Philippians 1:6 – He Who Began a Good Work Will Complete It | KJV
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 1:6 KJVPhilippians 1:6 is one of the great anchors of assurance in all of Paul's letters — not confidence in the believer's own perseverance, but confidence in the God who initiated salvation and who is equally committed to its completion.
The verse opens with 'being confident' — a strong Greek word (pepoithōs) indicating settled, immovable conviction. Paul is not expressing a hope or a probability; he is stating a certainty. And the certainty is grounded not in his observation of the Philippians' spiritual progress (though he commends their partnership in the gospel in verses 3-5) but in the character of the God who began the work. The One who initiates is also the One who completes — because the same sovereign will that set salvation in motion carries it through to its appointed end.
'He which hath begun a good work in you' — the Author of salvation is God. Salvation from beginning to end is the work of God: He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:29-30). The glorification is stated in the past tense in Romans 8:30 because in God's eternal purpose it is as certain as if already accomplished. The good work that began the moment of saving faith — regeneration, justification, the indwelling of the Spirit — is not a human project that God observes from a distance. It is His own work, carried out by His own power.
The phrase 'until the day of Jesus Christ' points to the specific grace-age event that marks the completion of the present phase of salvation: the Rapture, when the Church is caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At that point, glorification will be complete — the final transformation of the body to conform to the body of His glory (Philippians 3:21). The 'day of Jesus Christ' is the consummation for which the grace-age believer lives in expectation. Every day between now and that day is a day in which God is completing His good work.
Romans 8:30 confirms the certainty with a chain of past-tense verbs: 'whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' The glorification is stated in the aorist tense — past, completed, certain — even though it has not yet occurred in time. This is the sovereign God's perspective on His own work: it is as certain as the past because He who declares the end from the beginning cannot fail.
When you are discouraged about your spiritual growth, lack of progress, or repeated failures, return to Philippians 1:6. The question is not whether you are capable of completing the journey but whether God is capable of completing His work in you. The answer is unambiguous: He who began it will perform it. Rest in the Completer. Cooperate with His work through regular engagement with His Word and Spirit, knowing that the final outcome is certain.
You will be presented faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24) — not because of your faithfulness but because of His. He began it. He will complete it. Until the day of Jesus Christ. Study to shew thyself approved, and rest in the certainty of the Completer. Amen.
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