Tony Brown preached last night on Philippians, looking at ways in which we may live pure and blameless lives (Phil 1:10).
Purity is not about sinless perfection, as John makes clear in 1 John 1:8. Rather, the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:8); purity here refers to complete sincerity, a heart that is not distracted from God, a heart that has no conflict of loyalties, no mixed motives. Being blameless involves obedience to God, having Him at the centre of our lives and relationships, keeping a hold of His Word so that we have knowledge and insight as well as passion to guide us into all truth.
Philippians 2 talks about us imitating Christ, being one in spirit and purpose. The unity of the church is meant to reflect the unity of the Godhead. The three persons of the Godhead may have different roles (the Father is the friend who made us, the Son the friend who saved us, the Spirit the friend who guides us) but they are one. In the same way, the church is made up of different people but in unity of purpose, we can be one. This involves not doing things out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but learning to serve each other and encourage each other.
One way in which we move towards the pure and blameless life which God intends is to have nothing to do with complaining, arguing and grumbling (Phil 2:14). The Israelites were characterised in the wilderness by their complaining spirit and this led them into disobedience. Such a negative spirit leads to doubt and depression, whereas being positive – despite our circumstances or feelings – is a sign of faith. Jesus is our example, as always, in this. Even when He was being crucified, He thought of others – praying for the repentant thief, praying for forgiveness for his enemies – rather than complaining about the difficulties He was facing.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Phil 2:12-15)
Here, we see that who we are in private, behind closed doors, is what really counts. When no one else is watching us, God is. He wants us to be pure and blameless so that we shine like stars. We have a high priest in Jesus who is Himself blameless and pure (Heb 7:26) and we can be confident that He will give us strength and will help us in everything we do (Phil 4:13)