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.
Philippians 1:6
I drawn to the force behind Paul's words "I am sure." If we look at the roots of that phrase, we find that Paul intimates that he is persuaded, convinced even, of God's ability to save us completely.
Our salvation is a central theme of the Gospel. In one sense, salvation the signficance God's grace has for us; it's why Jesus' work means so much. As a word, salvation describes being brought from death to life, from darkness into light, from condemnation into inheritance, from orphan-status into adoption, from lostness into foundness ... and the list of pictures we read in Scripture goes on! Clearly, salvation is doing something signficant for us.
Here, in Philippians 1:6, we are invited to see another aspect of salvation, namely when we experience salvation. I see three encouraging implications:
- "he who began a good work" reminds us that we truly have been saved when we accepted Christ,
- "will bring it" encourages us that God continues to work our already-real salvation into our daily lives, and
- "to completion" invites us to see that our already-real salvation is going to culminate in a not-yet-realized experience of Jesus' return.
I've heard it said this way - I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. When we lack courage ourselves, may we lean on the apostle's fully persuaded understanding of the riches of God's saving grace!
We need these truths to encourage our hearts! It'll make a difference in how you see yourself and those around you. Take a moment to pray now, thanking God for his full, enduring salvation.