From Philippians: Offense or Fruit – Depends on What We Approve
Orientation
Many approach Philippians as a religious handbook for self-improvement, which leads to lifelessness and frustration instead of fruitfulness.
- Religion is anything done for God apart from Christ Himself.
- This approach treats the epistle as an ethical manual, not a revelation of Christ as life.
- The result is a dull, barren understanding that cannot satisfy or produce righteousness.
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:11)
— Philippians 1:11
Clarification
True love is not tolerance without judgment, but abounds in knowledge and discernment to approve what God approves.
- Modern 'love' that rejects discernment leads to internal conflict, offense, and a damaged conscience.
- Genuine love agrees with God's testimony, separating light from darkness and truth from error.
- This approval is a passive spiritual function, not a work of human effort.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; (Philippians 1:9-10)
— Philippians 1:9-10
Structure
Fruitfulness and freedom from offense flow from approving what is excellent, which aligns our mind with the Spirit's witness of Christ.
- This approval is how we walk in the Spirit, producing life and peace (Romans 8:4-6).
- It is a dividing function, like God's word as a sword, separating the sanctified from the profane.
- Our eternal destiny and fruitfulness depend on what we approve—truth over error, God over Satan.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
— Romans 8:6
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that the believer’s condition—marked by either offense or fruit—is determined by what they approve. This is not about progressive moral improvement but about the mind being aligned with the Spirit’s testimony concerning Christ. Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 establishes the chain: love abounding in knowledge and discernment enables us to approve the excellent things; this approval yields sincerity and a life without offense; this state is filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ alone. The opposite chain, drawn from the theological analysis, is treating scripture as religious ethic (apart from Christ) which produces lifelessness, or embracing tolerance without discernment which causes internal conflict and stumbling. This internal struggle is ‘kicking against the goads’—a futile rebellion against the Spirit’s witness. The Pauline category here is ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Romans 8:4-6), which is defined as having the mind set on what the Spirit affirms. Sanctification, therefore, is through the knowledge of the truth (John 17:19), a separation effected by agreeing with God’s distinctions. The fruit is not earned but flows from Christ as the source.
Integration
Your standing and your fruitfulness are secure in Christ. He is your righteousness, your sanctification, and the producer of every good fruit. The call to approve what is excellent is not a pressure to perform discernment, but an invitation to rest in what the Spirit is already testifying about Christ and your identity in Him. There is no hierarchy here, only the stable reality of being in Christ. Any offense or internal conflict is a signal to turn again to His testimony, not to strive harder. Your sincerity and freedom from offense until the day of Christ are His work, secured by His life in you. Let this be a landing place of assurance. Christ is your life and your peace.