LEARNING DAILY

 

Philippians 2:12-13, Dearest friend, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your life (that is to “work out your own salvation”), obeying God with deep fear and reverence (that is with “with fear and trembling”). For God Is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him. (New Living Translation with parentheses from the New King James Version)

 

I have been studying Paul’s letters written to various churches. I have decided to write on points I thought were both interesting and those I needed to research in order to understand what he meant. Actually, my Bible has gotten a lot of those sticky notes sticking out for just that purpose! Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi brought both encouragement and joy to the people there and that is my purpose as well.

 

What does Paul mean when he writes, “work out your own salvation”? You and I as Believers are to work out what God has done for us through salvation in Jesus Christ by refining the characteristics of a godly life – our walk on the narrow way. It is important to understand that this is not done by human effort; it happens by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power given to each of us at salvation. In order to work out our salvation you and I must do everything we can to resist sin and follow the desires of the Holy Spirit. We know the difference between right and wrong; we must choose to do the right thing, think upon the right things (Philippians 4:8). I’m sure each of you know as I do how difficult that can be. Yet, it is absolutely necessary to use every God-given tool to defeat evil and to reveal Christ’s life living in each of us. How is this even possible? Hebrews 7:25 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ, “lives to make intercession for us”. He lives in heaven sitting at the right side of the Father interceding for each one of us. Through this intercession you and I experience God’s love and His presence and we have His grace in time of need, temptation, weakness, sin, and in trials. The intercession of the Lord is necessary to our salvation. We work out our salvation by continually growing closer to Christ and staying on the narrow way!

 

In working out our salvation, we do so “with fear and trembling”. As children of God, you and I should possess a holy fear that trembles at His Word and causes us to turn away from sin. We have no license to sin, believing we can knowingly sin, ask for forgiveness, and all is well. Christians are called to the same discipline that Jesus was as He was on earth when He obeyed His father. Being a Christian is being called to discipleship and that discipleship is costly! The fear and trembling Paul is talking about is a reverent awe of the power of God, His holiness and His reckoning with sin. There should be a dread in our lives of sinning against Him and facing the consequences when we do. I am talking about when you and I willing do what we know God does not want us to do. This fear of sinning against God is not to be a destructive fear but one that leads us closer to Him and to moral purity.

 

That’s pretty heavy and can be difficult when we ty in our own ability. We are not left alone in this “it is God who works in you both to His will and to do for His good pleasure” (NKJV). God’s grace works in each of us to produce both the desire and the power to do His will. It is never forced on us; it is always dependent on our cooperation and our response to Him leading us. That is faith! In this world we live in today, I am thankful for a loving God who helps us stay on the narrow way to eternal life in His kingdom. I am so thankful for His grace and for never giving up on me. What about you?