“For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.” (Philippians 1:10, NLT)
There are two words in the verse above that describe the life of a faithful Christian. A person who loves Jesus Christ will be both “pure” and “blameless”. On the surface, these words may seem simple to you. However, their definition will teach you some important aspects of a faithful life that may not appear readily apparent at first reading. In fact, studying these two words opens up a great deal of insight into what it means to be a faithful Christian.
The Greek word used by Paul in the verse above for the word “pure” is εἰλικρινεῖς. Its original meaning is “sincere” or “without hidden motives”. On the surface, this definition may seem obvious. However, there is history behind this word. John MacArthur explained this well in his book Drawing Near. There, he wrote:
“The Greek words translated “sincere” in verse 10 speaks of genuineness and authenticity. It literally means “without wax” and is an allusion to the practice of inspecting pottery by holding it up to the sunlight. In ancient times pottery often cracked during the firing process. Rather than discarding cracked pieces, dishonest dealers often filled the cracks with wax and sold them to unsuspecting customers. Holding a pot up to the sunlight revealed any flaws and protected the customer from a bad purchase.
Following that analogy, Biblical integrity requires that you be without wax, having no hypocrisy or secret sins that show up when you’re under pressure or facing temptation.”
I find MacArthur’s exposition most revealing. To be a faithful Christian, you need to be genuine. There cannot be hidden flaws that you hide from others or from God. You are the real deal. Your love of God isn’t for show. Your worship of God is wholehearted and straightforward.
There are many people who put on “airs” when they live a Christian life. They act pious and religious while at church but are very different when out of the spiritual limelight. Jesus noticed these religious-acting individuals, seeing them as hypocrites (Matthew 6:16, 7:5). When you look past hypocrites’ religious actions, exposing them to the light of Christ, their double standards become obvious. That’s why the scripture for today asks you to be “pure” and “sincere” in your faith. Jesus doesn’t appreciate double standards nor a faith that is for show.
The second word in our verse today used to define a faithful Christian was “blameless”. This word in Greek means “not giving offense”. Liberal theologians like to point to this word meaning a faithful person is “inclusive” and “politically correct”. THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS WORD MEANS! In truth, this word means “to not cause another to stumble or fall”. What this implies is that the faithful Christian does not push others into sin. Being faithful to Jesus means you do not encourage sinful living nor help another person to do something against God. This may actually mean the opposite of politically correct! When one is politically correct, one seeks primarily to not offend others. However, when done wrongly, while not offending others one can offend God! This word in the Bible means to help others to remain faithful to our Lord. Sometimes, do be faithful to Jesus, you must go against worldly ideals of political correctness.
Philippians 1:10 explains Paul’s theology concisely. As a follower of Jesus, your life must be “free from spiritual defects that might be purposefully hidden from others”. To be faithful to Jesus, a person must also never encourage others to sin. When taken to heart, these two actions help define the true character and intention of the person who loves Jesus.
Father Ragheed Ganni was born in 1972 in Iraq. After studying in Rome, Father Ganni requested to be sent back to Iraq to serve his country as a Catholic priest.
One night, after celebrating Mass where his three cousins served as deacons, the four men left the Church. A man approached the group and told Father Ganni to shut down the Church, to which he responded, “How can I close the house of God?”
All four men were told to convert to Islam or die, and they refused. They were shot, and their bodies placed in a car full of explosives so if anyone attempted to remove the bodies, they would be destroyed. Hours later, the police bomb squad disabled the bombs, and the men were buried.
The Official Vatican statement concerning Father Ganni’s death said, “Ragheed’s sacrifice will inspire in the hearts of all men and women of good will a renewed resolve to reject the ways of hatred and violence, to conquer evil with good and to cooperate in hastening the dawn of reconciliation, justice and peace in Iraq.”
Father Ganni’s life was not wasted. He died pure and blameless before the world. Muslim religious zealots took his life because he was a pure and blameless example for Jesus.
There are those who might want you to do impure things. They may even encourage you to sin against God. Some of these people may even claim to be Christian. There are many hypocrites in the world. Some are even found in the church. No hypocrite will ever be pure and blameless in God’s sight. They often hide their spiritual double-standards and worldly lusts. You need to be different. As a faithful Christian, your love of Jesus needs to be genuine. Never forget that true faith requires you to live a “pure and blameless life until the day of Christ’s return” (Philippians 1:10).
The Greek word used by Paul in the verse above for the word “pure” is εἰλικρινεῖς. Its original meaning is “sincere” or “without hidden motives”. On the surface, this definition may seem obvious. However, there is history behind this word. John MacArthur explained this well in his book Drawing Near. There, he wrote:
“The Greek words translated “sincere” in verse 10 speaks of genuineness and authenticity. It literally means “without wax” and is an allusion to the practice of inspecting pottery by holding it up to the sunlight. In ancient times pottery often cracked during the firing process. Rather than discarding cracked pieces, dishonest dealers often filled the cracks with wax and sold them to unsuspecting customers. Holding a pot up to the sunlight revealed any flaws and protected the customer from a bad purchase.
Following that analogy, Biblical integrity requires that you be without wax, having no hypocrisy or secret sins that show up when you’re under pressure or facing temptation.”
I find MacArthur’s exposition most revealing. To be a faithful Christian, you need to be genuine. There cannot be hidden flaws that you hide from others or from God. You are the real deal. Your love of God isn’t for show. Your worship of God is wholehearted and straightforward.
There are many people who put on “airs” when they live a Christian life. They act pious and religious while at church but are very different when out of the spiritual limelight. Jesus noticed these religious-acting individuals, seeing them as hypocrites (Matthew 6:16, 7:5). When you look past hypocrites’ religious actions, exposing them to the light of Christ, their double standards become obvious. That’s why the scripture for today asks you to be “pure” and “sincere” in your faith. Jesus doesn’t appreciate double standards nor a faith that is for show.
The second word in our verse today used to define a faithful Christian was “blameless”. This word in Greek means “not giving offense”. Liberal theologians like to point to this word meaning a faithful person is “inclusive” and “politically correct”. THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS WORD MEANS! In truth, this word means “to not cause another to stumble or fall”. What this implies is that the faithful Christian does not push others into sin. Being faithful to Jesus means you do not encourage sinful living nor help another person to do something against God. This may actually mean the opposite of politically correct! When one is politically correct, one seeks primarily to not offend others. However, when done wrongly, while not offending others one can offend God! This word in the Bible means to help others to remain faithful to our Lord. Sometimes, do be faithful to Jesus, you must go against worldly ideals of political correctness.
Philippians 1:10 explains Paul’s theology concisely. As a follower of Jesus, your life must be “free from spiritual defects that might be purposefully hidden from others”. To be faithful to Jesus, a person must also never encourage others to sin. When taken to heart, these two actions help define the true character and intention of the person who loves Jesus.
Father Ragheed Ganni was born in 1972 in Iraq. After studying in Rome, Father Ganni requested to be sent back to Iraq to serve his country as a Catholic priest.
One night, after celebrating Mass where his three cousins served as deacons, the four men left the Church. A man approached the group and told Father Ganni to shut down the Church, to which he responded, “How can I close the house of God?”
All four men were told to convert to Islam or die, and they refused. They were shot, and their bodies placed in a car full of explosives so if anyone attempted to remove the bodies, they would be destroyed. Hours later, the police bomb squad disabled the bombs, and the men were buried.
The Official Vatican statement concerning Father Ganni’s death said, “Ragheed’s sacrifice will inspire in the hearts of all men and women of good will a renewed resolve to reject the ways of hatred and violence, to conquer evil with good and to cooperate in hastening the dawn of reconciliation, justice and peace in Iraq.”
Father Ganni’s life was not wasted. He died pure and blameless before the world. Muslim religious zealots took his life because he was a pure and blameless example for Jesus.
There are those who might want you to do impure things. They may even encourage you to sin against God. Some of these people may even claim to be Christian. There are many hypocrites in the world. Some are even found in the church. No hypocrite will ever be pure and blameless in God’s sight. They often hide their spiritual double-standards and worldly lusts. You need to be different. As a faithful Christian, your love of Jesus needs to be genuine. Never forget that true faith requires you to live a “pure and blameless life until the day of Christ’s return” (Philippians 1:10).