Philippians: Offense or Fruit—It All Depends on What We Approve (1:9–11)
For years, many have approached Philippians as little more than a religious handbook—a set of ethical instructions for being a better, happier person. I know, because I did the same. But this is to miss the heart of the letter entirely. Religion, in this sense, is anything we do for God—or even think about God—that is apart from Christ Himself. Such “religion” is dead, lifeless, and dull. It cannot produce fruit or satisfy the soul. Only when Christ is recognized as our very life does the Word open up, and what once seemed barren becomes a feast. The difference is not subtle: when we read Philippians as a manual for self-improvement, we reap boredom and frustration. But when we see Christ as the source and producer of righteousness in us, everything changes.
The Root of Offense: Tolerance Without Discernment
Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9–11 is not for a love that is mere tolerance or vague acceptance. He prays for a love that abounds “in knowledge and all judgment,” so that we may “approve things that are excellent” and thus “be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” This is not the world’s definition of love, which refuses to discern, distinguish, or judge. That kind of “love” is a counterfeit. It leaves people stumbling, internally conflicted, and easily offended—because they are constantly engaging in things their conscience cannot approve. The result is damage to the conscience, enmity within, and a spirit of offense.
This is not a minor issue. When we approve what God disapproves, or disapprove what He approves, we are at war within ourselves. We resist the Spirit’s witness, just as Paul did before his conversion—“kicking against the goads” (Acts 9:5). That resistance does not produce peace, but rage, turmoil, and offense. Many who become enraged at the truth are not fighting us—they are fighting the testimony of God within their own conscience, hardening themselves against the Spirit’s prodding. This is the inevitable fruit of a so-called “love” that refuses to discern.
Approving What Is Excellent: The Path to Sincerity and Fruit
The alternative is clear: let your love abound in knowledge and discernment, so you may approve what is excellent. This is not a call to self-generated fruit, but to a posture of agreement with God’s testimony. Our spiritual function is not to create, but to approve—to set our seal that God is true (John 3:33). This is what it means to walk in the Spirit: to align your mind with what the Spirit testifies concerning Christ and your identity in Him (Romans 8:4–6, 16). The result is life and peace, sincerity, and freedom from offense.
Adam’s first task in the garden was to name the animals—to discern, classify, and designate according to what God brought before him (Genesis 2:19). Likewise, our role is to approve what God sets forth, to separate light from darkness, truth from error, Christ from all that is merely religious or fleshly. God’s Word is a dividing sword (Hebrews 4:12); His speaking separates and sanctifies (Genesis 1:4–5; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Sanctification is not a matter of effort, but of being separated unto what God has decreed—ultimately, unto Christ Himself—by agreeing with the truth.
What Is Lost If We Refuse to Discern
If we refuse this discernment—if we embrace the world’s definition of love and make peace with darkness—we lose far more than spiritual fruitfulness. We forfeit sincerity, damage our conscience, and remain in a state of internal conflict. Worse, we become friends with the world and thus enemies of God (James 4:4). The offense we experience is not from others, but from within, as we “kick against the goads” of God’s truth. The cost is nothing less than sanctification, joy, and readiness for Christ’s return.
Watchfulness: Guarding the Gospel, Approving What God Approves
True watchfulness is not about external observance or keeping up with world events. It is about spiritual vigilance—guarding your crown (Revelation 3:11) by distinguishing the true Gospel from its counterfeits, the good seed from the bad, the shepherd from the hireling. This is the fruit of love abounding in discernment. As you approve what God approves, you are separated from offense, filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ, and made ready for His appearing.
This is not a secondary matter. To blur the line between truth and error, to refuse God’s distinctions, is to undermine justification, inheritance, and sonship. It is to trade the riches of Christ for the poverty of religion. But to agree with God’s testimony—to approve what is excellent—is to enter into sanctification, sincerity, and joy, bearing fruit to the glory of God.
Let us not settle for a religion that leaves us lifeless and offended. Let us abound in discerning love, approve what is excellent, and walk in the freedom and fruitfulness that only Christ can produce.
