Joy and Certainty

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot, and praying some, over that little verse in Philippians 1 in which the Apostle Paul so beautifully expressed his confidence regarding the future of the Philippian church. He wrote, “I am sure of this, that He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

That’s pretty remarkable assurance coming from a guy who was in jail! You might also wish to note that this little letter to the church Paul had founded at Philippi has more references to joy than any other book in the Bible. I believe that Paul’s substantial confidence and Paul’s overt joy went hand-in-hand. Let’s take a look at this. How could Paul be so certain?

If you examine verse 6, you’ll note that Paul’s certainty regarding the church’s future was founded upon the church’s past. Who started the church? Was it Paul, or the Philippians themselves? No! God began the work. And Paul knew that what God began, God will finish, even if it takes until Jesus comes back. Thus, Paul was filled with joy in anticipation of God’s exercising His sovereign greatness to complete His work – HIS work, mind you! – for His glory. The fact that Paul was in jail didn’t seem to distract him from this assurance, because, as he wrote to another church, “we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

What has God begun in your life? Did He at some point in your life grant you faith to trust the atoning sacrifice of His Son as the means and guarantee of your salvation? Then He has begun a good work in you, just like He did among the Philippians. So, since that beginning was made in you by God Himself, have you misplaced your confidence?

Honestly, I find the temptations to misplace my confidence are many and varied, and pressing upon us almost daily. That great whisperer of lies, the devil, is determined to distract us and sway our vision from the glory and grace of God. “Trust your common sense,” he murmurs to our worrying hearts. “Rely on your training or your background, your experience or your expertise,” he blithely chatters on, not perhaps in so many words, but in a kind of unformed doubt that creeps into the dark recesses of our fearful hearts.

Believers, let us banish the lies of hell to their source! God’s truth is the source of our certainty, and nothing else will suffice. Has God begun a good work in you? Then, regardless of the circumstances in which you find yourself, He will bring it to completion. And the joy you have will be determined in great measure by how fully you believe Him and how willingly you submit to Him and cooperate with His ongoing work in you.

Next week: Joy and the Excellence of Christ