4
legitimate, authentic relationship. Just as Paul
praises the Corinthians for their love of him
and then reveals their lack of love and respect
for him, so with the Philippians Paul is so posi-
tive about their care and love for him, and yet
is not blind to the fact that their lack of
service led to Epaphroditus nearly losing his
life. This is not merely seeing the cup half full
rather than half empty; this is the rightful
praise of others for what devotion they do
show, even if it is lacking, insufficient (Gk.),
more than half empty. Paul’s attitude was
surely a reflection of how the Father sees us
His wayward children, focusing with joy upon
what little obedience and devotion we do
show rather than overly lamenting ‘that which
is lacking in [our] service toward Him’.
We must “forget” what is past and look
forward to what is ahead (Phil. 3:13), and that
is what Paul did concerning the failure of the
Philippians to care for him at one point.
“Forgetting the past” doesn’t mean to delete
past events from our memory banks- because
that is not within our power to do. And Paul
talks freely about his awful past, he had not
obliterated his memories. So Paul presumably
means that we are not to wallow in past
failure, especially failures of others toward us.
The certainty of what is ahead means we will
focus on that; the glass is not only half full
rather than half empty, but more than half
full. We admit we have not yet attained
perfection, but this doesn’t mean we are to
allow the past to exist as a fountain of
constant regret. We are to look forward in
sure hope to the things ahead- which is to
know Christ, to be perfectly and fully like Him
through the resurrection to life (Phil.
3:10,11,14). Paul sees this hope as being
“ahead”. He looks forward to it without any
doubt as to whether it shall be true for him;
because ‘hope’ means a confident assurance
that what we hope for we shall certainly
receive. It is not a mere ‘hoping for the best’.
The Full Cup
Paul wouldn’t allow the failure of the Philip-
pians to disturb his own very personal hope.
Editorial | The Cup Half Full
Whether or not they helped him was of no
personal consequence to him, because “I have
all things and abound”. “I have all things” is
quoting from Jacob in Gen. 33:11. Having
earlier deceived Esau of the blessing, he asks
Esau to now “take away my blessing, for God
has dealt with me in grace, and I have all
things”. Jacob eagerly resigned all the mate-
rial blessings he once held dear, because God’s
grace was “all things” to him. The same argu-
ment is used to Paul in 2 Cor. 11, where he is
told that having God’s grace is sufficient; we
need nothing more, because with that we
have all things. Being “filled” is a major New
Testament theme; our cup is not half full, it is
full, indeed “my cup overflows” (Ps. 23:5). We
shall be saved. That is the good news of the
Gospel. The positive experience of that grace
means that we shall have a hopeful, positive
outlook upon all things, and upon our brethren.
| Duncan Heaster
A New Life in Christ
| Bro Moses Dklakama
(Chipinge, Zimbabwe)
W
e should not permit anyone to delude
us with persuasive arguments. Having
received the Lord Jesus as our Messiah and
Saviour we should be rooted in him and
should build up our spiritual lives in Him
with thanksgiving as we have been taught.
We should beware of anyone who would
lead us away by the philosophies and tradi-
tions of men because it is in Christ alone
that the whole fulness of divine truth is
embodied. He is the head of every princi-
pality and power and it is in Him that they
have been “circumcised” by putting off
the sins of the flesh. This took place at our
baptism when we were buried with him
and then raised to a newness of life
through our faith in the power of God. Col
2:12, Rom 6:4. The old man having died,
the new man having arisen with all former
sins forgiven.