With the Lord Jesus Christ as their example of humble service to God, Christians are to be an example of God s salvation to the world. And since it is God who works in His children to shine the light of His truth through their words and deeds, it is their obligation to follow His lead. In writing to the Philippians, the apostle Paul emphasized the Biblical doctrine of sanctification. He recognized that God s intention in redeeming sinners was not simply to forgive their sin it was ultimately to make them useful servants who would bring Him glory (2:11). After all, there is no other reason for Him to leave Christians in this world. God first redeems those who believe in Christ, and then He begins setting them apart for His service (sanctification). His indwelling Holy Spirit accomplishes this by using the Scripture to nurture and refine His people. However, their obedience is entirely up to them. And their effectiveness is contingent upon their submission to God s will. So, as Paul continues his letter to the church in Philippi, he calls on them (and all believers) to cooperate with God, communicate the Gospel, and collaborate with other believers. 1
Following God s Lead Cooperate with God (vv. 12-14) Since our Lord Jesus Christ selflessly and humbly yielded His own will to the purpose and plan of God the Father, the Father glorified His obedient Son once His earthly mission had ended (2:5-11). Every Christian is to approach their life as a servant of God in the same way, knowing that the Father will reward us in His kingdom accordingly. Our goal is not to achieve any selfish ambitions but to glorify God through obedience. That is why we must yield our will to God. We must cooperate with God through obedience. That is what Paul is saying in verse 12: Therefore (i.e. like Jesus Christ), my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The apostle considered the Philippians to be faithful saints of God. In his experience with them, they had demonstrated their willingness to obey the Lord s commands. They had given themselves to the Gospel (1:5), and they demonstrated a sanctified life of grace as they ministered to Paul in his imprisonment (1:7) and experienced their own persecutions (1:30). But Paul was concerned for their continued sanctification. He did not want them to become discouraged either by his persecution or their own (1:27-29). So he called them to humble unity (2:1-4) and pointed out Christ as their example, since he, himself, was not with them because of his imprisonment ( my absence ). His statement, work out your own salvation is, very simply, a call to sanctification. 2
He is most definitely not speaking of gaining salvation by good works as some would claim. The Scripture is absolutely clear that salvation is by grace through faith for the purpose of enabling us to do good works which please God and verify our faith (e.g. Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7; Jas. 2:14-26). For if salvation was by works, then it is not a gift from God but a wage paid for our labor (Rom. 11:6) something we deserve. And we, in no way, deserve God s gracious salvation which comes only through Christ. Paul is saying that, through our obedience to God, we demonstrate His sanctifying work in us which is proof that we are His. It is evidence of the salvation He has granted to us. That is why we must work it out with humility and reverence for God (i.e. with fear and trembling ) -- knowing that our transformation from rebellious sinner to humble saint is, in all actuality, His work in us. We are in awe of His right and ability to have judged us as sinners but also of His grace in pardoning us and making us saints. And believers also realize, as Paul says, that it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. That is, while it is our responsibility to obey Him, it is the Lord Himself who gives us the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Lord has provided a lifegiving relationship with Him (Jn. 3:3). Therefore, we know Him and, in our spirit, we desire His will, even though we may, in the flesh, not always obey that will (Rom. 7:21-25). Sanctification is God working through us to bring our flesh in line with our spirit. 3
Paul encourages us to cooperate with God in this as we yield our desire to His, and do His will at all cost. If we do cooperate, we can then effectively serve the Lord as His ambassadors who communicate the Gospel. Communicate the Gospel (vv. 15-16) But Paul makes an important point in verse 15: Do all things without complaining and disputing. In other words, obey the Lord willingly and not under compulsion. A Christian s obedience is to be sincere and not merely religious obligation. We are not to do God s will while, at the same time, mumbling under our breath about how we dislike it, how hard it is, questioning His intentions for it, or the result of our obedience to it. If that is our attitude, then we need to seriously evaluate our profession of faith in Christ! It is tempting to complain and question when our obedience results in persecution. And, the more intense the persecution, the greater the temptation will be. However, that attitude will only hinder God s purpose for us, which involves communicating the Gospel of Christ to a world of sinners. That is what the apostle conveys to us in the next two verses. First, he says that complaining against God and questioning Him impedes our spiritual maturity. The goal of our sanctification is that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (v. 15). 4
Once again, Paul is talking about the process of sanctification as indicated by the word, become. It is a daily, moment-by-moment work of God to mold us into the image and likeness of His obedient and sinless Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). And it is never complete while we remain in the flesh in this present world. The process is gradual and life-long as the Lord meets us where we are in life. He knows what we understand, and He knows what it takes to move us forward. The idea behind the word, blameless in no way implies sinless perfection. But it does speak of a life that is above reproach. The Lord wants our daily living to reflect the desires of the new, inner-man (Eph. 3:16), so that it supports the message of the Gospel. That is to say, by not living in sin, we become a living, breathing example of how God can redeem and sanctify sinners. That, in turn, gives hope of His promise to also glorify those who believe. The term, harmless (Gr. akeraios) can be translated by the word, innocent in the sense of not being guilty of any evil that the world may accuse us of doing. We should not give any credible opportunity for anyone to point the accusing finger at us. It was used to describe metals or wine which had no impurities. In the same way, the world should not see patterns of sin in our life which can damage our testimony for the Lord. When our life is innocent in this way, it supports the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 5
As children of God we are to be without fault, meaning that we are to be above reproach. That is a stark contrast as we live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. The world is obviously sinful and evil, and we are to stand out as God s holy people (Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9). Just as stars glisten in the emptiness and darkness of space, we are to shine as lights in the world a world that is void of holiness and darkened by sin. In fact, the phrase could be rendered, You must shine as lights in the world, indicating the absolute necessity of our life providing this contrast between godly character and sin. In the first part of verse 16, Paul says that this will, in fact, put the Gospel on display. That is what he means by, holding fast the word of life. The idea is that of holding forth the Gospel as if to offer it to someone. That is what a Christian does when they cooperate with God in His sanctifying work we offer the Gospel to sinners. We are saying, This is what God can do for you. But if we do not cooperate with Him, we send a mixed, dim and confusing message. Paul s whole life was about communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His ministry to the Church was to build up believers so that they could be sanctified witnesses for the Lord (Eph. 4:11-5:14). Therefore, if the Philippians would work out their salvation, he would be able to rejoice in the day of Christ that [he had] not run in vain or labored in vain (v. 16b). 6
That is, in the day when believers stand fully glorified in Christ s presence, Paul would be able to rejoice in the faithful service of those to whom he had ministered (1 Cor. 3:10-15). He is referring back to his previously stated desire to be with the Lord and, yet, to also remain on earth and help the Church fulfill its mission (1:19-26). The apostle is pleading with the Philippians to work together and continue their obedience to God so that his remaining on earth for their sake would not have been a useless (i.e. vain ) endeavor. Collaborate with Believers (vv. 17-18) That brings us to verses 17 and 18 and the need to collaborate with other believers in our efforts to cooperate with God and communicate the Gospel. Paul says, Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason, you also be glad and rejoice with me. The sacrificial system prescribed by God for the Israelites during the time of the Old Testament included a drink offering. When an animal was offered for sacrifice, the sacrifice was completed with the pouring out of wine on or in front of the sacrifice. This produced steam and a sweet aroma both of which symbolized the rising of the offering to God. Although pagan religions also had similar drink offerings, Paul is certainly referencing the Old Testament sacrificial protocol. God repeatedly noted in the Mosaic Law that a proper sacrifice pleased Him. He called it a sweet aroma (e.g. Deut. 29:18), referring to the smoke from the meat and the steam from the drink. 7
What is Paul saying? He is very clearly identifying the service of the Church as a sacrifice to God (cf. Rom. 12:1), and his own ministry as a necessary part of that. Just as the drink offering was required to complete the animal sacrifice, so Paul s ministry was required for the maturity and effectiveness of the Church in the sacrifice and service of [their] faith. That is precisely what the ancient sacrifices were meant to symbolize the good works of the saints done in obedience to God. Paul s being poured out does not refer, as some believe, to his future death as a martyr. Instead, speaking in the present tense, he is referring again to his willingness to remain on earth for the sake of the Church. If that was God s purpose, as Paul supposed, then He was indeed glad and rejoiced with the Philippians in what God was doing. And he invited them to join him in his gladness and rejoicing for the same reason (v. 18). Christians rejoice and are glad when they understand and participate in God s will! When they collaborate together to cooperate with God and communicate the Gospel with a life of godliness, there is a reason to rejoice and be glad. God is ultimately glorified because His will is accomplished through His people. If you know God through faith in Jesus Christ, then you recognize that He is the One working in you to do His will. Are you cooperating with Him? Is your communication of the Gospel both in word and deed? Are you collaborating with other Christians in the work of God s kingdom? 8