Introduction

If you’re a new or returning visitor here at Fellowship Reformed Church, we’re glad to have you worshipping with us this morning. For the past several weeks, we’ve been working through the book of Philippians in the Bible. Philippians was originally written as a letter to encourage and instruct a newly established church in an ancient Greek city called Philippi. A servant of Jesus Christ named Paul was the one who who wrote the letter. He was the one who originally established the church in Philippi. And even though there are many things about the church that Paul is pleased with, he’s been starting to see warning signs. He’s concerned that the fruitfulness of the church is going to be threatened by internal conflict and external persecution and pride. So Paul urges the Philippians in this letter to keep on pursuing both progress and joy in the Christian life. In light of what Jesus has done, they should be diligent to stand firm in their faith. And they should be putting away their selfish ambition. And they should live for Christ in humble service and love. (And they should work out their own salvation).

We should keep this context in the back of our minds as we come to our text for this morning. Because even though we’re just going to spend time on two verses today, these two verses can be easily misunderstood. And I want to walk you through the text to help you understand what the Bible isn’t saying here, and what it is saying.

So if you haven’t already, please turn with me to Philippians, Chapter 2. I’ll be reading verses 12 and 13. But before I read our text, let’s ask God to help us understand His Word. It’s always important for us to do this – but this morning I’m especially burdened with the realization that we need God to work in our hearts to help us walk away with a right understanding of this passage, and a right earnestness to put it into practice. So please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

Justification by Faith Alone

When it comes to being saved from the penalty of our sin, and finding favor in the sight of God – the Bible is clear – it’s not because of our works. The Bible is clear that we were once “foolish, disobedient, led astray, [and] slaves to various passions and pleasures… but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,” as Titus 3 tells us, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…” Romans 3 repeats this same truth – though all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we’re now declared to be right with God “by his grace, as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” It’s an unearned gift! Not something we’ve earned from our works. And Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9 say the same thing, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The Bible isn’t vague in the way it speaks. Jesus Christ has done all that’s necessary to put away our sin, and to bring us into a right relationship with God. We need to insist that that the source of salvation is not us. It isn’t established by our work, but our salvation is a work of God.

But then we come across this command, here in verse 12: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence” (and here’s the command:) “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Now, what are we supposed to make of this? Is salvation an unearned gift, or is it something we need to work for? Is the Bible contradicting itself?

I intend to bring some clarity in a minute. But first, there’s a broader issue here that needs our attention. Because when you’re reading the Bible, sometimes you’re going to come across verses that don’t seem to fit with others parts of the Bible. This has probably happened to you before. So practically speaking, what should you do when that happens?

I want to equip you with a few brief suggestions here, to help you in your personal Bible reading.

First, when one part of the Bible seems to be in conflict with another part of the Bible don’t be concerned. God is rational and he doesn’t lie or contradict himself. You can be confident that every word here is true, and that God knows how everything fits together, even if you and I have trouble seeing it.

Second, keep in mind that the Bible sometimes uses the same word in slightly different ways. We do the same thing. When we say that something is good, we might just be saying that it’s barely okay, or we might be saying that it’s totally good, or perfect, or we might be saying that it has a nice flavor. When we understand how the same word can be used in different ways in different parts of the Bible, it can sometimes clear up our confusion.

Third, recognize that different parts of the Bible are sometimes guarding against different types of errors. One part of the Bible might be setting up a guardrail on the left side of the road, and a different part of the Bible might be setting up a guard rail on the right side of the road. So although those two parts of the Bible might seem to be pushing us opposite directions, they aren’t contradicting each other. They’re just marking out the two sides of the road, so we can find the safe road in the middle.

Fourth – and this is the last comment I’ll make on this – let parts of the Bible that are clearer guide your interpretation of other parts of the Bible that are more confusing. The primary tool we use to guide our interpretation of the Bible shouldn’t be our cultural norms, or our personal experiences, emotions, and desires. Instead, God’s Word should guide our interpretation of God’s Word.

So let’s turn our attention to the text. I’d like to explain the text here by answering three questions. First, What Does It Mean to Work Out Your Salvation? Second, how can we work out our salvation (where does the ability come from)? And then Third, How are we instructed to work out our salvation (what does it practically look like for us to do this)? [Repeat]

What Does It Mean To “Work Out Your Own Salvation?”

So first, what does it mean to “work out your own salvation?” We’re going to start by wrestling with that main command, there at the end of verse 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 trembling.” The verb here, translated “work out” – it literally means to exert yourself to bring about a result, or to produce something – and that usage is pretty consistent throughout the New Testament. So then, the question really comes down to what does Paul mean here when he’s speaking about salvation?

This might seem like a weird question. Because for many of us, we don’t think about salvation as something that needs a definition. We assume that every time the Bible talks about salvation, it’s talking about what Jesus did to save us. He died for us to carry the penalty for our sin, to bring about forgiveness and righteousness for us. And so we’re saved not by works, but through faith in Christ. Hard stop.

But when the Bible speaks about salvation, those things aren’t always what it’s referring to. Because our salvation has many aspects to it – election, regeneration, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, adoption, sanctification, perseverance and preservation, glorification – we could probably add others to the list. And this means that whenever the Bible talks about salvation, we should try to figure out – what aspect or aspects of salvation are in view here? Answering this question will help us to understand what the text is saying, and what it’s not saying.

Here in verse 12, Paul is speaking about some aspects of our salvation that are often ignored or misunderstood. He’s speaking about sanctification and perseverance. The word sanctification describes the ongoing process of putting away our defiled, selfish desires in order to live as people who are holy and set apart for God. This isn’t just something we work at for a season, like high school, and then after four years we put on our cap and gown to graduate. Instead, sanctification – putting off sin and putting on Christlikeness – it’s a way of life.

Imagine that you’re a prisoner of war during World War II. You’re being kept in a concentration camp, starved, mistreated, demoralized. But then suddenly, the Allied troops come, and drive away the Nazi prison guards, and tear down the fences. It’s clear – your liberation has been decisively accomplished! And you didn’t work to make it happen. You were passive in it! The work was done for you! Freedom is a gift that you just need to receive!

But then imagine, for a minute, if you then decided to keep living in the dark, disease-ridden huts of the concentration camp, and you kept depriving yourself of food, and you kept living by the restrictions and curfews that the Nazis had imposed on you. In that case, you wouldn’t be experiencing or embracing the full reality of your freedom. There would be an aspect of your salvation that you wouldn’t have. And so it would be no surprise if an Allied soldier came up to you and said, “Exert yourself to bring about your own freedom. Someone died so you could leave this filthy way of life behind! Get going, start living the new life that was purchased for you!”

This is essentially what Paul is saying here in verse 12.

He is not saying that the Philippians need to work in order to bring about forgiveness, or to make themselves righteous, or to bring themselves into favor with God. We’re justified, or counted to be righteous in God’s sight, not because of our works, but because of God’s gift of grace, received by faith. In our justification – in this aspect of our salvation – we are totally passive.

But in sanctification and perseverance, these are aspects of our salvation that we’re intended to be actively engaged in.

This understanding of the word salvation here in verse 12 fits with the rest of Paul’s letter. Paul has already said that he’s confident that God has started a good work in the Philippians, back in Chapter 1, verse 6. So he isn’t questioning whether the Philippians have received forgiveness and justification, by faith. He’s confident that they have. Instead, in this letter, Paul urges the Philippians to live godly lives, not in order to belong to God, but because they already do belong to God, through faith. They should live in a manner that fits with the gospel of Christ. He urges them to live according to their heavenly citizenship. He tells them that they should stand firm together and strive ahead for the gospel. They should be fearless before their opponents. They should put away selfish ambition, and be humble, loving servants. Paul says, “work out your salvation” – exert effort to bring about experiential freedom from sin, and holy service to Christ. All of Paul’s commands here deal with holiness – sanctification.

How Can We Work Out Our Salvation?

If this is where I ended the sermon, we would have a problem. Because I imagine that many of you would walk away thinking that there are some foundational aspects of our salvation that God has accomplished, that depend fully on God – but then there are other aspects of our salvation that depend fully on us.

But this isn’t what I’m saying, and this isn’t what the text is saying. The second main question I want to answer here is, “How can we work out our salvation?” Where does the power come from, for us to daily, experientially be saved from sin, and to live a godly life?

Paul tells us in verse 13: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Paul is saying that sanctification and perseverance – these aspects of our salvation are also a work of God. But sanctification and perseverance are works that God does, not outside of us, apart from us, on behalf of us. Instead, these are works of salvation that God does in us and through us.

So when Paul says, in verse 12, “work out your own salvation,” you could say that he’s speaking from a human vantage point. From a human perspective, being sanctified and persevering are things that we need to be engaged in. These are things you and I need to actively work out in our day to day living. If we’re going to be putting off the old self, and putting on the new self, it’ll take commitment and effort. Making regular use of the things God has given us to feed our souls – reading the Scriptures, praying, making use of the sacraments, committing ourselves to Christian fellowship – these things really matter. Humanly speaking, we need to have our foot on the gas pedal if we’re going to move forward in holiness and endurance.

But then, in verse 13, Paul opens the hood, and he shows us that the power of our foot hitting the gas pedal isn’t the power that’s driving the car. The engine is what’s moving the car – the engine of God’s mighty work. That’s where the power is coming from. Every time we’re able to move forward in the Christian life – every time we’re able to persist in love and service and obedience – it’s evidence of God’s work in us. Humanly speaking, it may feel like these things are coming from us, and it may look like they’re coming from us. Because in some respect, these things are really and truly coming from us – in the way that beautiful music comes from an instrument. But the breath of air behind the music comes from God, as he works in us by His Spirit.

So this means that all your work, all your obedience – it isn’t our gift to God, to earn a spot in heaven. Instead, our obedience is actually a gift of God’s grace to us. The more that we sweat and struggle to put off our pride, and to put on the new mindset of Christlike humility – the more we’re experiencing and enjoying God’s saving grace – his saving kindness.

Paul reiterates this point in 1 Corinthians 15:10. He says that he worked harder than all the other apostles – but he doesn’t take credit for it. Instead, he says, “it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” Our obedience is a gift that God intends to graciously produce in his people.

So when God’s Word tells us to work out our own salvation, he’s actually urging us to more deeply experience his grace. Many people misunderstand how God’s grace works. When they think of God’s grace, they just think about God’s work to forgive people of their wrongdoings. And so it’s assumed that the people who experience God’s grace the most are the people who have been forgiven of the most sin. Conversely, it’s easy to believe that people who sin less often, or less severely, are somehow less needy for God’s grace, or they’re experiencing God’s grace less. But this isn’t the case at all. Every time we obey, we are experiencing God’s grace. So the people who are experiencing God’s grace the most are actually those who are not only enjoying forgiveness of their sins, but who are also walking in obedience.

And here in this letter, Paul wants the Philippians to seek a fuller experience of God’s grace. He wants the Philippians to pursue humble obedience with enduring confidence in the power of the Spirit. This is how the people of God are intended to live in God’s grace. And this is what we’re also called to today.

How Are We Instructed to Work Out Our Own Salvation?

So I want to go back to verse 12, because along with the main command here to “work out your salvation,” Paul also provides some explanations of how this should be done, practically. So here’s the third and final question I want to answer from the text: How are we instructed to work out our salvation (to bring about our sanctification)?

Well, first off, remember how verse 12 starts – with a therefore. Because of what we’ve seen over the last few weeks, about the humble mindset of Christ, and the exaltation of Christ to be our King and our Lord, therefore, we should work out our salvation – we should seek to bring about our holiness and Christlikeness. So it’s interesting, Paul recognizes that Christ’s humility and glory, both of them, are intended to drive the Philippians to work toward a grace-filled life of humility and love. We can’t forget what Christ has done, and who Christ is. The gospel of Christ is what motivates our obedience.

But second, Paul goes on in verse 12 to say, “My beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now – and then he urges them to “work out [their] salvation.” So Paul’s actually recognizing, that up to this point, the Philippians have been following Christ well. Now, over the past few weeks, I’ve made it clear – I’ve maybe overemphasized – that the Philippians weren’t perfect. They had conflict in the church, and they struggled to be courageous in the face of persecution. But all things considered, Paul’s overall assessment of the church is that they’ve always obeyed. They’ve always been open and responsive to God’s commands. They’ve been putting His Word into action. They’ve taken it seriously.

And as your pastor, I just want to take a quick time out here and make sure you know that I’ve been encouraged to see this same eagerness to obey among you. It’s obvious to me that you’re seeking to cultivate a humble mindset, and a patient, persistent love for one another. You’re seeking to reach out to people in need of a healthy church. You’re seeking to bring your sins into the light, to walk with upright character and Christlikeness. You’re eager to serve in the church, to serve your families, to serve in your places of work – I have been encouraged by your obedience to Christ in so many ways. And I’m deeply thankful to have you partnering together with me here to advance the gospel.

All this being said, I really want to make sure that we hold on to this earnestness, together, as a church – to keep pursuing God’s grace, to humbly obey him. This seems to have been Paul’s concern, too, for the Philippians. He doesn’t want the Philippians to be proud of their obedience in the past, and to become careless about walking with Christ into the future. Instead, he wants them to recognize that continued obedience is a gift from God to be pursued, actively.

Ten years from now – fifty years from now – will our church in Mount Pleasant, here, be a church that’s really committed to the Bible, that’s caring in fellowship, and that’s concerned about reaching the lost? In a very real regard, if you and I aren’t working at it by God’s grace, we won’t be a church like that. We won’t be the church that Christ is calling us to be. Remaining earnest and consistent in our obedience to Christ isn’t something that will happen to us on accident. It only comes when we exert ourselves with the strength that God graciously provides.

Paul raises a third comment, here, that explains how we’re instructed to exert ourselves for our sanctification. He says, “not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your salvation.” Paul is asking the Philippians to obey, not only when he’s around, but even when he’s away.

Because Paul knows how the human heart works. Imagine that there’s a young child in the kitchen, and there’s a plate of cookies on the counter that’s being saved for dessert later that night. If the Mom or Dad have said, “No thank you – please don’t get a cookie right now,” and they’re there in the room, the child probably follow those instructions. Because there’s something about the presence of the Mom or Dad that gives an added sense of accountability. But if the young child is left alone in the kitchen, that child is going to have a much harder time keeping his or her hands off the cookies.

But this isn’t just true for young children, is it? When we’re around our spouse, or around our children, or around people from church – we often feel an extra sense of accountability. And there’s a certain extent to which this is a good and useful reality – this is just one of many reasons why it’s good for your soul to spend time with other believers. But Paul is urging them – don’t just obey Christ when I’m around. Don’t just obey Christ in order to impress me. But especially when I’m absence, and it’s clear to yourself, and to everybody else that the only audience you have is God himself – be sure that you’re all the more careful to obey then. Don’t let your obedience just be a show that you put on for other people. But make sure that your obedience is for the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Paul adds a fourth description of how we should work out our salvation, when he says, work out your OWN salvation. And by this, he’s encouraging the Philippians to take personal ownership of this command. Kids, you can’t go through life, depending on the faith of your parents, or the faith of your pastor. You, and I, and all of us, ourselves – we must have our own faith, an active faith that works to put off the old self, and to put on Christlikeness, in humble reliance on God’s power.

But fifth and finally, Paul says we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. There should be a serious sense of God’s authority – a fear and trembling before the greatness of the Lord and the earnestness of his commands. This doesn’t mean we need to be terrified as we work, as though we could somehow lose our salvation if we don’t work hard enough, or something. That’s not what this passage is saying. But from our human vantage point, we should be concerned exert ourselves in holiness, to make sure that God’s grace really is active within us.

Because when Jesus saved us from our spiritual deadness, his intent wasn’t just that his people would lie around in a vegetative state with a faint pulse. He saved us so that we would live, consciously, actively. The habits of deadness must go! The new habits of life must be exercised and put into practice. Living people should live like they’re alive – breathing the fresh air of God’s Spirit, eating from the banquet of his grace, engaged in work, and finding rest in Christ. Living people must live! We must show signs of life, because that’s what living people do.

So the right attitude of the Christian should never be “God shows me grace, so I can keep sinning!” Instead, the right attitude that we see here is “God shows me grace, so I can keep obeying!” If we refuse to obey – if we turn away from holiness and Christlikeness, it’s a rejection of God’s grace in our lives. Let’s not be so foolish. Let’s not be so wicked, that we would despise God’s kindness toward us. But with fear and trembling, with all seriousness and reverence for the God who saves us – let us labor to live as saved people – to the praise of the glory of His grace. Let’s pray: