"As long as he's been a Christian, he shouldn't still be such a sinner!"

Paul wrote to the church in Philippi saying, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (That’s Philippians 1:6.)

Great verse, right?  Dad isn’t giving up on me, no matter what.  I love that!

But there’s a double message:

Writing to “all” the believers in the Philippian church (1:1), Paul basically says with this verse, “You ain’t perfect yet.”  That’s a slap, in a way.  

(The word "will" is in the future tense, in the English as well as in the original Greek.)

"I’ll claim you,” God is saying, “but I won’t say you’re finished, by any means.”  He's talking to the “overseers and deacons,” too.  Wow!

Have you ever met a mean or self-absorbed “Christian” and doubted they were really saved?

Before you judge, remember what God is saying to you in this verse:  “I’ve started working on you, but I’m obviously not done.” 

That's got to make us humble.

If you're looking for a friendly, family church in Raleigh where phony perfection is not encouraged, come see us.