"Knowledge and Judgment"
Philippians 1:6-11
October 8, 2006
by C.W. Powell
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6 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:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:6-11)
I. Let us look at what the words mean:
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A. Knowledge means full knowledge. Not the form of knowledge; not the painted face of knowledge; but full and true knowledge. This means that knowledge is possible; and a true and full knowledge is possible.
B. Judgment means discernment. The ability to discern between this and that; to make distinctions, to be able to approve the things that are excellent.
C. "Approve" is the mirror image of those described in Romans 1:28: (It's the same word) They did not like to retain: they did not approve; they tested the knowledge of God like an assayer tests the gold. The wicked in Romans One tested the knowledge and rejected it. Paul is praying that they will abound in full knowledge and discernment so they can test the knowledge of God and approve of it.
D. "Excellent" means "things that differ." You cannot know the excellent things if you are not able to see the difference between things. Christianity is elitist in one sense. The Holy Spirit works in the elect to teach them the excellent things. Radical democracy strikes at the root of Christianity, the holy desire of God's people to strive after excellence; to be the best they can be for the glory of God. Don't you dare settle for being like everyone else. You have an obligation to test, to try, to choose the better way. We are not to compare ourselves with one another and seek the worldly average; but we are to abound in knowledge and discernment.
E. "Sincere" as gold unmixed with dross. Unalloyed. Moral purity. A single heart and mind in the service of God. Putting out hand to the plow and not looking back.
F. "Without offence" means "not causing to stumble." Not putting a stumbling stone in someone's way. You are to live for others, not for yourselves.
G. Summary: The prayer: That your love may abound so that you have knowledge and discernment, so that you can test the options, make the good choices for the excellent things--things that differ from lesser things--so that you can be real, not phony, not putting stumbling stones in the way of others.
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A. His reference to love takes us back to verse 5. There is a fellowship of the Gospel, and the good things that come are the result of this fellowship. We spoke of this last week, but there are some more things that need to be said in light of the knowledge and judgment of verse 9. If we are going to approve the things that are excellent, to be sincere and without offense, then we must make much of the fellowship of the Gospel that we may abound in love.
B. Our union with Christ, indicated by our baptism is a union in his death and new life. This union is by the Spirit, for “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1Co 12:13 av) “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph 2:18)
C. We are therefore living members of one body.
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A. II Cor. 13:14. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. This is the apostolic benediction. But the important thing for our purpose today is the word "communion." It is the same as the one for fellowship. It means "having in common." It is by the Holy Ghost that we are one in Christ, and have in common all the blessings of the Gospel. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are baptized into one body, and are renewed in the image of Christ.
B. The "he" in Phil. 1:6: "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." The Holy Spirit does the same work in each of us: to conform us to Jesus Christ; to enable us to put off the old man, and on the new. Jesus Christ died for us, and prays for us. He has forgiven us all our sins, and has sent unto us the Holy Spirit to form Christ in us. This is what Jesus promised in John 14:-
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (Joh 14:15-24)
C. I Cor. 1:9: "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." The purpose of this fellowship is to know Jesus Christ, and have His character formed in us. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus.
D. Phil. 3:10: "That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." To be conformed to his death is for you to confirm in your own heart the verdict of God concerning the death of His Son. He was worthy of death because he bore your sins. Your sins are worthy of the wrath of God. We are taught by the Holy Spirit not to equivocate; to face the issue head on: Christ died because I was worthy of death; and He died in my place so that I might be forgiven.
E. But in the fellowship of His sufferings, we also know the power of His resurrection, for as He was raised from the dead, we are raised to walk in newness of life. Old things pass away and all things become new. We are enabled to put off the old man, and to put on the new. This is where the power to make the discernment spoken of; we are able to put the old man to the test, and reject his works as worthy of death; and to approve the new man, and put him on, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
F. I John 1:1-7. I spoke of this last week. The gospel was preached to us, so that we could have fellowship with the Father and the Son. To walk in the light; to love the people of God; to confess our sins; to be forgiven; to have fellowship one with another. This is a fellowship of grace and mercy. It is not a fellowship of law-keeping; that was Israel, and the end of that fellowship is death.
G. I Cor. 10:16 "the cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion [fellowship] of the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." The Lord gathers his people together into flocks; they are members one of another. We take responsibility for one another, and are accountable one to another. The Lord's Supper is a visible, living memorial of this fellowship and communion. We derive our life from one bread, the broken body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was His death and resurrection that is the source of all the blessings that flow to us by the Holy Ghost.
H. One of the most important judgments that you will ever be called to make, is whether or not to be identified with the body of Christ; to take upon yourself the responsibilities and obligations of the covenant; to enter into the life of the people of God; to love them; to commit yourself to them; to pray and work for their good. For there is no other way to serve the Lord, than to serve His people. There are no observers and bystanders in this communion.
I. II Cor. 6:14:l "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship (what in common) hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and tough not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
J. It is not a game that we are playing. It is not a balancing act between how much of the world's fellowship you can hold on to; but it is total commitment to Jesus Christ, and to the fellowship of the saints; those who call upon Jesus Christ, have been baptized into Jesus Christ, and are in the fellowship of the Church of Jesus Christ.
K. This whole concept is admirably summarized in Questions 54 and 55 of the H.C.-
Q54: What do you believe concerning the "Holy Catholic Church"?
A54: That out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, the Son of God, by His Spirit and Word, gathers, defends and preserves for Himself unto everlasting life a chosen communion in the unity of the true faith; and that I am and forever shall remain a living member of this communion.
Q55: What do you understand by the "communion of saints"?
A55: First, that believers, one and all, as members of the Lord Jesus Christ, are partakers with Him in all His treasures and gifts; second, that each one must feel himself bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the advantage and welfare of other members.
L. The purpose for knowledge and judgment and the approval of the things that are excellent are these: that we might abound in love. This is the purpose of knowledge and judgment and the approval of excellent things: that we might love God and love one another. If your knowledge does not result in love for God and for your neighbor, then you just have the image of knowledge; just a form of knowledge. Those who do not love God do not know Him; those who do not love the Lord Jesus do not know Him, and lie under a curse; those who do not love their neighbor do not know the law, nor the God who gave the law.
M. As we read in Philemon 4-6: I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (Phm 1:4-6) True love is the result of true knowledge and judgment, with the approval of excellent things.
N. This love is not abstraction or the love of ideas; but the love of Jesus Christ and the people who belong to Him, and to the image of God in all men.
O. Romans 15:26 “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” (Ro 15:26 av) "Contribution" = "fellowship" or "communion" You have a duty to use your goods for the good of the people of God. This means you choose excellent things in work and labor, so that you will have sufficient to help those who are in need.
P. The same idea is in Heb. 13:16 “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Heb 13:16)
Q. This brings us back to Phil. 1:5. The fellowship of the Gospel. To be united to Christ is to be united to His body, the church that He purchased with His own blood.
May God bless you.
Amen and Amen.
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15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
