Verse 10 “…so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,”
Paul wants the Philippian church to have knowledge and understanding of that knowledge. Having knowledge and being able to discern what is the best course of action will allow them to tell the difference between what is appropriate for the church and what isn’t. Knowing what is important and what is of little consequence is important to all Christians. There is so little time and the church cannot afford to waste its limited time and resources on things that don’t really matter.
Many modern churches have had their work disrupted and their fellowship broken over arguments and disagreements that were trivial in nature. Paul realizes that knowing what really matters in the church’s mission is best arrived at by knowledge and discernment. These two factors will help the church plan and work for what is excellent.
The prayer for the church to be pure is based on a Greek word that is rooted in “sunlight” and “judgment.” The church’s spiritual growth should be pure enough to stand before the light of God’s judgment.
Paul is also praying for the church to be blameless. This word has the connotation of not causing a brother to stumble and fall. The church should be building up and strengthening the membership and other churches. Again, having knowledge and discernment would be instrumental in knowing how to build up others. Paul seeks assurance that the Philippians would not be guilty of offending others and causing them to stumble.
The day of Christ was discussed in the comments on verse 6.
Task for Today: If you are not working on increasing your knowledge of the Word and God, then you should start there. Study and meditate on the word, praying for understanding and discernment as you do so. Make sure that your interactions with others will be viewed as pure and blameless. Do nothing and say nothing that could cause a believer to stumble or fall.
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