Philippians 2:15

Philippians 2:15

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world:

a. NLT: So that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

b. NIV: so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

c. YLT: That ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world,

d. Amplified Bible Classic: That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world.

e. Worrell Translation: That ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, irreproachable in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye appear as luminaries in the world.

f. Wuest Translation: To the end that you may become those who are deserving of no censure, free from fault or defect, and guileless in their simplicity, God’s children without blemish, in the midst of a perverse and distorted generation among whom you appear as luminaries in the world, holding forth the word of life.

1. “That ye may be blameless and harmless,…”

a. That [Strong: 2443 hina hin'-ah probably from the same as the former part of 1438 (through the demonstrative idea; compare 3588); in order that (denoting the purpose or the result):--albeit, because, to the intent (that), lest, so as, (so) that, (for) to.]

b. ye may be [Strong: 1096 ginomai ghin'-om-ahee a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):--arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.]

c. blameless [Strong: 273 amemptos am'-emp-tos from 1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of 3201; irreproachable:--blameless, faultless, unblamable.] [a-negative; momos-blemish) without blemish] [Thayer: blameless, deserving no censure, free from fault or defect.]

1). Ephesians 5:25-27 “…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

2). Under the Old Covenant if an offering had a blemish, it was not acceptable:

a). Leviticus 22:18-25 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering;

22:19 Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.

22:20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.

22:21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

22:22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord.

22:23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

22:24 Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.

22:25 Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

d. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

e. harmless [Strong: 185 akeraios ak-er'-ah-yos from 1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of 2767; unmixed, i.e. (figuratively) innocent:--harmless, simple.]   [literally, unmixed, the absence of foreign mixture.] [Thayer: unmixed, pure as in wines or metals, of the mind, without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, simple.]

1). Wickedness of the flesh is a type of leaven, making an impure mixture. We are to live unleavened lives.

a). 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

2. “…the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,…”

a. the sons [Strong: 5043 teknon tek'-non from the base of 5098; a child (as produced):--child, daughter, son.]

b. of God [Strong: 2316 theos theh'-os of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).]

c. without rebuke [Strong: 298 amometos am-o'-may-tos from 1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of 3469; unblamable:--blameless.]

d. in [1722 * en] [Strong: a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

e. the midst [Strong: 3319 mesos mes'-os from 3326; middle (as an adjective or (neuter) noun):--among, X before them, between, + forth, mid(-day, -night), midst, way.]

f. a crooked [Strong: 4646 skolios skol-ee-os' from the base of 4628; warped, i.e. winding; figuratively, perverse:--crooked, froward, untoward.]

g. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

h. perverse [Strong: 1294 diastrepho dee-as-tref'-o from 1223 and 4762; to distort, i.e. (figuratively) misinterpret, or (morally) corrupt:--perverse(-rt), turn away.]

1). Dryness is caused by a heart that has departed from God. Jeremiah 17:5, 6 “…whose heart departeth from the Lord…he shall be like the heath in the desert,…shall inhabit the parched places…”

2). John 15:6 “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

3). Hosea 11:7 “My people are bent to backsliding from me:…”

i. generation [Strong: 1074 genea ghen-eh-ah' from (a presumed derivative of) 1085; a generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons):--age, generation, nation, time.]

3. “…among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

a. among [1722 * en] [Strong: a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

b. whom [Strong: 3739 hos hos, including feminine he hay, and neuter ho ho probably a primary word (or perhaps a form of the article 3588); the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that:--one, (an-, the) other, some, that, what, which, who(-m, -se), etc.]

c. ye shine [Strong: 5316 phaino fah'-ee-no prolongation for the base of 5457; to lighten (shine), i.e. show (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative):-- appear, seem, be seen, shine, X think.]

d. as [Strong: 5613 hos hoce probably adverb of comparative from 3739; which how, i.e. in that manner (very variously used, as follows):--about, after (that), (according) as (it had been, it were), as soon (as), even as (like), for, how (greatly), like (as, unto), since, so (that), that, to wit, unto, when(-soever), while, X with all speed.]

e. lights [Strong: 5458 phoster foce-tare' from 5457; an illuminator, i.e. (concretely) a luminary, or (abstractly) brilliancy:--light.]

f. in [1722 * en] [Strong: a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

g. the world [Strong: 2889 kosmos kos'-mos probably from the base of 2865; orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by implication, the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively (morally)):--adorning, world.]

1). As we live out the life of God in this world our lives will laminate the world around us and men and women will see it.

a). Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

b). 2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2). And we will shine that way throughout eternity.

a). Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.