“The proof of adoption” ( Philippians 2: 12 – 15)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
“…but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The test of loyalty is not how we perform when we are being watched, but how we perform when we are not. So in the absence of any watchful eye (humanly speaking) how do we live out our Christianity?
My employees have been with me for years, some for over 25 years and we are more like a family than employer/ employee. The ones who I have needed to terminate through the years have showed themselves unappreciative of my trust in them. They really end up firing themselves. Grace is very similar. It is there for the taking, but it is meant to aid us and help us in our walk, not abuse it and see how close to the boundaries of sin we can get. We have a saying,”better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” To look at grace in that way, in my opinion, you are already in sin. Grace is NEVER given to see how close I can get to my lust and desires, but grace is given to see how close I can get to God’s Holiness. And when those really tough weaknesses come up and we struggle to resist but fail, grace is there with no condemnation.
If you have ever gone fresh water fishing, you know you use lighter fishing tackle as compared to salt water fishing. With the lighter tackle it is amazing what a fight a fish can put up. You swear it’s at least 10lbs – it’s the whopper that got away! However when you finally see it, you realize it is only one pound of pure fight. In fighting carnal desires we need to be the same. Regardless of our maturity in Christ we need to give it all we have. It is not so much how much we know (head knowledge) as much as our desire ( our heart ) to want to be holy and pure before the Lord. Another saying (I like sayings), “It’s not so much the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.” ” Size of the dog” could be likened to head knowledge. ” The fight of the dog” is our heart, our fighting desire to remain pure. Paul was not a tall man, but with respect to purity he more than made up for what he lacked in stature; he ran lean and mean. Christ resisted sin to the shedding of his own blood; I think we can definitely give it more fight.
“….work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
The context of this verse has been debated throughout the centuries. Is salvation by grace or is it based on my efforts? On the surface it seems as though it’s up to me. However, when interpreting scriptures that are somewhat questionable one must look not at the one verse, but exhaust the topic in its entirety thoroughly cross referencing scriptures. Without doing our due diligence we can get ourselves into trouble by preaching or believing something that is not the gospel. We can end up living on the wrong side of grace making our lives more difficult and those around us as well.
In studying the Greek for “work out,” (katergazomai) it means to exert effort. And agreeably the Christian life does take effort. Paul in Phillipians 3:14 uses the example of a runner straining with all his might to cross the finish line first, “ I press ( exert effort, strain) toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 9 he continues the analogy of running, but now he also introduces boxing, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but only one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air ( analogy to boxing) But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
“I keep under my body,” is the concept of mastering the carnal desires with one rendering giving the definition of giving yourself a black eye. The context of both these words are forceful, dealing with the effort and dedication to govern over the fleshly appetites; lust, pride, anger, jealousies and the like. We must rule over these or be ruled by them, and if we become ruled by them then Christ death be for nought. So again what is our role with respect to our salvation? Are we saving ourselves? Prior to Christ the door of the Kingdom was closed; afterwards it was open, “the veil was torn.” That’s grace; that I as a sinner, which I will always be on this side of heaven, can now be ushered into the presence of the Almighty through prayer and be accounted as His son by grace being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. That would never have happened without Christ. He has open the door to salvation and by faith and receiving his atonement for my sin I enter in. There is no amount of work I could ever do to be holy enough for God. God is compassionate that’s true, but He is utterly Holy and to forget that and think that through belief in spiritual like sayings and kind deeds I can save myself is to play the fool.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So my concern is not for my salvation, my concern and responsibility is to live out what salvation is – what does it look like? For that we must give our best effort; there’s no spoiled children here. Christ agonized in His death to defeat sin, we in full confidence knowing that our salvation awaits us, must do the same in resisting sin. Apply the truth of God’s Word to our life till the truth becomes part of our life. Feelings no matter how strong, do not govern or define who we are in Christ, God’s Word and our faith does. He says it, I believe it, and with the help of the Holy Spirit we do it, or come as close to doing it. So there is no contradiction, “God is at work within me to will and to do according to His good plans for me (Phil 2:13)” and I in agreement with Him I’m working out His good plans. We work along side the Holy Spirit, seeking to rule over our carnal desires.
“…with fear and trembling.” “Perfect love casts out all fear,” so it is not the fear that God is going to get me, but a deep reverence. I have been entrusted with a great treasure that cost my Savior His life. Now because of placing my faith in Christ and receiving Him as my Savior I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I do not want to be found unworthy of such honor, or fall short. God help me for I am but flesh; and though that be true, fire and power dwell within me and that also is equally as true. I seek to nurture that nature within me so as to defeat my carnal desires and exalt holiness. Whatever our struggles are we need to identify with the scriptures that speak to those struggles, meditate upon them, agreeing with them and not justifying our actions. In so doing we give the Holy Spirit the ammunition He need’s to strengthen our inner man. That is how we become “more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us ( Romans 10:37) .” No magic, just faith, study and a commitment to purity and hard work.
Personal note;
Some lust or insecurities are so strong that it is hard to believe that victory is possible. From a man who has dealt with feelings as such, take my word that God’s Word will win. Continue to
keep meditating upon the specific verses that deal with you lust or insecurity. It is tempting to justify them because these emotions can be so strong but if God’s Word says otherwise it’s sin. People make the terrible mistake of talking the Bible down so they can justify their sin. If you do this you will never experience freedom or have the joy or peace that comes from walking in harmony with The Lord. So if the Word calls it out as a sin, then sin it is. However the good news is if God calls it a sin then He will provide the means to free you from it. Know that all lust typically stem from insecurities. Solve the insecurity by allowing God’s love to heal or fulfill that area in your life and the lust loses its strenght.
keep meditating upon the specific verses that deal with you lust or insecurity. It is tempting to justify them because these emotions can be so strong but if God’s Word says otherwise it’s sin. People make the terrible mistake of talking the Bible down so they can justify their sin. If you do this you will never experience freedom or have the joy or peace that comes from walking in harmony with The Lord. So if the Word calls it out as a sin, then sin it is. However the good news is if God calls it a sin then He will provide the means to free you from it. Know that all lust typically stem from insecurities. Solve the insecurity by allowing God’s love to heal or fulfill that area in your life and the lust loses its strenght.
All lust are rivaling for your worship. Once I realized that, then I was more able to become free of it because I refused to worship anything but God. The two natures duel in us for lordship. The flesh looks to the world to fill our innate emptiness and need of love, while the Spirit seeks God’s rule and love in us and we decide who rules by the daily decisions we make with what we chose to see and take in. That’s why daily times with God or as often as you can is so vital to a victorious Christian life. It’s no fun getting beat up all the time, knowing that it’s wrong but falling for it every time. Great verses to read are Roman’s 6-8. I spent a couple years reading these verses till these verses were in me.
Father God,
Thank you for this time in study. To call us to holiness is to call us to yourself. As a car is designed to run on gas, we are designed to run on holiness. Guilt feelings, regrets and or mistakes are not how You designed us to live. Our best place in life bar none is next to You. Help us to not only agree with that in our thoughts, but believe it in our hearts.
Thank you and Amen