Section 7
love, but there was still the need for their love to abound more and more.
It is significant that Paul prayed that their love would abound "in full knowledge and all dis cernment." The Philippian believers had much love. Yet their love needed to abound, to over flow more and more, not foolishly, but in full knowledge; not in ignorance, but in all discern ment, that they might prove by testing the things which differed. This should include discern ment of the different preachings of the gospel in 1:15-18 and of the different peoples in 3:2-3.
Paul did not pray that the Philippians' love would abound in zeal or in the affection of a good heart. As we all know, love is related to emotion. However, Paul prayed that their love would abound in full knowledge and all discernment, both of which are related to the mind. Accord ing to common human experience, love is blind. When a person exercises himself to have a sober mind, when he is calm, clear, and knowledge able, love is gone. It seems that being loving and having a sober mind cannot exist together.
Paul prayed that our love would abound more and more in full knowledge and all discernment. The Greek word for discernment means sensi tive perception, moral tact. Discernment is the