Sunday Devotional: Philippians 3:1

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome for me, but [it is] safety for you.

Paul exhorts the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord. Having just encouraged them to live holy and blameless lives, and commended two of his fellow-workers to them, he wants them to have the joy of the Lord on their lips and in their hearts. They have much to be thankful for, and the fact that God has blessed them with outstanding teachers and examples of the faith is good reason to give thanks to the Lord.

Clearly either the previous exhortations, or the following ones (or both) are not new to the Philippians. Paul has already told them these things, but he feels it important to repeat them in this letter. Perhaps we get a sense here, as we have already in 1:21-26, that Paul knows his time is short and, as much as he may hope otherwise, he may not get to see the Philippians again this side of eternity. This would explain why he feels the needs to tell them things he knows they have already heard. But it is not a burden for him to do so, and it is “safety” for them. The Greek word there, asphalês, refers to something that is in someone’s best interest. The NASB translates it “a safeguard.” It is for their own protection that he reminds them of these truths. If he’s talking about what he has been saying prior to this verse, then it is a safeguard to their souls and their testimony that they live lives that honor Christ and exemplify the gospel. If he’s referring to the following exhortation regarding false teachers, then it is for the protection of the church. Either way, these are things they need to hear again, if only to set his own mind at ease that they have been warned.

The longer you are in the faith, the more often you are exposed to the same teaching. Bible stories become as familiar as your own family, and gospel truths can become like songs you’ve heard so often, you stop paying attention to them whenever they come on the radio. There may even develop in the heart a sense of arrogance, that you’ve heard these things so many times before, you don’t need to hear them again. “I know this stuff!”

Some tackle this problem by going after new teaching. Someone comes along who says things that sound outrageous, but they seem to make a logical case, and manage to draw a crowd. Or they offer a new experience, feelings and spiritual goosebumps that “dusty old doctrines” that you’ve heard a million times before won’t give you.

An Anglican bishop in the 19th century named J.C. Ryle wrote a book called Old Paths in which he goes over the basic gospel truths of the Christian faith–subjects like inspiration, forgivenenss, justification, faith, repentance, and so on. In the preface he says, “The longer I live the more I am convinced that the world needs no new Gospel, as some profess to think. I am thoroughly persuaded that the world needs nothing but a bold, full, unflinching teaching of the ‘old paths.’ The heart of man is the same in every age. The spiritual medicine which it requires is always the same.”

When our hearts grow cold to the gospel, and to the teaching of Bible truths from our pulpits every Sunday, we are in a dangerous position. It means we are losing sight of the true meaning of our lives, and of what’s real. All of this around us, this world and its pleasures, are fleeting. God’s truth is eternal. If we know nothing else, and if nothing else excites us, then the message of what God has done for us in Christ should stir our hearts whenever we hear it. Our prayer should be that we never grow tired of hearing the old, old story. These things are a safeguard to our souls. They remind us of what God has done in our hearts, where we would be without Him, and how we should live our lives in gratitude for the love He has shown us. In this way, our hearts are guarded against apathy and rebellion, and our minds are shielded from false teaching and bad judgment.

I pray that we all remember and treasure the doctrines that save, and the Lord of glory who gave them to us. And that we rejoice every time we hear them.

Have a great week!