Key Ingredients to a Joyful Life 6; Confidence in Christ

Many Christians today either lack or have lost sight of their confidence in God's ability to complete the work of making them holy, which we call 'sanctification.' Sanctification, or the 'work' of God that Paul is referring to in Philippians 1:6, is the day-to-day application of the principles in Scripture, which results in a progression of overall Christlikeness in your life.

But sadly what often happens is that this 'good work' begun by God in salvation, gradually becomes the work of the believer in sanctification. Paul dealt with this problem in Galatia, 'Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?' (Gal. 3:3).

Paul, 'put no confidence in the flesh' (Phil. 3:2). He wrote to the Thessalonians, 'And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command' (2 Thes. 3:4). This is confidence rightly placed. Our confidence should be in the fact that what God has begun He will continue until the last day. All to His glory.