Tag: Philippians 2

Work Out What God Works In: MT e66

When I was much younger there were occasional summers that we as a family would go to Curie Beach in NC. One very clear memory is my mother would always get me a new plastic bucket and shovel to use on the beach. 

But there was one condition, I could not use it until we got to the beach.  I had other plastic shovels that were older but why use them if the brand new one was right here.

I had ants in my pants every time.  I could not wait to use that new bucket and shovel.

Then finally, we would get to the destination, and I would be able to work with my new tools.  I could dig and rake until my heart was content.

Philippians 2:12-13 it says, “As you have obeyed . . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

When it says, work out your salvation, does it mean that we are to work to gain our righteousness?  Is Scripture saying here that God does His part and we do our part?

The short answer is no. 

We are saved by grace through God’s loving kindness and mercy.  Grace means gift.  You do not work for a gift.

In the process of being saved God changes us.  It is a miraculous change of heart.

Just like the younger me with my beach toys, just itching to get busy. This is the same picture for the believer.  We are excited to get busy with our new tools that God has given us.

We are not working to gain righteousness but because we are righteous.

Believers are WORKING OUT what God has WORKED IN us.  (repeat)

This is the ongoing desire for every believer.  Keep working out what God is working in. 

Why . . .because it is for His good purpose.  Our Lord always gets the glory. That is why I say:

S.D.G.

Addition by Subtraction: MT episode 8

I have a question for you.  What does success look like?  Does it look like better cars, better house or better clothes?  Better friends?

There was a television comedy in the 1980’s about a hard-working middle class family in NYC that had made it.  Through their hard work, they had become wealthy and, in this wealth, moved to a better part of town and in a much better home.  The theme song, as the show opened went, “we are moving on up, to the east side, in a deluxe apartment in the sky” and concluded with, “we finally got a piece of the pie”

There is nothing wrong with improving your station in life.  A better place to live or even being able to hire people to clean your house is a blessing from God and not morally wrong in anyway. It can even be argued this would fall under common grace in that God provides this blessing to all regardless if they believe or not.

But rarely do we see success as “emptying”, going backwards or DEMOTING.  But this is what the believer is called to do because it is what Jesus did.

Philippians 2, “Have this mind,” means think like this.  View life this way.  “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. That although he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to hold on to but made himself nothing.” (GR: Kenosis – to empty)

This passage is on the incarnation of Christ and it is a very rich section of Scripture.  Too much for just 2 to 3 minutes.  Maybe we will revisit this in December during Advent.

Today, the focus is on serving.  The writer of Philippians here is not ONLY documenting that God became man but is giving us an example of how we are to replicate it.  Simply stated, being humble.  Serving.  Have this MIND in you.  Think this way. 

While it is not wrong for a believer to improve their lot and enjoy blessings God gives, it is worth noting that we should always serve and have the heart of serving.  Because Jesus did.

SDG