Working It Out

We continue this morning through the beautiful letter to the Philippians.

12So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, 13for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God. 

Philippians 2:12-13 NET

Really, it is helpful to read these verses backwards.  (Oh that Paul and his writing style!)

For the sake of His good pleasure, for His glory....God brings forth in His children (by the Holy Spirit in their hearts) the desire to live out their salvation.  And, Christians should do that, with a reverential attitude toward the One who makes it possible for them to do it.  We should be constant in this, whether anyone is watching or not.

Now, these verses have been twisted by some to "say" that our salvation is not certain if we have trusted Christ.  These say we have to "work for" it.  But, that is not what these verses say, because that interpretation would fall in direct conflict with the overwhelming majority of Paul's similar teachings on the grace of God - - - grace and grace alone.

Think of a bridegroom, newly married, gloriously in love with his wife.  Out of his seemingly boundless love for her, he jumps out of bed each morning and goes off to earn a living to support her. He doesn't do this out of duty, but as a love offering.  That's the kind of "working out" that's described here.  He doesn't have to work to earn his bride; that bargain has already been sealed.  He works to demonstrate his love for her.

In his Concise Commentary on these verses, Matthew Henry put it like this:

God's good-will to us, is the cause of his good work in us.1 

A good companion verse to today's verses is Philippians 1:6 (NET) - -

For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

All works of righteousness flow FROM righteousness, that righteousness which can only come from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

This is why Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:16).  It is the Son's Holy Spirit who creates "the tree" and Who then produces the fruit which grows on it.  If the Holy Spirit is not present in a person's life, there will be no or little "fruit" (good works).  If the Spirit is present, He will produce in that person's life the evidence, the "fruit of salvation".

If I look past my laptop screen this morning, I can see one of our apple trees just outside the basement window.  Never has it borne figs.  At the moment, it has some apples on it.  In a couple of weeks they should be ready to pick, if the deer don't get to them first.  But, the tree has some issues...it is not filled with apples, and some of the branches are brown.  It has weathered some hardship, although it appears to be fighting valiantly to overcome.  Last year, due to a late "cold snap" in March, it bore no apples at all.  The year before that, its branches were heavy with apples in July.

What am I trying to say?  Sometimes our Christian lives are "uneven" also.  Even when opening ourselves up fully to the Holy Spirit's fruit-producing work, we are at times beset by evil, or deceived by the Enemy or tripped up by a temptation or just plain weary.  And, our "working out our salvation" takes a dip...or a dive.  But, if we trust in our Savior, if we trust in His plan for us, we will bear fruit again.   In a later season, our boughs will again be heavy with fruit.

For my fellow believers, I don't know about the "state of your tree" today.  I would say that I hope your boughs are heavy.  But, I know that the Lord allows us to go through difficult seasons - - - drought, cold snaps, hail that pummels us, etc.  Other times, He prunes our branches for His own purposes.  And, praise Him - - - always praise Him!

Whatever season in which you find yourself today, don't harden your heart against Him.  If we revere and worship Him, we will "work it out" by allowing His Spirit to "work it out" in us.

Father....not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to Your mercy You saved me. Grace and divine grace alone could save a wretch like me.  I don't even want to contemplate walking through this earthly life without Your Holy Spirit to move and work in me.  Fortunately, I don't have to.  Work in me the fruits of righteousness, so that Your name may be further glorified.  In Jesus' name, amen.


Source:

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/philippians/2-12.htm

A Galatian Oreo

Do you like Oreos?  I'm going to show you one in Scripture today.

I guess you could say I'm not a Calvinist.  My belief in God's all-knowingness (omniscience) is secure.  He knows all, from before time began until after it is abolished.  "From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God!" (Psalm 90:2) Inherent in that omniscience is the understanding that He knows every single choice we will make, before we even think of making it.  Calvinists fully believe in God's omniscience, but they also adhere to an additional belief --- that He makes those choices for us, deciding who will come to know Him through Jesus Christ, as well as (for some) totally negating the concept of free will.

In a way, the Calvinist position is comforting.  Why witness to the lost if it doesn't matter?  God will see that "the chosen" come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ...somehow.  Why live a life of holiness, struggle with sins "that so easily trip us up" (Hebrews 12:1)?  God knows what we are going to do anyway. We really don't have any choice in the matter. It has been fore-ordained.

You see...if you take away from mankind the ability to choose Jesus Christ, or not....
if you take away man's "free will" about salvation, you must also take away basically all choice from him.  It's not "pick and choose".  And, if we really have no choices, why then did Paul write Galatians 5:16-26?

The passage is an "oreo" passage, or in music we would say it is in ABA form.  The first black cookie (or "A") consists of verses 16-18 (NET)

16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

Paul goes on to describe what a life lived serving one's own selfish desires looks like.  He calls this "living according to the flesh" (vs. 19-21a), the works of the flesh.  Next, he describes what a life lived led by the Holy Spirit looks like.  He calls this the fruits of the Spirit.  All this is the "B" section, the creamy filling of the Oreo.

The second black cookie ("A" again) is contained in verses 24-26 (NET)

24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

First, let's examine the "A" sections.  Read them over again, one after another.  Do you see that living the Christian life is all about choices?  There is this spiritual battle raging in each of us who know Jesus as Savior.  Some believe, mistakenly, that the battle is less intense after a person accepts Christ as Savior and Lord.  No.  The battle intensifies.  The new believer is ratcheted up in Satan's attention. Satanic attempts to neuter, neutralize, disarm and hamstring the believer begin, from the moment of salvation.

Yes, our salvation is settled and secure from the moment we are saved, from that instant we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior.  As we live this life, though, as a Christian, we are faced with a seemingly unending array of choices - - - for the kingdom of God or against it.  God has always dealt with mankind this way.  Don't you remember when Joshua told the children of Israel:
"Choose you this day whom you will serve"?  (Joshua 24:15)

Now, let's look at those two words I underlined in the passages above.  Note that the choices motivated by our own selfishness (the flesh) are called "works".  In other words, these are things we do in our own power, in our own human strength.  By contrast, when we choose to be led by the Holy Spirit, it is HE who produces the characteristics in verses 24-26.  Those are fruits which the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.

If you read verses 24-26 and say, "I'm going to try my best to be more gentle," then you've got it backwards.  As a Christian, you make choices to allow the Spirit of Jesus Christ to possess you ... or not.  That is what Paul means by verse 24, that "crucifying of the flesh".  It is He, then, who produces in the believer those "fruits of the Spirit".

If you are like me, you read that list of "fruits" and think with panic, "I'm not able to do that!"  And, then I realize,  "That's exactly right!"  In my flesh, my own power, I can't.  But, He can.  In so doing, He gets all the honor and glory due Him, for the marvelous works that He does in me.

Dear Holy Spirit, consume in me all the impurity that brings my Savior dishonor.  I want to be led by You, to follow You, so that You may be glorified through me.  In Jesus' name, amen.