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Paul Prayed for Their Righteousness and Purity
(Philippians 1:9-11)
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11[/perfectpullquote]
If the opposite of righteousness is wickedness, then to live pleasing to God we need to live a righteous and pure life. It is only reasonable that Paul prays for the Philippians to live a righteous and pure life.
Throughout the Old Testament God calls His people to a life of righteousness. “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today ; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known”(Deut. 11:26-28). But time and again the children of Israel choose wickedness. They worshiped other gods and did detestable practices of the nations around them. God gave them many opportunities to repent. He sent disaster, sickness, and pestilence so they would repent and return to Him. He sent prophets to warn the people, whom they mocked and killed. Rather than repent they hardened their hearts and did worse. They built alters where they sacrificed their sons and daughters to the heathen gods. When God sent sickness, famine, and sword they hardened their hearts even more. God finally said, “Enough, No More!” God poured out His wrath on His people. Many were destroyed and others were sent into captivity.
As Romans 3:10-12 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God, All have turned away , they have together become worthless; there is no one who is good, not even one.” Yet God did not abandon His people. He gave His promise to send a redeemer – His only Son to save His people from their sins. So that if they turned from their sins and believed on Jesus Christ as their Savior, they would have the forgiveness of sin and fellowship with God the Father.
Turning from sin is a call to righteousness and purity. We who have put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior have put the old sin nature to death and are now made alive in Christ. Therefore, we are called to live a life of righteousness and purity. But not a righteous of our own but we are made righteous through our Lord Jesus Christ.
George Apgar
