Philippians 2:12-13 - The Grace of Sanctification

Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Message: The Grace of Sanctification

Time: Paul likely wrote this epistle at the end of his Roman imprisonment, around 61 or 62 AD. Paul wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the Philippian believers. Paul ministered at Philipi during his second missionary journey, spending about three months in the city and, later visited Philippi briefly on his third missionary journey.

What the Lord is Saying:

One of the chief ideas I have been looking out over the past several lessons has been this idea that man is fallen and in that fallen condition is incapable of righteousness. This means that on our own we cannot achieve true righteousness. Yes, we can work and do good deeds but we are unable, meaning our free will is incapable of choosing God, choosing His holiness. We are unable of making ourselves worthy for God acceptaning us. God must intervene and choose us. He must save us. He must bring salvation to us. As a human, I am ultimately bent on impurity. This means that no part of salvation is obtainable by me. Salvation comes to me by faith. But again this is the natural result of God calling me. Faith does not save me. I am justified completely by His grace.

And in response to God's love for me, I obey. Obedience follows faith. Yet, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Naturally, as a believer in Christ I work. The Holy Spirit is renewing me day by day (Titus 3:5). I have work to do and I am empowered each day to do it, but it seems clear that in this daily war of my will and God's will I must submit and surrender to the Lord. I must take up my cross (Mark 8:34) and follow after Him.

For this verse in Philippians 2:12 - work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have seen groups that believe in justification by works, and use this verse to defend the idea that we work out our salvation; their idea in this verse is 'you do your part and God will do his.' There is a common expression - "God helps those who help themselves." Again, the expression that ends up getting applied in a myriad of circumstances is that 'you work and God will certainly help you.' And the big danger in this verse is it gets applied to individuals who are believing they are engaged in the practice of earning their salvation. Thus grace and pardon through Jesus Christ is a cooperation between God and man.

Yet, Paul is not addressing those who will be saved. He is writing to the church followers in Philippi, as in verse 1 of Philippians 1: To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi. And in verse 12 he says my beloved, just as you have always obeyed. I am saved by grace through faith. This is what must first be considered when reading this passage. Unless there be faith, there is no work. Faith precedes work.

The working phrasing in this verse must be joined together with the first part of verse 13 - work out your salvation...; for it is God who is at work in you. Paul does not say, "Work it out; yet it is God that works in you." Instead he says that the work that we do is God at work. It is a great verse of mystery really because we see that my work is God's work actually. My work is God working.

Spurgeon says - that some men have said that ‘God works in us,’ and, ‘therefore there is nothing for us to do.’ Bad reasoning, false conclusion. God works, says the text; therefore we must work out because God works in. And the work that we do is with fear and trembling. Yet, this fear and trembling is not that we are scared of God rather we recognize the awesome relationship here of God working and yet I work. There is a combination here of free will and God's sovereignty that isn't immediately explained. Yet, the two are working together.

I think there is a real danger in not working as we uncover God's sovereignty. Yet God commands it. I must admit that I struggle with the notion of man's free will and man's responsibility when I dwell on God's sovereignty and perhaps that was one reason why this verse by Paul needs to be said - it points that we work and God is working, and we work with fear and trembling. We don't not work or we don't work with passivity. The fear and trembling in a way is the thrust in our life to work with everything that is in me. If I am really trusting in God, then I am working to the best of my ability.

This is an extremely powerful verse. And I now see that is an exciting verse and one that I can get it excited turning to and pointing out, instead of having fear in it. It is the reminder of the importance of my will, my doing.

Promise: We act and we obey and God is working in us. We have an obligation to work. Our work is not passive but it is done with exuberance.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the clarity of your Word and the excitement of reading Your word and seeing the truth of it. You God are sovereign and yet You call me to be obedient to Work. Yet you remind me that you are working in me. How much more should I not fear and desire to work with the knowledge that You are working in me. Lord, forgive me for shrinking away from your work. I analyze too much. Help me to simply get out there and do it.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of April is about salvation by grace alone. March was about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January is about the doctrine of God.