Date: 8/12/18
Lesson #13
Title: By Working Out Their Own Salvation
Scripture: (Philippians 2:12-13, NIV)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear{12.4} and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Introduction
In the following two verses of our study, Paul explains spiritual growth. After presenting Christ as the perfect illustration of the humble mind, the apostle returns to his original theme of living worthy of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27) and describes what enables us to live this way. He has commanded the Philippians to stand fast in the Gospel and to keep a spirit of unity within the church. Now he urges them to complete God’s work in their hearts by obeying these specific commands. Obedience was the spiritual duty of the Philippian believers. Paul’s heart and mind are clear on this matter, as is his instructions to the Christians at Philippi. He wants them to resolve their interpersonal conflicts and to focus their energies on the progress of the Gospel.
Lesson
(12) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Having reminded his readers of the exemplary self-sacrifice of Christ, Paul now proceeds to point out its practical bearing upon the life of the church as a whole, thus resuming his appeal to them to show the same lowliness of mind towards one another (vv. 1-5).
“Salvation”{12.3] in this verse is used, I believe, in a general sense. Paul is talking about working out their problems which they had in the church and working out the problems in their own Christian lives. He is not there to help them and is not sure that he ever will be there again because he is in a Roman prison. So he tells them “to work out{12.2] your salvation{12.3] with fear and trembling.”
God has already achieved our salvation. It is “of God” (1:28). In fact, “No one can work his salvation out unless God has already worked it in.” Therefore, Paul does not mean that we are to “work out” our salvation in the sense that salvation needs our work to be accomplished; rather, it has the idea of carrying out. The key to understanding the meaning of this command is found in the phrase “as ye have always obeyed.” Paul refers to what believers had been doing in the past—obeying—and compared their past obedience to the present—now. Paul was not directing his call for Gospel unity to a congregation that was apathetic or apostate. The Philippians had a track record of participating in the work of the Gospel (1:5{12.6]), both when Paul ministered among them and after he left (2:12). But they could not be satisfied with the evidences of grace they had displayed in the past; on the other hand they should not be slow to strive for holiness through faith-filled, Spirit-empowered effort. God did not save us by our works, but He did save us “unto good works” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Christian fruitfulness is the result of amazing grace. The absence of spiritual progress in our lives is due to our active resistance of God’s energizing power.
The phrase “fear and trembling” means “seriously and reverently.” It confirms that spiritual growth is conditional. The word fear describes respect for God, so that we will never want to disobey Him. The word trembling conveys the idea of personal distrust in one’s ability because of the possibility of failure. It is with these attitudes that we should approach our spiritual growth along with an urgent commitment to obedience. But what does the Apostle mean by this? Is it possible that Paul, the champion of salvation by faith alone, advises his converts to obtain it by works? No; only if we separate verse 12 from verse 13 will we draw this wrong conclusion. Paul is not thinking of works which a man must do in order to earn his “salvation”{12.3]; he is concerned with the fruits of the Christian life which can appear only as God produces them in us. Equally, however, such fruits cannot appear if man resists God’s work in his heart. Religious progress always depends on the grace of God; but without man’s co-operation God himself is helpless. Hence he is not exhorting them as individuals to “work out”{12.2] their personal salvation. He is rather urging them to forsake self-assertive zeal, so that they can all work together for the spiritual health of the whole church as a witnessing community (v. 14), for a church torn by strife never makes a favorable impact upon the world! With his own approaching departure in view, Paul seems to have modeled his remarks upon Moses’ farewell address (Deuteronomy 32:1-5). But while Moses rebukes the children of Israel for their past disobedience, Paul believes that he can count upon the Philippians’ obedience to the Gospel even in his absence, because God is present with them in the power of His enabling grace (v. 13).
At first sight this confidence hardly seems compatible with a feeling of “fear and trembling,” but the other occasions on which Paul used this expression indicate a man-ward rather than a God-ward reference (1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 7:15; Ephesians 6:5). The phrase denotes an attitude of humility in relationship to other men. What Paul here demands of the Church is the same humility he called for in verse 3, the same willingness to see something from another’s point of view . . . The man who approaches another within the congregation with fear and trembling acknowledges that he has submitted his own life to the power of God and that all the vindication proceeds from God alone (1:28).
Special notes and Scripture
[12.1} “To will” means to wish, to desire, to have in mind, to purpose.
[12.2} “Work out” means to do, to achieve, to accomplish.
[12.3} “Salvation” means an act of rescue or deliverance, preservation.
[12.4} “Fear” means reverential awe for God.
{12.5} “Trembling” means quivering, quaking with fear.
[12.6} “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,” (Philippians 1:5)
(13) for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
The Philippians do not need to wait for Paul’s arrival to reform the flaws in their fellowship, because God himself is effectively at work in their midst. As God thus bestowed both the power to will{13.1] and to work, in order to fulfill His good pleasure in restoring the divided community to full spiritual health; it is clear that no room is left for any boasting in human achievement (Isaiah 26:12). This shows how empty is the presumption of those who divide the glory of our progress in the faith between God and ourselves; freely granting that God works in them the beginnings of salvation but pretending that, after having received the first tokens of His grace, they are afterwards the authors of the rest, which they express by a word full of vanity, saying that they co-operate with God, making themselves, by these means, companions of the Godhead in this work. But Paul insists that both the willing to do good and the putting of it into effect depends on the God who is busy working out his good and gracious purpose in us. The apostle here throws down all of their pride, announcing, gloriously, that it is God which works in them to will and to do, the progress and the end, as well as the beginning.
Now, here is something worth repeating, “Power for the Christian life comes from God.” He supplies all of the empowering that is needed to accomplish any task. Their obedience is ultimately something God brings about in or among us. And this divine power is related to Christ’s identity as Lord. Paul prayed that the Ephesians might know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power two us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20). The power God displayed in Christ’s exultation (Philippians 2:9{13.2]) is the power He demonstrates in our sanctification.
These verses will help us to gain a clearer understanding of how a Christian progresses in his “spiritual life.” There are two primary factors that contribute to “spiritual growth.” First, “CHRISTIAN MATURITY” begins with God’s working in our hearts. Paul wrote, “For it is God who works in you”; in other words, God energizes our “spiritual desires.” “Spiritual maturity” occurs when God gives us holy desires and burdens—to will—to grow. “SPIRITUAL DISCONTENTMENT” is a grace from God. He stirs us up so we’ll move forward from our current “spiritual state,” and he enables us to accomplish—to do—everything He has burdened our hearts to do. God has given no commands that believers are unable to obey. God gives us both the power and the desire to fulfill His requests, and as Paul had already assured the Philippians, God will complete what He has begun (Philippians 1:6).
Therefore “work out your own salvation” does not mean “devote yourselves energetically to the saving of your own souls,” but instead the meaning is “Co-operate with God in producing the fruits of the Christian life, which are love, joy peace and all the rest.” Let them do this, and there will be no further need to worry about the little dissensions in their fellowship.
If God has saved you, He has saved you by faith—plus nothing. God is not accepting any kind of good works for salvation. But after you are saved, God talks to you about your works. The salvation that He worked in by faith is a salvation He will work out also. James wrote this about faith and works—“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” (James 2:17-18). Only God can see the heart; he knows our true condition. He knows if I have a saving faith; He knows if you have a saving faith. But your neighbor can’t see your faith. The only thing he can see is the works of faith. True faith will work itself out so that the people around us will be able to tell that we are different, that we are Christians. We don’t need to wear a placard or some sort of symbol to identify ourselves as Christians.
Special notes and Scripture
[13.1} “To will” means to wish, to desire, to have in mind, to purpose.
[13.2} “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,” (Philippians 2:9).
Conclusion
Some Christians have wondered if verses 12 and 13 contradict each other. They say something like this, “How can you be responsible to live out your faith if it is really God who is at work?” But Scripture consistently holds these two truths together: God’s grace and man’s responsibility. They are compatible, not contradictory. That is why throughout Paul’s letters we find statements of fact about God’s grace interwoven with commands that we must obey. The Christian life is all about grace, and yet we must make every effort to please the Lord.
