Philippians 13-2:12 NIVUK
[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, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.
Several years ago, while on a visit back to the Philippines, we travelled around the island of Palawan with our family. It’s a beautiful part of Asia – so wonderful that I wonder if the Chinese government is just trying to steal the islands off its coast so they can get a better view.
Our trip had two centres. We started in Puerto Princesa. The next day, we headed on up to El Nido in the North, and then we returned back south to the Underground River and back to Puerto Princesa for the flight back to Cebu.
Now, I have to tell you, El Nido is an absolute marvel of nature. Bacuit Bay especially is a sight to behold. Karst cliffs, white sand beaches, sea lagoons... this place has it all. The three days we toured there were among the best we have ever had anywhere.
The Underground River was nice. A special experience. Some people even list it among the Seven Wonders of the World.
But for me, El Nido is by far the main attraction.
Why am I talking about a holiday here?
Philippians 2:1-11 is a bit like El Nido. It contains verses of the utmost beauty.
Philippians 2:12-18, by comparison, seems a bit like the Underground River is to me: still nice, but a bit of a let-down compared to what has gone before.
However, there are still four important points made in these verses about what it means to follow Jesus while under fire, and what we should focus on.
The first of these is The Precept.
Philippians 2:12 NIVUK
[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.
This is quite some precept, or command. It is easily misunderstood – a bit like the man who wanted to visit the stadium of Chelsea FC in London, which is called Stamford Bridge. So he entered ‘Stamford Bridge’ into his satnav in his car and off he drove. It was only as he was driving past the M25 ring road around London northwards when he realised his satnav was directing him to Stamford Bridge village, which is hundreds of miles from London, just outside York.
If we misunderstand what is being said here, we will find ourselves many miles away from good Biblical doctrine and teaching.
What this verse does not teach is that our salvation is achieved by works. That cannot be the case. As Paul taught the Galatians:
Galatians 2:21 NIVUK
[21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!’
And the Ephesians:
Ephesians 10-2:8 NIVUK
[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – [9] not by works, so that no-one can boast. [10] For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So any thought that we could supplement or improve on the work that Christ carried out on the cross and get ourselves further into heaven is nonsense – it has to be, because otherwise the cross is not enough.
So what can this mean?
I believe the Parable of the Bags of Gold in Matthew 25:14-30 helps us to understand it. In that parable, the rich man makes an investment – and quite a sizeable one at that – in his employees and expects them to turn a profit from it in his absence.
The sense here is that God, having saved us undeserving sinners by His grace, has invested that salvation in us and is looking for us to turn a profit for Him by ‘working it out’ into our lives: if you like, by applying it to every area of our existence to His glory.
And if we look at Philippians 2:1-11, we can see that this is quite a command. This is not an easy thing God is looking for here.
But that is why we see the next verse, in which we move on from the precept to The Partnership:
Philippians 2:13 NIVUK
[13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.2.13.NIVUK
If you’ll forgive the analogy, this is like turning out for your local Sunday league football and discovering that you’re playing beside Messi, or like turning up for a friendly tennis match and discovering that you’re playing doubles with Roger Federer, or like turning up to play with your village basketball team and discovering that you’ll be on the field with Kobe Bryant.
Times infinity.
What this means is that yes, the call on us to live a righteous life that was explained in the first eleven verses of this chapter is a very difficult one indeed. Yes, we should work on it. But the extraordinary thing is that we do not work on it alone: the God of all the universe is working with us to make us better people.
Let that fact soak in for a second there.
It is truly awesome.
I have yet to hear any counsellor, psychologist, therapist or self-help guru make a statement that could even come close to this.
More incredible is how this now unfolds. God not only provides us the intent to follow Him, He also stands beside us and helps us put it into action.
And as we saw earlier in Ephesians 2:10, God has even prepared the opportunities for you to do them.
So yes, I don’t doubt for one minute that the way of life expounded in Philippians 2:1-11 is difficult, and, dare I say it, intimidating. Yes, we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Out salvation is precious. And the call on our lives is very high.
But the resources we have to achieve that calling are simply beyond compare.
As well as the precept and partnership, we now move on to The Particular – the area of our lives where we should aim to apply this teaching. And this should really hit home:
Philippians 2:14 NIVUK
[14] Do everything without grumbling or arguing, https://bible.com/bible/113/php.2.14.NIVUK
Now this is quite a verse.
You see, it means to do each and everything without negatively judging the situation in your mind and speaking against it with your mouth. It is the exact match of the verse we saw earlier about using politics and manipulation to get your own way. Only this verse not only tells you that you shouldn’t do it, but is aimed like a high energy laser beam towards the very attitude that produces it.
Now, we must not and cannot misinterpret this verse. It is not telling us to avoid giving ideas and proposals the scrutiny they deserve. Why would it, when the people of Berea did exactly that – with Paul’s teaching no less – and were commended for it (Acts 17:10-12)?
No, I believe this is a command to avoid being a Naysayer, a Jobsworth, someone who simply says ‘No’ to something because it wasn’t their idea, or isn’t to their taste or isn’t to their advantage.
It is a command to avoid turning our vibrant Christian faith into a checklist style list of ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ and then looking down on those who don’t quite make the mark, like this:
Isaiah 29:13 NIVUK
[13] The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
It is a command to get rid of unenthusiastic Christianity, where obedience and service are not a joy but a drag, like the Jews approached their own religion in the searing words of Malachi 1:6-14.
And Paul teaches that our attitude should be correct all the time, in everything.
You can see why we need God to work beside us and inside us through His Holy Spirit to achieve it.
We cannot pretend that we are anything but an unfinished construction site. We are certainly not perfect. We have to admit it.
But Paul is not finished. He moved on from the precept, the partnership and the particular issue to The Purpose – that is, why it is that we should seek to live like this:
Philippians 18-2:15 NIVUK
[15] so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky [16] as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain. [17] But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. [18] So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
The Philippians are to stand out from their peers. They are to be entirely different.
There are four ways in which these Christians should be different:
· They should be blameless, in that they should give no opponent any grounds to legitimately accuse them.
· They should be pure – they should be unmixed with the contaminants of the culture around them. Spurgeon also noted that this word can be translated as ‘hornless’, such as a de-horned ram, which not only chooses to not attack his peers, but also has no ability to do so.
· They should be children of God in a warped and crooked generation.
· And if they do this, they will shine like stars in the sky. Now, this itself is a very powerful image. To shine, a star requires darkness. Jesus Himself said this about us:
Matthew 16-5:14 NIVUK
[14] ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.5.14.NIVUK
This shining is not egotistical. It is not in the ‘look at me’, exhibitionist sense of a popular musician or an actor. No, the whole point of this shining is so that people see our deeds and praise God, not us.
But again, to shine we need darkness. That means that our light needs us to be in difficult, challenging situations in which the difference within us is visible.
There is no doubt that these four elements of what Paul wants from the Philippians will make their life difficult. They cannot be secret believers anymore. In fact, one thinker once said, ‘There is no such thing as a secret believer. Either the belief kills the secrecy or the secrecy kills the belief.’ You cannot remain hidden and secret when you are called to shine.
It just isn’t possible.
But that is Paul’s purpose for them. Even in their volatile and sensitive situation, it is to shine, and to let their changed lives show.
No matter the risk.
And that was Paul’s work. It was what he dedicated himself to: helping God’s people grow and become more like Christ, to the glory of God. That life purpose had cost him everything. It wasn’t far from costing Paul his life. Yet even if he was being sacrificed with the Philippian Christians, he was glad, because he was seeing his life’s ambition fulfilled.
On 19 March 1882, construction on the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona began. The following year, the original architect Francisco de Paula del Vilar resigned and Antonio Gaudi took over. His designs were so grandiose and extensive that even on the day he died only a quarter of them had been built.
Currently the Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.
We are not the Sagrada Familia.
We might be unfinished – and we are. We might be under construction – and we are.
But one day we will be finished.
And working with us is not a demanding architect, whose requirements may never be met, but God Himself. He sets the precept. He Himself is our partner. He helps us with the particular areas of our life where we need to change. His purpose is to make us more like His Son.
Philippians 2:1-11 now seems a lot more achievable.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I know I will never be perfect this side of heaven. But I can at least be better. Help me to learn more of You and become more like You each day, working with You to achieve it. Thank You that You are there to help me do this. Amen.
Questions
1. How do these verses encourage us to become more like Jesus, as outlined in Philippians 2:1-11?
2. How can you complain less and give thanks more?
3. What is God’s purpose in this? Is that right? What can you do, practically, to help make this happen?
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