Please Help Us Keep These Thousands of Blog Posts Growing and Free for All

$5.00

So that you may approve what is excellent, and so be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:10)

Paul, in this verse, continues speaking of the discernment and knowledge they needed for their love to abound. The Greek word (δοκιμάζω dokimazō) “approve” used here means to try and discriminate between the excellent things (διαφέρω diapherō), carrying the concept the things that are different (from the world around them). There are three meanings for “approve” dokimazō: (1) to regard as worthwhile (Ro 1:28), (2) to judge as good, regard something as genuine or worthy (Ro 1:28; 14:22), and (3) to examine, to try out, test (Lk 14:19; 1Co 3:13; 11:28; 2Co 8:8; Gal 6:4; 1Ti 3:10). Paul is using it in the third sense. The word as it is used here indicates a trial wherein metals are tested to designate them as authentic, which is the sense we have here. The apostle Paul wanted them to test the excellent things that were genuinely important, to designate them as authentically beneficial. They will then be able to be considered sincere and blameless.

Looking more deeply at what Paul meant by the excellent things (διαφέρω diapherō), we see that he wanted them to be able to differentiate between things that differed from each other. Paul wanted them to have a perceptive uneasiness toward Satan’s world, to be able to distinguish between what was right and wrong, what was good and what was evil. He did not want them to love and approve of things within Satan’s world haphazardly. Things needed to be evaluated based on their actual value to one’s life. Paul desired that the Philippians be Christians, but he also wanted them to be discerning Christians. Paul not only wanted Christians to examine and test themselves, to see whether they are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5), but to examine and test the things within the fallen world, to see whether they were beneficial for their faith. They needed to know the actual worth and value of the things within the world.

The word sincere (εἰλικρινής eilikrinēs) means “to have a moral and ethical purity.” It is believed that the word comes from the concept of being “tested by sunlight.”^[1] It has the sense of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech, sincere, pure, wholesome (Php 1:10; 2Pe 3:1). In English, the word we have for sincere comes from the Latin word sincerus, which means “without wax.” The background is that a dishonest dealer in pottery often would cover cracks and flaws with wax and sell the piece as perfect. When set out in the sun, the owner would find the wax melting and running down the side of the pottery. So, the dealers began to guarantee the pieces with the word sincerus on the bill of sale. The piece was “without wax.” As Christians, we are to be just like this. Yes, we have sinned, but under the blood of Christ, we should appear to the world as being “without wax” – we are the real thing.

The word blameless (ἀπρόσκοπος aproskopos) here means to have a conscience that is void of any cause of stumbling. We all are sinners, and the Scriptures teach us that we will sin^[2] and that God will cleanse and forgive our sins as we come to him. Blameless: (Heb. תָּם tam; תָּמִים tamim; Gr. ἄμωμος amōmos; ἀμώμητος amōmētos; ἀπρόσκοπος aproskopos) means, “perfect, blameless, sincerity, entire, whole, complete, and full.” Of course, Noah, Jacob, and Job were not literally perfect. When used of imperfect humans, the terms are relative, not absolute. However, if we are fully committed to following a life course based on God’s will and purposes, fully living by his laws, repent when we fall short, he will credit our righteousness. – Gen. 6:6; 25:27; Job 9:20-22l Ps. 119:1; Pro. 11:20; Phil 2:15; 1 Thess. 5:23.

Paul is challenging the Philippian believers and us to watch and choose the right things to have a conscience cleansed and be ready for the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. Twice in this opening passage, Paul refers to the return of Jesus Christ for his holy ones. (Refer back to verse 6).

[1] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1996). P. 498.

[2] The reader is advised to read, study and meditate upon 1 John 1:8-10. The beloved disciple John speaks to the error that people claim to be sinless. We can have all our sins forgiven in our daily walk as we confess and trust God for His cleansing. When we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we are blameless before God, not because of who we are, but because of who He is.