When we understand Jesus’ magnificent humility and sacrifice, our natural response is love and worship. And we love God is by keeping His commands (John 14:23). If Jesus humbled himself to the point of obedient death, then the least we, the beneficiary of His sacrifice, can do is to obey God and pursue a holy lifestyle (1 John 2:6). In this week’s text, Paul calls the Philippians to follow the path of holiness and provides them with five essential elements of holy living.
Genuine Obedience
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, and not only as in my presence but much more in my absence..”
The Philippians were an obedient church, and Paul commended them for that. But he knew, as many leaders do, that we tend to be on our best behavior when authoritative figures around. Like the Pharisees who prayed in public to be seen, the Philippians could have been tempted to obey God in Paul’s presence to please him or prove their righteousness. Paul wanted none of that.
He previously told them to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come or am absent, I may hear of you” (Philippians 1:27). Believers in Christ don’t obey for a leader’s sake, but Christ’s sake (1 John 2:3-6); we don’t obey when it’s convenient but in an out of season. It’s the mark of a grateful heart that has been regenerated by the power of God.
Working out our salvation
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Paul encourages the Philippians to practice faithful obedience for a specific purpose, to work out their salvation.
Work out in Greek means to bring to completion or to finish. We know God’s redemptive work includes several orderly steps known as the Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation) or the Golden Chain of Salvation (See God’s Good Work and Growing in Godliness). There is one step between our justification (right standing with God) and glorification (final removal of our sin). This step is called sanctification. It’s the process by which God separates us from our sin and conforms us to the glorious image of Christ. And it’s what Paul means by salvation.
He isn’t saying believers should contribute to Jesus’ atoning work on the cross with our deeds. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. As Jonathan Edwards said, “you contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made in necessary.” Paul means we should put in every effort to achieve our sanctification, not let go and let God. Unlike justification, where God works alone, God allows and requires our participation in the sanctifying process. So we must continue the excellent work He began in us and discipline ourselves to godliness.
It’s not something we do passively but pro-actively, aggressively even. We are all individually responsible for obeying God’s command and grow in the faith. As Steven Lawson says, “Being a believer who is saved by God’s grace does not negate your responsibility to keep God’s moral law, outlined in his word.”
Paul also tells the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. The Greek word for fear is phobos, and it means terror and dread or reverence and respect. Bible writers often use the word fear meaning reverence or awe in God. So Paul was instructing the Philippians to pursue holiness with a reverent attitude and a healthy fear of disobeying God.
It’s common among Christians to depict Jesus as this cute, hopelessly in love God who recklessly yearns for us. But that’s not how Scripture describes Him. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This high and reverential view of God should elicit trembling because it reveals our weakness and dependency on God.
It’s by God’s empowering grace that we can grow in the faith and pursue holiness, not our strength alone. God requires nothing from us without equipping us for it. In the sanctifying process, He works with us by giving us the desire and the means to do what pleases Him, which is to conform to the image of His beloved Son.
Don’t complain
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”
Believers must do all things without complaining. All things mean everything indeed, but I think Paul was alluding to things we do in obedience to God. Whatever God tells us to do to be holy, we should do it without grumbling or disputing.
Grumbling is the Greek word goggasmos. It means a whisper or murmur; it’s a “secret displeasure not openly avowed,” or “smoldering discontentment.” Grumbling is a lack of reverence and gratitude to God. When we complain, we say God’s gifts aren’t good enough and presume to know better than Him. Disputing is the Greek word dialogismos, which means reasoning, calculation, deliberation, or plotting. It’s when we go back and forth and weigh the pros and cons of God’s decrees. It’s a lack of trust in God’s goodness and wisdom.
We must put off such irreverent behavior towards God’s Word and put on immediate and joyful obedience.
Shine as lights in the world
“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.”
When we submit to God’s will without complaining or disputing, it proves His sanctifying work in us. It shows we have inherited God’s holy nature, and we are blameless and innocent children of God.
The Greek word for blameless in this verse is ameptos, which means free from fault or defect, “above reproach because we are morally pure.” It’s different from blameless in Philippians 1:10, which means not causing to stumble. And innocent is akeraios, and it means pure, unsophisticated, sincere, or unmixed.
God calls His children to have a lifestyle that is above reproach and unmixed with sinful motives and worldliness. We must spotless to stand out from unbelievers who are a crooked and twisted generation.
Paul borrowed these words from Deuteronomy 32:5, where God described Israel as a crooked and twisted generation after their grumbling rebellion in the wilderness. Crooked is skolios, and it means bent or curved. It’s when something has been bent out of its original shape. Twisted is diastrepho, and it means to distort or turn aside from the right path.
In the beginning, man was in a right relationship with God. But when Adam disobeyed God, sin entered the world and twisted all humans. We all turned aside from God to follow our sinful desires. But God, in His grace and mercy, sent His Son to die for us so we can put off Adam’s sinfulness and put on Christ’s righteousness. Since God has redirected us on the path of holiness, we are to pursue it relentlessly so that those who are still in the wrong direction may see our example and seek the way, the truth, and the life.
We are ambassadors for Christ, the light of the world, a city on a hill (Matthew 4:14), and how we conduct ourselves affects others (1 Peter 2:12). We must set ourselves entirely apart from the world and proclaim to its citizens the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Hold fast to the Word
“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.“
Believers can shine as a light in the world by holding fast to the Word of God. Holding fast means to observe. But the Greek word could also mean hold forth, which means proclaim. Paul probably meant both. Christians ought to keep God’s Word to be a shining example of Christ for others. But we must also proclaim His Word because faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
As John MacArthur says, “Just as right doctrine without right character is hypocritical and ineffective, so also is right living ineffective if believers are not proclaiming gospel truths.” We lead the lost to Christ by holding fast to the Word of God, and they believe in Him through our holding forth of the Word.
Being faithful to the Word of God also gives a reason for our spiritual leaders to rejoice. Paul previously appealed to the Philippians to be united to complete his joy (Philippians 2:2), now he is asking them to hold fast to God’s word so he may rejoice on the last day. He is not looking for an opportunity to boast of himself, but to rejoice in the Lord. Paul gladly sacrificed His life for the sake of others and wants greater joy in seeing the fruits of his labor.
Heart Check
This passage emphasizes the importance in pursuing holiness for our personal growth and our witness to the unbelieving world. Not everyone who will be saved has been justified yet, and God uses us to reach the lost. As such, we must pursue holiness with zeal, and we must be practical, never pragmatic.
We must never compromise or mix with the world to reach them as many churches are doing. Our light must always shine as a beacon for the lost. And as we must nourish a fire to keep it burning, so we must discipline ourselves to godliness to keep our light shining.
We live in a society that calls evil good and good evil, and it doesn’t look like things are getting better in the world. But as John Mac Arthur said recently, these dark times is “an hour of triumph for the Church.” Light is most precious in the dark. As many people are confused and seeking the truth, we must proclaim God’s Word and live in a manner worthy of it. So that by the words of our testimony and the power of the blood of Christ, the lost will also come into God’s marvelous light.
What are your thoughts on this week’s study? Share in the comments below!
Recommended resources
- God at Work in You 1 | 2 | 3 – John MacArthur
- Stop Complaining 1 | 2 – John MacArthur
- How to Live in a Crooked and Perverse Generation – John MacArthur
- The Discipline of Grace – Jerry Bridges
- Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life – Donald S. Whitney
Next study
Readings
Read and study Philippians 2:19-30
Memorization
Philippians 2:19-30 if you are doing the challenge.
Questions for reflection
- How is Timothy a living example of Christ? What can you learn from Paul’s description of Timothy for your life and ministry?
- How is Epaphroditus a living example of Christ? What can you learn from Epaphroditus’ actions for your life and ministry?
- Do you have influencers or mentors in your local church? How can you emulate and honor them?
