Verse 10
Possessing this kind of abounding love would enable the Philippians to give approval to things of the greatest value and importance. Conversely they would disapprove things of lesser significance. Most of the choices that a spiritual believer faces are not between morally good and morally evil things but between things of lesser and greater value. The things that we choose because we love them reflect how discerning our love really is.
The ultimate end in view emerges in the second part of this verse. We need to love in harmony with God’s revelation and with His Spirit’s guidance (Philippians 1:9) so we will choose the best over the good (Philippians 1:10 a). This will result in our being without flaw (sincere) and without blame (blameless) when we stand before God to give an account of the stewardship of our lives at the judgment seat of Christ (Philippians 1:10 b; 2 Corinthians 5:10; cf. 1 John 3:3).
"Aproskopos has to do with being ’blameless’ in the sense of ’not offending’ or not causing someone else to stumble." [Note: Fee, p. 102.]
"There are people who are themselves faultless, but who are so hard and harsh and austere that they in the end drive people away from Christianity. There are people who are good, but they are so critical of others that they repel other people from goodness. The Christian is himself pure, but his love and his gentleness are such that he attracts others to the Christian way and never repels them from it." [Note: William Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians, pp. 23-24.]
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