“continue to work out your salvation with fear
and trembling for it is God who works in you...”
Phil 2:12-13 is about sanctification. This
verse is perhaps the best verse in the Bible that explains what sanctification
is and how it works. 3 things/points about sanctification:
1. What it is
2. What it does
3. What it is like
- It is purification.
There are two answers for that. First, the positive answer, to reveal
that we are children of God and second, the negative answer, is that because we
are sinners and this is very easy to forget. Why? The most basic thing is that
we forget because we often do not realize that we ARE sinners mainly because of Satan’s lie to us which includes but
not limited to us being not bad compared to others and that we compensate for our
sinful actions by trying to be holy and “repenting”. But the fact is, we do not
become sinners if we sin, we sin because we are sinners. This is a major misunderstanding
of sinning. And that’s why we have to be careful about this. We have to realize
that because of this truth, that we sin because we are sinners (and not the
other way around), even the good deeds that we do are unacceptable in the sight
of our God. For Isaiah says that our righteous acts are like filthy rags in His
eyes. Therefore the need for sanctification/ purification. That is why in all Christians, one of the
works of God in your heart is to sanctify you.
- It is living as Christ-like. So, when you are under sanctification, what happens to you as a Christian is that God, by His grace, power and will, enables you to become more and more like Jesus.
- It is Christian maturity. It is becoming more and more mature as a Christian.
- It is growing spiritually from the image of a sinner to the image of God.
In verse Phil 2: 12-13,
the word “work” is used twice here and in the original language, they are two
different words. When you “work it out”, the original Greek word meaning is you
are working towards the goal of your salvation. What is the goal of your
salvation? The first stage of salvation is justification. The second stage is sanctification and the
final stage is glorification which will happen when Jesus comes again. In this
life, no matter how much you grow, you will never reach the goal of salvation
which is glorification, to become exactly like Christ who is pure and without
sin. This will only happen when Jesus comes again. Therefore, working out your
salvation never stops because it is for a goal which we are not to accomplish
and achieve in this life. So as a Christian, we then should always be working
it out.
The other word “work”
in verse 13, "for it is God who works in you", comes from the word energeia (ἐνέργεια) which means “energy”
in Greek, and it is a work that is always completed even though you have work
it out. But that work in you is not based on whether you like it or not, or whether
He calls you or not, for it is a work that He is going to complete, one way or
another. If you are willing, then you will have joy, but if you are rebellious
and stubborn then there will be a lot of frustration, agony, etc. That is why I
always say that you can choose for yourself two ways of sanctification, either
the easy way or the hard way. Because whatever you choose, God will still
complete His work in you even if you don’t want Him to.
What it does:
1. Obedience. If God is working in you and are being
sanctified, you will live a life of obedience. The best evidence of your
obedience, according to verse Phil 2:12a is when you are alone. Not when you
are with your brothers and sisters in church, but when nobody is looking at
you, nobody knows what you are doing or thinking, nobody sees you, but in your
heart you want to obey God.
2. Continue. This means perseverance. You never stop. Even if
you take a vacation, when it comes to God, there is no vacation because God is still
continuously working in you. You never take a break.
3. Fear and trembling. This means you have
AWE. It means reverent fear. We are
so sinful and yet God still loves us and God gave His only son because He loves
us. As such, in our hearts, there is a sense of fear and trembling. Leviticus says
be holy because I am holy. It means to be like Christ who is blameless and humble
and without sin. God wants us to be without sin. So He gave us His son to die
for us so we can be made holy for in this world, no one is without sin. Therefore, we must continue to work out our
salvation with fear and trembling because we can never save ourselves even when
we do something right or good.
4. Purpose. He is working in you with a
purpose. You will begin to have a clear purpose in life. Without this purpose,
our life is pointless/ futile. And
the ultimate purpose should never change and that is to glorify God.
5. Gratitude. It means doing anything without arguing and
complaining. Be joyful and thankful no matter what. The Christians in Revelation
were killed. How? Beheaded. So be thankful without complaining and arguing even
to the point of death. But if you don’t think that there is no benefit, don’t
realize the value of being a Christian. The goal is to see Jesus and be like Jesus.
6. Purity. You become blameless and
children of God without fault/sin in a crooked and depraved generation. First, sexual purity is part of being a
Christian. But ultimately, it is not only sexual purity but purity in your
heart’s devotion that Jesus is my husband and I am His pure virgin bride. God
is sanctifying you so that you long more for Him like a bride who is longing
for her husband.
7. Evangelism. Shine like stars in the
universe. You want to evangelise, pray, listen, help and God gives you the
opportunity to tell people about God. So a Christian not evangelizing doesn't
realize the sanctifying role of the Holy Spirit. God is working in you, in your
heart. That is why you must work it out. Don’t force it, don't be rude, don't
be cruel but be gentle, be humble, be real and truly care and pray for them so that
somehow, someday you are able to share with them about Jesus, about the Gospel.
How can you truly bless
others and become a BLESSING?
B-egin with praying for someone.
L-isten. Listen
carefully.
E-at with them. Have fellowship.
S-erve/help/support.
S-tory. Now, you can tell the story of the Gospel.
8. Joy . I am glad and rejoice with all of
you so that you to may be blessed in joy.
What it’s like
Phil 2:16
- Like someone trying to win a gold medal. You work even harder and you run and labour harder
- b. Sacrifice. It means life is poured out
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