A close look at Philippians 1 shows that God connects love, knowledge and discernment as a powerful, three-stringed cord. The combination of these three virtues enables us to test and examine all things and conclude whether they are genuine (sourced in God) or a promotion of the enemy’s vices for the destruction of mankind.
Love’s influence increases and becomes more productive when empowered
with knowledge and discernment: in today’s society this is extremely
important. Today’s culture defines love as agreeing with (and
promoting) the choices of others regardless of what the Bible says about
those choices. But God’s delivering and healing love abounds and
spreads its perfect aroma when it couples with knowledge and discernment
to live and speak His truth in the face of decay and sin.
While we are to say ‘no’ to the ungodly values and actions of the world around us, and sometimes that includes our family members, co-workers and others we see on a daily basis, verse 10 tells us that we must not take offense in this process. To be offended is to fall into sin, ourselves, when others don’t agree with us as we stand for the Truth of God.
The simple truth is that the world has a very unhealthy and deceived idea of love. God is love – and without God there is no authentic love! Love does not give permission and agreement to things that are ungodly because love desires the best for those it loves.
What Paul was saying to the Philippians (and to us) is that God desires for us to have "intelligent love" not "blind affection." Intelligent love understands God's ways and seeks His purposes while blind affection seeks the approval of man and fears rejection. We love unconditionally, but we do so with the knowledge and discernment of God as the basis for our acceptance or rejection of the actions and beliefs of others.
While we are to say ‘no’ to the ungodly values and actions of the world around us, and sometimes that includes our family members, co-workers and others we see on a daily basis, verse 10 tells us that we must not take offense in this process. To be offended is to fall into sin, ourselves, when others don’t agree with us as we stand for the Truth of God.
The simple truth is that the world has a very unhealthy and deceived idea of love. God is love – and without God there is no authentic love! Love does not give permission and agreement to things that are ungodly because love desires the best for those it loves.
What Paul was saying to the Philippians (and to us) is that God desires for us to have "intelligent love" not "blind affection." Intelligent love understands God's ways and seeks His purposes while blind affection seeks the approval of man and fears rejection. We love unconditionally, but we do so with the knowledge and discernment of God as the basis for our acceptance or rejection of the actions and beliefs of others.
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