The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the PhilippiansRainy, Robert
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Philippians
Rainy, Robert
Bible. Philippians -- Commentaries
The life in view is first of all goodness in its ordinary sense, or what
we call common morality--common honesty, common truthfulness, common
kindness. "Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour";
"Not slothful in business"; "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put
off the old man with his deeds." But then this common morality begins to
have an uncommon heart or spirit in it, by reason of Christ. So a new
love for goodness and a new energy of rejection of evil begin to work;
also, a new sensitiveness to discern good, where its obligation was not
felt before, and to be aware of evil which, before, was tolerated.
Moreover, in the heart of this "common morality" the man carries about a
consciousness of his own relation to God, and also of the relation to
God of all with whom he meets. This consciousness is very imperfect,
sometimes perhaps almost vanishes. Yet the man is aware that an immense
truth is here close to him, and he has begun to be alive to it. This
consciousness tends to give a new value to all the "moralities": it
awakens a new percipiency as to good and evil; in particular, the great
duty of purity in relation to the man himself, and to others, acquires a
new sacredness. The place and claims of self also begin to be judged by
a quite new standard. In all directions possibilities of good and evil
in human life are descried; and the obligation to refuse the evil and to
choose the good presses with a new force. So far, the remark made a
little ago is justified, that the Christian life of Paul was a life that
had begun to point practically towards sinlessness, towards what we call
an unfallen state; however far off it might be, as yet, from that
attainment. But this would be a very limited account of the matter. The
whole region of duty and privilege Godwards is lighted up now by the
faith of redemption in Christ; that not only awakens gratitude, but
inspires a new passion of desire and hope into all moral effort. And the
man, being now aware of a kingdom of goodness set up by Christ, which is
making its way to victory against all the power of evil, and being aware
of the agencies by which it works, must give himself in his own place to
the service of that kingdom, that he may not hurt but help the cause
which it embodies. The new life is therefore to be an energetic life of
the plainest goodness. Only faith places it in relation to the world of
faith, and inspires it with the passion of love and gratitude, and
amplifies it by the new horizons that fall back on all sides, and gives
it a goal in the hope of life eternal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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