Not only is the idea of “abounding love” in the context prayer, the prayer itself is made in the context of confidence. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians comes out of his confidence in God’s sovereign work of preserving His saints. Paul had certainty in God’s current work at the church in Philippi. The believers there were partners with him in the gospel and fellow partakers of grace. His confidence is seen especially in verse 6:
I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
This is more than just a greeting card verse. It is an expression of the apostle’s belief in the purpose of God and the power of God to finish what He started. Just as God is the giver of faith, so He has prepared good works for us to walk in and is faithful to sanctify us and make us blameless in spirit and soul and body at the coming of Christ. From God’s election in eternity past to our glorification in the future, His plan is to conform His children into the image of His Son.
And isn’t His Son a perfect picture of love? The Son’s love for the Father is intimate and infinite and the Son’s love for us is the embodiment of selflessness and sacrifice. That means that if the Father has started making us like Jesus then the Father’s intention is that we would grow to love like Jesus.
So Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is not fearful or motivated by some apprehension that they aren’t going to get it. He is not worried that abounding love is beyond the ability of these believers. Instead it is a prayer out of confidence that he already sees God’s work in them and he expects God to keep working in them until the end.
We can be confident when we pray for and pursue a love that abounds.
Hey Man,
It’s Andy Wulff. Hope you Morgan and the fam (and addition) are doing well. Thanks for the thoughts on Philippians. I have been preaching through. I took extra time on the prayer because I think it something we need more thought on.
Another thought is that this growth in love that Paul calls for is in the context of a book calling people to unity. Our growth in unity comes as our love for each other and God increases. Its interesting to me it is unqualified as to the direction of the love.
Just thought I would say Hi. And deposit some thoughts. Congrads in advance on the new little one. (By that I mean the baby not the bumper sticker)
What a wonderful day it is when wulffenstein comments! The only question is, where is the wulffenstein’s blog?
Thank you for the thoughts on the context of unity. I think I still have two more contexts to blog, but I hadn’t considered unity when I taught through it. That’s very good stuff.
Thanks for the comment and the congrats. Hopefully we’ll see thehowlingwulff.blogspot.com soon!