Philippians 1:6-8 - A Good Work

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

He Began A Good Work in You

Vs. 6 - “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

“confident of this very thing” - Paul’s prayers of joy (See vs. 4) were based on his confidence in the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in their lives.

“He who began a good work in you” - Jesus is in you from the moment you accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That is the start of your new life. “Therefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Now, until the day you die, or if Christ returns before, you get to live out your new life - an abundant life. (See: John 10:10)

“will perfect it” - When you next see Christ face-to-face you will be in your eternal life. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2. Also, see Rev. 22:3-5.)

“until the day of Christ Jesus” - It is not a big stretch to see three phases of sanctification in this verse.

• Initial or instant sanctification - when you accepted Jesus as Savior - “began a good work”.
• Progressive sanctification - as you live your Christian life in faith - “will perfect it”.
• Ultimate sanctification - eternal life with God and Jesus - “the day of Christ.”

Vs. 7 - “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.”

“it is only right for me to feel this way” - Which way does Paul feel? We will see as we go through the letter he feels love and gratitude for them. There is joy and confidence because they are saved. And in the sentence Paul is grateful for their support during his time in prison.

“About you all” - One of the hints that is a personal letter to close friends is the use of ‘You all’. It is used at least seven times in this letter (note: Paul refers to ‘you all’ about 20 times in his letters). They are all in his prayers and his thoughts. They all contribute to his joy.

“imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” - Go to Acts 22-28, where the story of Paul’s imprisonment and trip to Rome is told. Basically, Paul goes to Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders (not Christian believers) get so angry they plot to kill Paul. He calls upon a Roman commander to provide protection since Paul is a natural Roman citizen. In the process, Paul appears before several Roman authorities where he appeals to Caesar. This is akin to a direct appeal by you or me to the U.S. Supreme of the United States. There was no higher legal authority.
Why were the Jews so angry? Because Paul preached Christ as the only means of salvation. He preached that Christ is God. He did not back down when they told him to stop.

“You all are partakers...” Another reason for him to be confident - they were saved by God’s grace, as was he.

Vs. 8 - “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

“how I long for you all” - Paul has been in prison for some time - at least two years. He was held by the governors of the region, Felix and Festus. Then he was transferred to Rome. At this point he has no idea if he will be set free. He has the unlimited love of Jesus in his heart, and extends that love to his good friends in Philippi.

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