The Architect of the Finish Line

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“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” (Philippians 1:6)

    There are days when we look at our lives and our spiritual walk and feel a sense of incompleteness. We see the struggles, the areas where we still fall short, and sometimes doubt is too much. Will I ever truly get there? Will I ever become the person God intends me to be? It is in these moments of uncertainty, when the gap between who we are and who we long to be feels so great, that Paul’s words to the Philippians become a powerfully comforting truth, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” This is a declaration of divine faithfulness, an assurance that our spiritual walk is not a self-help project we began alone (Phil. 1:6). It is He who began a good work in us (Phil. 1:6). Before we even knew we needed saving, before we took our first weak steps of faith, God was already at work. He began, and called and He drew us to Himself (Eph. 1:4-5; Jn. 6:44). Now, the “good work” He began is not only our conversion (Eph. 2:8-10). It also includes the whole process of our spiritual growth and our transformation into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18). He is the One who began the work, and we are still being worked on (Phil. 2:13).

    And the promise is that “He will complete it” (Phil. 1:6). God is not One who starts something and then leaves it unfinished. He is faithful to His purposes (1 Thess. 5:23-24). Having begun His work in our lives, He will not stop until that work is finished (Phil. 1:6): making us holy and blameless in His sight, ready for “the day of Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:22), that glorious day when we stand before Him, fully transformed (1 Jn. 3:2).

    This should give us comfort and confidence (Heb. 10:23). It must strengthen our active participation in the Christian faith, because God works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). We can press on even when we stumble (Prov. 24:16). We can repent, knowing His forgiveness is sure (1 Jn. 1:9). We can strive for holiness, knowing His Spirit is at work within us, enabling us to do what we could never do alone (Phil. 2:13), with the assurance that our efforts are not in vain, because they are upheld by His faithfulness (1 Cor. 15:58).

    Sisters, when you feel discouraged by your progress, or overwhelmed by the road ahead, remember this: the burden of completion is not yours alone. The One who began the good work is the One who will finish it. He is faithful and will see you through (1 Thess. 5:24). His faithfulness is your assurance. He is the One who laid the foundation and will bring the work to its appointed end (Heb. 12:2). So rest in that assurance today, and let it strengthen your hope and perseverance (Rom. 15:13). He who began it will surely complete it, bringing you to the end He has appointed for us, His saints.