Philippians 1:9 - Exposition

And this I pray . This is the purport of the prayer already mentioned in Philippians 1:4 . The conjunction ἵνα marks the end of St. Paul's prayer, and so its purport. That your love may abound yet more and more . Your love; not love for the apostle only, but the grace of Christian charity. St. Paul finds no fault with the Philippians, but "ignis in apostolo nunquam dicit, Sufficit" (Bengel). He prays for their continued growth in love, but not unintelligent love. In knowledge and in all judgment . ἐπίγνωσις is a stronger word than γνῶσις : it means full, complete knowledge. The Greek αἴσθησις (literally, sense ) occurs only here in the New Testament, though αἰσθητήρια (organs of sense) is found in Hebrews 5:14 . "Discernment," the rendering of R.V., is more correct than "judgment." It is, Bishop Wordsworth says, "that delicate tact and instinct, which almost intuitively perceives what is right, and almost unconsciously shrinks from what is wrong." It cannot exist without love. "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." With love there comes a spiritual sense, spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, a sense of the beauty of holiness, a fine perception of Christian propriety; ἡ ἀγάπη οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ .