Through The Bible in a Year - October 16, 2026

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.” -Philippians 1:1

To any Jewish reader, calling this mixed Philippian congregation “saints” would have sounded strange. In the Old Testament, that word — which means “holy ones” — belonged to the covenant people of Israel alone. Now Paul applies it to those he has ministered to in this Greek city that include a former demon-possessed slave girl, a Greek businesswoman, a Roman jailer, and everyone else who has gathered into Christ’s church. Note that Paul is careful to say the title of “saint” applies to everyone in the church, not merely to the officers or those most outstanding in Christ’s service.

How could that possibly be true? Not because all these people had become morally perfect, but because they were “in Christ Jesus.” Picture a set of nesting dolls: each is enclosed in the body of the first that covers the rest. Similarly, our righteousness is not based on our individual characteristics being exposed, but on our being enclosed within Christ’s provision and protection. His righteousness covers us as our faith unites us to Him.

Paul uses phrases reflecting our being “in Christ” roughly twenty times in this short letter — as though Paul's joy and understanding of his relationship to his Savior cannot be separated from this single truth. We are not saints because of our performance. We are saints because we are hidden in Christ Jesus.

RESPOND: Our human instinct, our default perception, is that our standing before God is determined by the sufficiency of our performance – by the degree of our righteousness. The gospel, by contrast, proclaims that our position before God is “in Christ.” Day by day, we are in a constant need of reminding ourselves of this essential gospel truth: our standing before God is not based on what we have done but faith in what Christ has done. We are loved not because we are sufficiently good, but because we are united to the One who was perfectly good. Only when we are confident that we are united to Him do we have the joy that is the strength to live for Him.

How does any other perception enter into our hearts? Consider if there someone in your church or life you have quietly considered a “lesser” Christian. On what basis do you think of them as less important or less precious to God? While there may be much in their behavior or attitude that needs correction, you will never be fully confident of your own standing before God until you acknowledge that person, despite their flaws, is equally precious to God because of being as much “in Christ” as you are.

Spend time today simply resting in the truth that your standing before God does not depend on today's performance, but on being nested in Christ. Such security will not only be your comfort; it will bring the joy that is the strength of the Christian life for the trials and temptations you must face for Christ’s sake.

PRAYER: Father, thank You that I do not stand before You on the basis of what I do, but because I am hidden in Christ Jesus. When I am tempted to measure myself by performance, remind me: I am a saint not because I am perfect, but because I am in Him. In Jesus' name, amen.