What is the good work that God began in the Philippians and will bring to completion?

Explanation:

We want to know what Paul means by good work when he says that God will bring to completion the good work he began in the Philippians. Most likely he has in mind the salvation that God has produced in the Philippians.⁶ We can deduce this because in Philippians 1:10 he encourages the Philippians to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.⁷ In other words, he is saying that as God produces salvation in them, which will come to completion on the day of Christ, so they ought to align their conduct with the day of Christ. Further, in Philippians 2:12–13 he calls them to work out their salvation, for God is at work in them to will and to work for his pleasure.⁸ Paul is saying that God has wrought salvation in the Philippians, and they ought to work out what that salvation entails for their lives.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that Philippians 1:10 falls outside the immediate context of Philippians 1:6. Thus, if the immediate context suggests that Paul has another meaning in mind that is not inconsistent with Philippians 1:10, we ought to take the meaning influenced by the immediate context. And in fact, we find that in Philippians 1:7, Paul’s comments nuance the meaning of Philippians 1:6 so that the good work likely includes the work of salvation God has wrought, along with the Philippians’ response in giving. That is because in Philippians 1:7 Paul says that it is right for him to feel joy for the Philippians, for along with Paul, they are partakers of grace, both in Paul’s imprisonment and defence of the gospel. In other words, the good work that God began and will bring to completion is the Philippians’ participation in grace, which includes personal salvation, along with their activity of defending the gospel.

Response to counterargument:

Importantly, the connection between Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 1:10 is stronger than the connection between Philippians 1:16 and Philippians 1:7. That is, Philippians 1:7 could be construed as a general summary of Paul’s introductory remarks. Paul has expressed his joy in the Philippians and thankfulness for their participation in the gospel. Almost as an aside, and while it is on his mind, he also expresses his confidence that God will bring their salvation to completion.⁹ Then in Philippians 1:7, Paul summarizes his initial comments by explaining that he is justified for the joy he feels toward the Philippians. Thus, as a general summary of his feelings toward the Philippians, Philippians 1:7 is only indirectly related to the content of Philippians 1:6, and not a substantial influence. On the other hand, Philippians 1:10 is importantly influential on Philippians 1:6 because in Philippians 1:6, Paul refers to the good work being brought to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. Similarly, in Philippians 1:10 Paul prays the Philippians will be blameless for the day of Christ. Given that Paul has the day of Christ in mind in both Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 1:10, we can detect a thematic connection between these verses.

Explanation:

Paul says that he is sure that God will bring to completion the good work he began in the Philippians. Given that Paul says in the previous verse that he is thankful for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel, which includes their giving, one is tempted to conclude that the good work has to do with giving to the gospel. Unfortunately, this conclusion does not hold because Paul does not have in mind what the Philippians are doing, but what God has done in them. Specifically, he says that God began a good work in you. The prepositional phrase could be translated in you or among you, which implies that the good work is the work that has happened to the Philippians, not the good work that the Philippians perform, which is their willingness and activity sharing in the gospel.¹⁰ Thus, the good work is God’s work of salvation brought to the Philippians.

Counterargument:

Another way to understand what Paul means when he refers to the good work done in you is that the good work has to do with supporting Paul’s mission, and originates not with the Philippians but with God. That is, God began a good work in the Philippians, which is their willingness to contribute to Paul’s ministry, and God will carry this good work to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.

Response to counterargument:

The problem with this interpretation of the prepositional phrase in you is that it is not intuitive. Let us assume that it is possible to interpret the prepositional phrase in one of two ways. Either it refers to God’s producing salvation in the Philippians, or it refers to God’s producing a willingness in the Philippians to contribute to the gospel. The question is, which of these two options is more intuitive given that this good work will be brought to completion on the day of Christ Jesus? That the salvation will be brought to completion on the day of Christ Jesus is intuitive. It means that the salvation God has initiated in the Philippians will be brought to completion. On the other hand, it’s hard to make sense of the notion that the willingness to contribute to the gospel will be brought to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.

The weakness of this view is that Paul refers to what God will bring to completion as a good work. Most often we think of a good work as an activity conducted by a human that aligns with God’s will. To say that salvation is a good work of God is to suggest that God does good works. Normally we consider God’s work inherently good, so we do not refer to his works as good works but simply God’s works.

Explanation:

When Paul says that he is sure that the God who began a good work in the Philippians will bring it to completion, it is not right away clear what he means by good work. To understand what he means, we can look to the immediate context. For in Philippians 1:3–5 he explains that he thanks God with joy for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. He then says in Philippians 1:6 that he is sure that God will bring the good work in the Philippians to completion. In other words, the good work is the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel.¹⁴ So if the good work is the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel, what does Paul mean by partnership? Most likely he has in mind the Philippians’ willingness to defend and proclaim the gospel alongside him.¹⁵

Counterargument:

There are two problems with this view. For one, it is not clear that the good work refers to the partnership mentioned in Philippians 1:5. Rather, Philippians 1:6 is found within Paul’s introductory remarks, so there is a good chance that Philippians 1:6 is a parenthetical statement as Paul reflects on his overarching relationship with the Philippians.¹⁶ Second, even if the good work Paul refers to in Philippians 1:6 does refer to the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel, it is not clear that the partnership has to do with the Philippians’ support in advancing and defending the gospel. Rather, the partnership might refer to the Philippians’ shared faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul is saying that God, who initiated the Philippians’ belief in Christ, will carry this belief to completion.

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument does not overturn the notion that when Paul refers to the good work in Philippians 1:6, this good work has to do with the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. Rather, it contends that Paul may be making a parenthetical statement. But just because the notion that Paul makes a parenthetical statement is consistent with the overall introductory remarks does not mean that this is in fact what he has done. Further, in Philippians 1:7 he will go on to say that it is right for him to feel strongly for the Philippians because they are partakers in his imprisonment and defence of the gospel. Partaking in his imprisonment and defending the gospel have to do with partnering in the gospel.

Explanation:

When Paul refers to the good work that God will bring to completion in the Philippians, it is not clear if this refers to their faith in Christ or their partnership in promoting and defending the gospel. Most likely, Paul has in mind that the good work is their partnership in promoting and defending the gospel. We can deduce this because there is a strong missional tone throughout the letter.¹⁷ For instance, in Philippians 1:7 he says that the Philippians are partakers in the defense of the gospel. And in Philippians 1:12–13 he explains that his imprisonment has advanced the gospel to the imperial guard. Further, in Philippians 2:14–15 he encourages the Philippians to live blameless lives so that they shine as lights in the midst of a crooked generation.¹⁸ In other words, we clearly see that mission is on Paul’s mind, and we know from Philippians 1:5 that he thanks God for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. Thus, when he refers to the good work that God started in them, he likely has in mind their partnership in promoting and defending the gospel.

Counterargument:

While it might be that there is a generally missional tone to the letter to the Philippians, there is also an appeal that the Philippians take seriously their individual salvation. For example, in Philippians 2:12, Paul calls on the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. In other words, God has initiated the good work of individual salvation in the Philippians, and Paul calls on them to work out what this means for their lives.

Response to counterargument:

The problem here is that Philippians 2:12 supports the notion that the good work has to do with the Philippians’ partnership in promoting and defending the gospel. That is because when we continue reading, we find that Paul associates working out their salvation with God being at work in the Philippians to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). In other words, the working out of their salvation has to do not only with their embracing their faith but also with aligning with the work God desires to accomplish through them.

The one weakness of this view is that it is not clear what it means that if the good work has to do with the Philippians’ supporting Paul’s ministry, this support will be brought to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.