Philippians 1:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I desire that you not simply agree with me, but examine whether what we say is just. He did not say, “Receive my instructions,” but, “Test.” He did not say directly, “Do not associate with such a man.”

Rather, he says, “I want love to serve your profit, so that your affection may not be unreasonable.” For it is unreasonable if you practice righteousness not for Christ and not through Him.

Here again is the expression, “through Him.” Did he use God as a servant? Not at all. I have said this, says the Apostle, not so that I may be praised, but so that God may be glorified.

“To approve means to indicate the better thing by knowledge, to fulfill it by love, and to taste its fruit by discernment. Let all life pass according to this rule, and it will be pure, blameless, and filled with the fruits of righteousness.”

“In those who have these perfections, there are no unrighteous deeds, words, or thoughts. Standing in consciousness before God, they make every step so that it may be pleasing to God. With them everything proceeds from God, and everything returns to God, to His glory.

“Their life is hidden with Christ. They themselves disappear. Awareness of the all-seeing God does not permit them to desire any deed for themselves, or to turn it away from the glory of God.

“The day of Christ is the open test of all deeds, declaring the hidden things of darkness. Here is the final goal of individual deeds and of all life. To this the Apostle directs his exhortation, and with this he ends his prayerful good wish.

“If only on the day of Christ they may appear pure and blameless, filled with the fruits of righteousness” (cf. Jn 15:8; 1 Cor 6:20).

Thus they may preserve the inner purity and outward blamelessness necessary for everyone who always keeps the coming of the day of Christ in view. Once the moral power of the Gospel has shown its influence within and outside a man, he will not delay in bringing forth fruits of righteousness, that is, every kind of good work (vv. 10-11).

Sober, vigilant, unlazy zeal of love, free from every negligence, immediately takes this indication as its law and fulfills it. Thus it is every minute, from the moment consciousness opens after waking from sleep until it closes in falling asleep. Even sleep itself is turned by them into a work of righteousness. So it is until the grave. How could they not be filled with the fruits of righteousness?

"Through Jesus Christ." From Him come all the fruits of righteousness. For He Himself said: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. For without Me you can do nothing" (cf. Jn 15:4-5).

Those baptized into Christ are clothed with Him. By partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, they have Him living within them. Thus the one who cleaves to the Lord becomes one spirit with the Lord. How then will his fruits of righteousness not be the fruits of Jesus Christ?

"God is the One who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (cf. Phil 2:13). Perfect Christians are deeply and sincerely conscious of this.

"To the glory and praise of God." Here is the final goal, both of individual deeds and of the whole life. Even eating and drinking must be conducted so that they too are turned to the glory of God.

No one knows how to arrange this so well as those whose life is hidden with Christ in God. With them, everything proceeds from God and everything returns to God. They themselves disappear.

The awareness of the all-seeing God does not permit them to seize any deed for themselves and not turn it to God's glory. How can one who knows that it is not he who acts, but the grace that is with him, appropriate anything to himself? How can he do this when he knows that, if he feels himself powerful, it is because he can do all things in the Lord who strengthens him?

Knowing this, he gives everything to Him. The theft of God's glory is possible until one stands in conscience before God. From that moment, it ceases.

The whole life of a perfect Christian passes in such a way that he is pure, without stumbling, and filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory of God. But he himself is not aware of this. God's grace does not allow him to know it, lest he devour himself with his own eyes.

On the contrary, it often places him in such a condition that he feels himself filled with every unworthiness. The memory of these states does not allow him to recognize anything in himself as good or precious before the eyes of God. God knows, but does not reveal it.

The day of Christ is the undisguised testing of all. The holy Apostle refers the crowning to it, and he ends his prayerful good wish for them with it.

If only you may appear on the day of Christ pure and without stumbling, filled with the fruits of righteousness. What will come after that, I am not concerned about. If you are found upright on that day, then after it you will have what cannot even be described.

For this reason, all zealots of the spiritual life have established as a law not to go beyond the thought of God's judgment. Stand at the judgment and wait for what the Lord will say of you: Come, or depart. But who will say this? Therefore weep.

Some spent their whole life this way and never ceased weeping. This is where the Apostle's desire leads, that we may appear pure on the day of Christ.