On Being Made Holy: Philippians 1:1-11

Grace and peace to you. - to the saints of God (to the Holy People of God) in Christ Jesus.

Right off the bat here Paul wastes no time in addressing the objective good news of Christ. He – as a servant of Christ, as a slave of Christ, has no other choice – but to speak of you as what you are in Christ, for his master gives him no other choice. You are the saints of God in Christ. Perhaps you say; no that can’t be, I’ve just finished a long day of sinning, or perhaps you’re more modest; It can’t be, I’m not yet perfect, not yet free of sin – well stop right there. Whatever you may or not be in yourself you are a perfectly holy Saint of God IN Christ Jesus your Lord. Perhaps you still yet protest even further – well then I say to you again, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whatever sins you walked in here with – in the name of Jesus Christ, for the sake of Jesus Christ, and by His authority I declare to you right now the entire forgiveness of all of your sins, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. - GRACE – PEACE – FORGIVENESS, these are yours in Christ.

That’s how this Letter to the Philippians begins.

And now there can be no doubt, you are all sharers and partakers of the good news of Christ Jesus. You share with me in the god news of Christ Jesus, in His grace, and in His peace. Whether this is the first day that you’ve come to know that, or whether this is your 60thyear of knowing that. No matter whether this is the day of your Baptism, or the 50thanniversary of your Baptism, I am (with Paul) CONFIDENT not only that God has BEGUN to work in you, but that He will bring it to completion.