Philippians 1:10 That you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Two things are necessary for all noble life. 1. That we have some ideal of duty. 2. That we are honest in trying to realize this ideal. The words before us suggest these necessities. I. AS CHRISTIANS WE OUGHT TO APPROVE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT. 1. Not merely things which are opposed, or differ, as good and bad. It requires no gift of grace to do this. Natural conscience tells us what is right and wrong. All know that truth is better than falsehood. When men call good evil, they are condemned as much by the world as the Church. It is melancholy to think, however, that some have fallen as low as this in Christian communities, and make a gain of godliness. 2. Paul had a higher level of thought in view — a certain spiritual sensitiveness which recoils from evil, and is drawn to good. 3. We all fail more or less in the cultivation of this higher mindedness. The world is too much with us, weighing down our desires, and whispering a religion of convenience, rather than of aspiration. Our frequent failures, too, tend to keep us contented at a low level. 4. The fineness of spiritual perception is of value in the world. It is a key which unlocks secrets of character. It is not easily deceived. It knows what is true and excellent in art, literature, society, and politics, more readily than others who let their moral ideals grow dim. II. THE FURTHER NECESSITY OF OUR BEING SINCERE AND WITHOUT OFFENCE. Our life and thought must be knit together, our ideal translated into fact. 1. Sincerity is the basis of all good character. A man whose inner and outer life is a contradiction loses even the respect of the world. It would be better if all Christian Churches were more intent on the realities of Christian character; their reward would be greater, and their contentions less. 2. We are also to be without offence. (Principal Tulloch.) Parallel Verses KJV: That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; |
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