The process of becoming like Christ is defined by the verses found in Philippians 1:6. We need to keep going, even though the final touches will be done in time. Christians who look to Christ for their end goal will always strive to grow in godliness until the day they die, or Jesus comes back.
God saved us from our sins. He is merciful and great and because of this, we are not left on our own for God to sanctify us. When God makes us holy in our spirit and in our flesh, we will become holy. We have to understand that being like Christ is part of God’s plan in order to finish what He started. Let’s delve into its context as we understand it further.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:1-8).
1. God's Confidence
The first part of finishing what God has started is through God’s confidence Himself. To understand this, let us first understand the word confidence. Confidence is the belief that you can rely on someone or something. Confident individuals are regarded as trustworthy.
Almost everybody says you should have faith in yourself and be confident that you'll achieve your dreams.
It's like that with the powerful. Wise people have confidence in their knowledge. Could the same be said of Christians? Are we called to believe in the world's gospel of self-confidence?
Paul assured us that we are called to believe in God’s and not the world’s gospel of self-confidence. His firsthand experience with the Philippians church has convinced him they will not run the race to the end based on their own strength or will but by God's grace and goodness. This is why Paul is confident.
Christians' confidence comes from God Himself, not from themselves. It is not selfish ambition that drives the Christian life, but God's glory. The Bible warns Christians to place their trust not in themselves or their own wisdom, but in God. We are confident, rocked, and protected by him.
A believer's self-confidence seeks a right relationship with God as its aim, as opposed to the self-confidence promoted by the world. Christianity is not a self-confidence tradition. Actually, the Bible warns us not to depend on ourselves, and that nothing good comes from our flesh.
We don't need our pedigree or resumé to be blessed; we need to believe in Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 2:4–5, it is written that we have to have faith not in our strength, but in the Holy Spirit.
The paradox of the Christian life is that when we admit our weakness, that's when we're strongest because it's when we rely on God's power. God is like the power outlet, and we are like unplugged appliances.
We're powerless until we get connected to Him. But once we're connected to Him, we have the power of the eternal God working in us.
We have the confidence that comes from the Spirit of God when we live for the glory of God and spread the Gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives people power, love, and self-control, not timidity.
2. God Started This and He Will Finish It
As we are called to finish the work of God, we must be reminded that it is still through Him that we are able to do so because there is no end to what God has started. In fact, He called us to a responsibility.
The Spirit of God has already been given to us, Christians. Because God saved us when we couldn't save ourselves, we're in a position to have eternal security. When we didn't love, God sent his only Son to die for us.
We need to have faith in the risen Christ above all else, because he is the only way to be reconciled to God, to know Him, and to have an eternal loving relationship with Him.
We cannot merit salvation on our own and we cannot even guarantee our plans for tomorrow because only God really knows the plans that He has for us. With Christ, we can be assured of eternal security. We can trust God with our tomorrows; He walks with us through life and goes before us.
3. To Live Is Christ
God finishes the work He started by saving us today and for the years to come. But saving us means also saving us to grow. We have to grow in the likeness of Christ. You can't be saved by God and not become like his Son.
Ultimately, our faith must come from our faith in Christ and must be born out of any trust we place in others or in worldly things. There is no certainty in the world. It is only in God that certainty is found. Trusting others is possible only because God is completely reliable and secure.
Though we cannot always rely on others, we can have a sense of security in Christ even when they fail us. We can truly open our hearts to others, enjoy their love, and receive their love when we are children of a God who is reliable and steadfast.
Our distrust of other people or in earthly endeavors does not stem from a lack of confidence, but rather from the fact that we do not depend on those things for our security. However, we trust that His faithfulness, love, and power are steadfast.
Even though some things happen that we do not understand or prefer, when we know God, we can rest in His goodness. It is our faith in God that helps us to engage fully in these lives who is absolutely trustworthy.
To conclude, God finishes what He started by entrusting us with His confidence, and His assurance of completion through salvation as long as we thrive to be like Christ.
That endpoint and final achievement are simple, we must strive to be like Christ in everything that we do until the end of days. We must strive to only follow God and Jesus’ teachings, nothing more; to be refined and sanctified in Christ. This is the ultimate stamp of God’s finished work.
For further reading:
How Does God Finish the Work He Started in You?
What Is Sanctification Through Salvation?
Do We Contribute to Our Own Salvation?
What Is the Seal of the Holy Spirit?
What Does it Mean That 'All Things Work Together for Good'?
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Glory Dy has been a content creator for more than 10 years. She lives in a quiet suburb with her family and four cats.
