"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain."
Philippians 2:15-16
Part 3
Yesterday:
“The sons of God,”
Believers are the “children” of God.
“Without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,”
We live in this dark world in a way that we don’t give a handle to the lost to pick apart our testimony.
Today:
“Among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
This is what believers do. “We shine.” Here is one reason that God left us here on the earth after He saved us. He has made us be lights in this dark world. We are to bear the truth about Him. We show others how great our God is, and what great things He has done for us. We shine forth His “so great salvation.” The reason He wants us to live lives that are “unblameable” is so that our testimony will not be smudged, but so it can shine brightly in the darkness. The word “lights” here means “luminaries” or “heavenly bodies.” We are not a fleeting “flash in the pan,” but we are lights, that last and last, as the stars shine.
“Be like the sun and moon; bless even the perverse and disobedient by your light and splendor. Let your light shine before men; some will walk in that light, and by its shining God will be glorified” [1] (Clarke).
“Holding forth the word of life;”
Two ideas are both correct for the phrase “holding forth.” The first is the idea of “holding strong,” which we must do. We are not weak, but we have a secure grip on the “word of life.” Secondly, there is presenting the “word of life” for others to see and believe. This is a calling for each believer, hold forth the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the “Word of Life.”
“Genuine Christians, by their holy lives and conversation, are the means of directing others, not only how to escape those dangers to which they are exposed on the tempestuous ocean of human life, but also of leading them into the haven of eternal safety and rest” [2] (Clarke).
“The ‘word of life’ means the gospel, called the ‘word of life’ because it is the message that promises life; or perhaps this is a Hebraism, denoting the living, or life-giving word” [3] (Barnes).
“That I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.”
Paul was looking forward to that day when Christ has returned. The believer will be rewarded for his/her labor for Him. Note that Paul was concerned his own work might have been in vain. Every man of God faces this argument in his soul. “Have I done my best for Jesus?” “Did I follow His Word and preach His Word faithfully?” “Did I live and work for the glory of God?” To Clarke, God’s glory is the key,
“Live so to glorify God and do good to men, that it shall appear that I have not run and labored in vain for your salvation.[4] (Clarke).
Believers, our lives are not for us to do whatever we want. We live, serve, and preach the Gospel for His glory!
“In preaching the gospel. Their [the Philippians] holy lives would be the fullest proof that he [Paul] was a faithful preacher” [5] (Barnes).
[1] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Clarke, ibid.
[3] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] Clarke, ibid.
[5] Barnes, ibid.