Philippians 2:12-16

Scripture:

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

What It Says:

Paul's writing here can be confusing if we aren't reading carefully and being cognizant of other scriptural teachings. There are a few truths to outline before committing to the study of this passage:

1. We are saved by grace alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. We are not perfect by God's standards, but we can be "blameless" by the world's standards (Romans 3:23).
3. We do not labor, suffer, or work for Christ in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

With these truths established, we can dive into what Paul is teaching the church at Philippi. In verse 12, Paul tells us that it is more important when he is not there that the church "work[s] out [their] salvation." To some, this could seem like Paul is contradicting the statements he makes in Ephesians 2; however, it is critical to read the text for what it says. We cannot work out something that we do not already have. When at the gym with a friend, I cannot do the bench press for them, because I have not been given their muscles. I have been given my own set of muscles to exercise and use. By the same token, God freely gives us salvation through His son Jesus, and we are able to work out the salvation that we receive.

So to jump into this, Paul first says that this is even more important when he wasn't with the Philippians. When Paul, their teacher, wasn't around, it was more important for them to work out their salvation.

To dive into "working out" our salvation, the illustration of physical exercise can be used to better understand. When doing a curl with a dumbbell, the muscle tears and is made stronger through the difficulty of lifting the weight. In the same way, Paul encourages us to strengthen our salvation by letting God work through us. This will not only increase our confidence in our salvation but will increase other's confidence in our salvation as well. When someone sees God working through another person, it helps them both.

The next verses talk about doing everything involving "working out our salvation" without grumbling or disputes. When God is using us, we should be excited and willing to do the things He asks us to, not procrastinating or refusing to do them all together. Paul says that the reason for doing things this way is to be seen as "blameless and innocent among this generation." He wants us to do things this way because others will not have a justifiable conflict with us if we do. Paul urges believers to live in a way that honors God firstly and without compromise, but also says it is possible to honor others at the same time.

This section ends with Paul saying that the reasoning behind behavior such as this is to ensure that our lives have not been lived in vain. When we obey God and His desires for our lives, then we can be sure that we have not lived in vain, but according to the plan God has for us.

How We Should Respond:

It's rare that scripture gives a perfect 3-point message, but today it did.

1. Work out your salvation, even more than when other believers are around.
2. Don't complain about working out your salvation.
3. Do these things to ensure that we aren't living our lives in vain.

Paul is telling the people of Philippi that they should be modeling their lives after Jesus and the Word.  We too must love the Word so much that we model our lives after it. Do the things the Word says to do and don't do what it prohibits (working out your salvation). Do this because you love the word and not out of grumbling (not complaining about working out your salvation). This is to ensure that we aren't living in vain so that we can live with purpose instead.