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, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13
We return to the theme of the last Reflection before Christmas (Paul’s Inspiration, posted 19 December), when we considered what St Paul wrote about the humility and obedience that Jesus demonstrated in laying aside His rights as God and following a downward path that ended in crucifixion as a common criminal. Paul follows this description with this exhortation: ‘Therefore...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you...’
This passage refers to two activities: we work out our salvation; God works in us. This is how we achieve contentment, and very much more, but it’s a life-long process that's called sanctification. It's a paradox, both assertiveness and surrender, a process that New Testament writers describe in a variety of ways but about which two things are clear: it’s something we do and something God does for us; it’s more than we can achieve on our own but more than God wants to do on His own.
This is why Paul could write about God who works in us and our need to endure. It may be helpful to think of it like this. We can plant a seed but only God can make it grow. We can water it, remove the weeds from around it and protect it from predators like birds and slugs. But only God can give life and growth. And although we can't make growth happen, we're free to stunt it. We could neglect to water the plant and leave it exposed to more dangers than necessary. We could nip off every sign of life that pushes through the soil before it has the chance to develop.
It's the same with the spiritual life within us. It's planted within us when we're 'born again' (or 'born from above' with spiritual life), as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3. We can't make this growth happen but we need to care for it. That's why Paul writes about both the God of peace who sanctifies us, 'He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it' (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24), and the need to never tire of doing what's right (2 Thessalonians 3:13). This is why Christian lifestyle is much more than making time for prayer and worship but must extend to changing our lifestyles to conform to Jesus' teaching.
Jesus taught a lifestyle centred on loving God with our whole selves and loving our neighbours as ourselves, a lifestyle very different from the societies in which we live. We therefore need to study what He taught, measuring ourselves against what He said in the Sermon on the Mount and at other times, reflecting on the examples He described in His parables, and adapt our own lives accordingly. If, for example, we find that the ways we earn and spend money are not consistent with loving our neighbours as ourselves, we need to change! If we love money and covet possessions and status, we need to change. I don't think it's going too far to say that it’s something we need do with a level of commitment as if relying on nothing but our own effort but nonetheless knowing that ‘God works in us’.
This will almost certainly involve more inconvenience and hardship than putting aside some time each day to read the Bible and pray! Jesus, who was content to live in humility and obedience, said, ‘A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher’ (Luke 6:40). As we can read in his letters and in Acts, Paul’s own lifestyle followed Jesus’ pattern: he laid aside his privileges and opportunities as a Jew and a Roman and lived in obedience, suffering shipwreck, hunger, persecution, arrest, torture and execution. Paul became like Jesus in the way he lived. And writing to the Philippians, he says, in effect, Therefore you...
Paul follows this with ‘Do all things without grumbling or questioning...’ This is a serious challenge that requires a dedication to contentment and is the subject of next weekend's Reflection.
To commit ourselves to this process and let God do His work in us is the ultimate New Year’s Resolution for any Christian!
© Copyright Philip Evans 2015.
What is freely received should be freely shared and not sold for profit, so please feel free to copy these Reflections freely and without cost to others. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations in these Reflections are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
