Philippians 1:6 - He who began a good work in you ... is not about assurance or perseverance

The Verse

Philippians 1:6 - And 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

The Misunderstanding

This verse is frequently misused by theologians. For example, Wayne Grudem employs Philippians 1:6 as a proof-text in support of the doctrine of perseverance that born again believers will not fall away from the faith but will persevere to the end (Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed., 973-74).

Similarly, John MacArthur writes, "The Spirit is God’s pledge, down payment, and deposit that certifies with impeccable assurance the certainty that what God began he will also complete (Phil. 1:6)" (Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth, 359). Like Grudem, MacArthur understands the verse as supporting the doctrine of perseverance that a believer may never lose their salvation because God completes what he starts (Biblical Doctrine, 360, 645).

Thus, for many, Philippians 1:6 pertains to sanctification, assurance, and perseverance.

But such an understanding fails to account for the context of the letter.

Why did Paul write Philippians?

Paul wrote to the Philippians so that they would continue supporting his gospel ministry. The Philippian church had consistently participated in Paul’s gospel ministry for some time (1:5; 4:3, 15). Yet, the church faced a divisive situation whereby intimidating opponents of Paul (1:28) threatened the church’s relationship with him and their ongoing support of his ministry.

These opponents seem to match the description of the Jewish Christians (Pharisees) in Acts 15 who had argued for the necessity of circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-5). In this epistle, Paul’s opponents were certainly Jewish (2:15; 3:4-6). They were apparently Christian as well, for they preached the gospel, despite selfish ambition serving as their motivation for doing so (1:17). Just as keeping the Law was a means for Israel’s physical blessing in the Old Testament, these believing Jewish antagonists perceived preaching the gospel as the means to physical blessing in the New Testament era. For them, preaching the gospel and keeping the Law would result in earthly benefits (1:17; 3:19).

By contrast, Paul’s gospel did not include keeping the Law (3:9) and did not seek earthly blessing in the present age. He instead looked to resurrection and reward in the next (3:11-14, 21). Hence the rivalry between Paul and his theology against his opponents with theirs. With the opponents’ focus on earthly blessing (1:17; 3:19), they probably pointed the Philippians to Paul’s imprisonment and suffering, and Epaphroditus’ nearly terminal illness (for helping Paul) as curses indicating these men were working against God.

Thus, the subject of the epistle is not the Philippians' salvation, nor is it "joy" as some assert. Rather, the subject was Paul's gospel ministry and the Philippian church's participation in it. Paul ultimately wanted the Philippian church to unite around him, his ministry, and his gospel of righteousness apart from the Law in order to live the gospel-worthy life with love, humility, and mutual concern.

In a brief sentence, the message of Philippians is: Stick with me [Paul] and my gospel ministry, not them [the believing Jewish antagonists].

With this background to the letter as a whole in mind ...

The near context of Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6 is actually the continuation of a sentence which began in 1:3. Unfortunately, few English Bible translations actually follow the Greek text in this regard. Breaking up Paul's sentence can easily result in fragmentary analysis which decontextualizes an individual verse and leads to interpretations foreign to the author's intended meaning.

The entire sentence (Philippians 1:3-6) was an expression of Paul's thankfulness (1:3) because of the Philippians' participation / fellowship / partnership in the gospel (1:5). This is not merely a reference to their salvation in Jesus Christ, but specifically to their participation in Paul's gospel ministry. They had affirmed him and his "Lawless" gospel, and they had supported him financially. But now, the believing Jewish antagonists in Philippi were threatening the church's partnership with Paul by drawing them away to a gospel which included Lawkeeping.

Paul prayed for their love to abound all the more in knowledge and discernment (1:9) - because the antagonists had deceived the Philippians concerning Paul and his gospel. He continued to pray that they might approve what is superior (1:10) - that is, Paul's gospel ministry was superior to the gospel and ministry of the antagonists. If they continued with Paul and his gospel, they would be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ (1:10) having been filled with the fruit of righteousness (1:11). This aligns with Paul's goal that the Philippians live the gospel-worthy life (1:27).

If however the Philippians abandoned Paul and went along with the Jewish antagonists and their gospel of Lawkeeping, the implication is that they would not live a gospel-worthy life, not be blameless and sincere on the day of Christ, and not be filled with the fruit of righteousness.

The "good work" in Philippians 1:6

Based on the context, the "good work" in 1:6 refers to the Philippians' participation in Paul's gospel ministry. Paul's confidence in 1:6 that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" speaks of his assurance that the Philippians will be persuaded by his epistle, that they will abandon the Jewish antagonists and their theology, and that they will reaffirm their participation with Paul and his gospel ministry.

Philippians 1:6 has nothing to with the theological concepts of perseverance of the saints, assurance of salvation, or sanctification. (Mis)using this verse to support theological arguments (or systems of theology) may only be done by depriving the verse of its context.

This brief example shows why it's so important to understand the overall message and argument of each book of the Bible. The biblical authors didn't write merely to convey theological truths; they wrote to a specific audience in response to a specific occasion. Articulating how each verse fits that occasion helps us correctly understand the authorial intent and avoid misinterpretations.

Teachings

Seeking God's truth via the authorial intent of the biblical text.

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