things that are worth more, the things that are excellent, the things that are essential.

Adiaphora- is the term for considering things that are not essential, like eschatology, forms of church government, etc. Not that they’re not important, but that they don’t hold the weight of the Gospel, the Trinity, Christology, Scripture, Justification. I can tell you there is nothing adiaphora in the Nicene creed. It is essential. Is there any clause you could deny in the Nicene Creed and still be a Christian? And that’s not to say it’s infallible but that it’s accurate, a faithful representation of the Bibles teaching on the main things. It is Christ and his gospel. His person and work that is most excellent. He is the fairest of all men(Ps 45) . Our King our Lord in all his beauty as the God-man. What’s most excellent is the love that he imparts to his people. It’s a love that will remain.

If a ship is beginning to sink during a great storm, what do they do? They begin to cast things overboard. What things do they begin to throw first? The things that are least valuable, the least essential. As Christians, we are to think similarly.

Verse 11.

At the great harvest, there will be nothing out of harmony. Nothing will be out of tune at the day of Christ. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. The wicked will sing to the glory of his justice. The righteous will sing to the glory of his mercy, and will show forth his own work in and amongst them.

If you are not in Christ this morning, then repent of your sins and trust in him alone for your salvation. He is coming again, and you will declare him Lord, and you will give an account, willingly or unwillingly.

If you be in Christ, what is God going to do with you on the last day. He is going to vindicate before all the earth his very own work in you. That one belongs to me, I sent my Son to live and die for that one, I created that one a new, I put my Spirit of holiness in that one, come into your eternal rest beloved son or daughter. If that’s the case then go this week walking by faith, walking in prayer, stirring up the Spirit in you and in those amongst you. Walk so pleasing to God. And do it all for the exultation of Christ, and the glory of God, before a lost and perishing world that they might come too.

Lets pray.