“…in order to be sincere and blameless—until the day of Christ…”
(Phil. 1:10)

Paul understood that Christ was watching and that everything was open to His eyes.

He also understood that Christ is coming—and that one day every believer will stand before Him and give an account of how this life has been lived. Two times in these first eleven verses we see Paul’s conviction that Christ is coming as he uses the phrase: “the day of Christ.” (1:6;11)

Throughout the Bible, expecting the return of the Lord promotes two responses (confidence and holy living).

First—confidence. God has a plan; He is working His plan; life may seem random and out of control—but it is not! Nothing can thwart His purposes and He will accomplish His will in His time.

“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ (Is 46:10)

Because Paul believed in God’s plan for this life and eternity, he lived his life with confidence. Look at how he expressed that confidence to Timothy:

“…for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. “ (2 Tim 1:12)

Do you see it? “until that day” This is the same confidence we saw earlier in chapter one when he said, “…He will complete it until “the day of Christ” (Phil 1:6).

Confidence in the return of Christ also calls for holy living. Because we expect Him to return, because we know that we will see Him face to face, we want to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (I Jn. 3:2-3)

There is a finish line and Jesus stands there waiting. Run your race with purpose and purity—“that day” is coming!