Phil. 4:5 Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near. (6) In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (8) Finally, brothers, what things are true, what things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things are pure, what things are lovely, what things are well spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things.
It certainly would not be logical for Paul to speak so much about the experience of Christ and then in chapter four mention human virtues in a purely ethical way. The excellent characteristics of the Christian life given in these verses must be more than natural human attributes--they must be the very expression of the Christ who lives in us. These excellent characteristics may be likened to a glove which expresses a hand, and Christ may be likened to the hand which fits into the glove as its content. Human virtues were created by God as a "glove" to contain the divine attributes as the reality. Using another term, human virtues are a vessel to contain Christ as the divine content. We have such virtues as forbearance, truthfulness, and dignity. But these are shadows, not the reality; they are vessels or containers, not the content. The divine forbearance, truthfulness, and dignity are the reality and substance of human forbearance, truthfulness, and dignity. Our virtues are an empty vessel, an empty glove, until Christ comes into us and occupies every part of our being. But after Christ has occupied us inwardly, filling every part of our inner being, then the "glove" is filled with the living "hand." A glove without a hand is empty and lifeless. Not only is there nothing living in the glove; there is not even the appearance of livingness. But when the hand gets into the glove, the glove is still the glove, but now it has something living in it. After the hand enters into the glove, the glove begins to have a living expression. In principle, the same is true of our virtues. Unless our virtues are occupied by Christ and express Him, they are empty and devoid of true life. But when they are occupied by the living Christ, they are filled with reality and become His expression. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Philippians, pp. 240 Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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