Homilies on Philippians — Homily 2

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

[[Philippians 1.8]]-11

For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the tender mercies of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

He calls not God to witness as though he should be doubted, but does this from his great affection, and his exceeding persuasion and confidence; for after saying that they had fellowship with him, he adds this also, in the tender mercies of Christ, lest they should think that his longing for them was for this cause, and not simply for their own sake. And what mean these words, in the tender mercies of Christ? They stand for according to Christ. Because you are believers, because ye love Christ, because of the love that is according to Christ. He does not say love, but uses a still warmer expression, the tender mercies of Christ, as though he had said, having become as a father to you through the relationship which is in Christ. For this imparts to us bowels warm and glowing. For He gives such bowels to His true servants. In these bowels, says He, as though one should say, I love you with no natural bowels, but with warmer ones, namely, those of Christ. How I long after you all. I long after all, since you are all of this nature; I am unable in words to represent to you my longing; it is therefore impossible to tell. For this cause I leave it to God, whose range is in the heart, to know this. Now had he been flattering them, he would not have called God to witness, for this cannot be done without peril.

Ver. 9. And this, says he, I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more. For this is a good of which there is no satiety; for see, being so loved he wished to be loved still more, for he who loves the object of his love, is willing to stay at no point of love, for it is impossible there should be a measure of so noble a thing. Paul desires that the debt of love should always be owing; Owe no man anything, save to love one another. [[Romans 13.8]] The measure of love is, to stop nowhere; that your love, says he, may abound yet more and more. Consider the character of the expression, that it may abound yet more and more, he says, in knowledge and all discernment. He does not extol friendship merely, nor love merely, but such as comes of knowledge; that is, You should not apply the same love to all: for this comes not of love, but from want of feeling. What means he by in knowledge? He means, with judgment, with reason, with discrimination. There are who love without reason, simply and any how, whence it comes that such friendships are weak. He says, in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that is, the things that are profitable. This I say not for my own sake, says