"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."
Philippians 1:6
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Being confident of this very thing,”
Today:
“That he which hath begun a good work in you.”
Paul was confident that because God had begun the work of grace in the lives of the Philippians that He would finish what He started. God never does a halfway job, especially in the work of salvation. He always ends what He begins.
“It was indeed a good work begun in the Philippians and in all believers. ‘The work of grace has its root in the divine goodness of the Father, it is planted by the self-denying goodness of the Son, and it is daily watered by the goodness of the Holy Spirit; it springs from good and leads to good, and so is altogether good.’” [1] (Spurgeon)
God’s Holy Spirit began working in us before our salvation. He began to teach us who Jesus is and what He has done for us, and He showed us our need for the Savior. His work of grace continues after our salvation as He works in our lives to sanctify us. Our “position” in Christ is firm and will never change. But our practical holiness is progressing as we “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
“Will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
God will keep working on us until He has completed His work at the “day of Jesus Christ,” when we finally see Him!
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
“Because this good work was begun, Paul was confident of its completion. God is a worker who completes His works. ‘Where is there an instance of God’s beginning any work and leaving it incomplete? Show me for once a world abandoned and thrown aside half formed; show me a universe cast off from the Great Potter’s wheel, with the design in outline, the clay half hardened, and the form unshapely from incompleteness’”[2] (Spurgeon).
Praise the Lord for His work in us!
[1] Spurgeon, as quoted by Guzik. David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Guzik, ibid.