As Paul the apostle
continued his words to the church in Philippi, he gave them Jesus
Christ as an example of humility and encouraged them to esteem others
better than themselves. Because Jesus humbled Himself to become as a
servant to man and was obedient unto death “even the death of
the cross”, God gave Him a name that was above every name and
exalted Him so that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In chapter two and verse twelve of
the letter to the Philippians, Paul the apostle shares how the
Philippians and we should respond to Jesus' exaltation where he
wrote:
Wherefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling.
The verse begins, “Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed,...” Paul begins this verse with the word “Wherefore”,
and as we have learned in the past, when we see a “wherefore”
in the Bible we should look immediately before it to discover what
the “wherefore” is there for. In this case the “wherefore”
is a conclusion made by Paul because God exalted the name of Jesus.
He noted their closeness to him with the word “brethren”
and then encouraged the Philippians by noting their past behavior
“you have always obeyed”. In other words they “listened
to, complied with, and harkened to” the directions and instructions
Paul gave to them previously.
The verse goes on to say, “... not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence,” Paul then notes their continual
obedience to his words, “not as in my presence” which is
while Paul was among them, but also “much more in my absence”
or when Paul was not around them. It is one thing for a person or
people group to obey instructions when their overseer is with them,
and it is quite another when they obey when no one is around. Paul
knew the behavior of the Philippians was no different whether he was
present with or absent from them.
Finally
the verse says,
“...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Since
the Philippians were known for their continual obedience, Paul gives
them this further instruction, “work
out”
which means “to perform, accomplish, achieve, bring
about, result in” “your own salvation” which carries the
idea of “deliverance, preservation, and safety”. Let us notice
that it does not say “work for” but rather “work out”
which means to “work it out of you”. Their “salvation”
was within them, and it was made possible by their belief, trust and
reliance upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They were now to
“work” that salvation “out” so that it would be
manifested to the world, and they were to conduct themselves with an
attitude of “fear and trembling” which means “quaking
with fear, and is used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts
his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does
his utmost to fulfill his duty”. As the church members in Philippi
would “work out” their salvation, the world around them
would be affected as well.
Have we stopped to wonder if
we “work out” our “own salvation with fear and
trembling”? Are our lives conducted in such a manner that
others around us know that we have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
If we were to be put on trial for being a Christian, would there be
enough evidence to convict us? As we ponder Paul's instruction to the
Philippians, perhaps we would do well to examine ourselves to
discover whether we obey authorities whether they are present or not,
and as we live our lives, may we learn to manage ourselves before
others so they know we have respect and awe toward God
Next
time Paul tells the Philippians some wonderful traits about God, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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