The True Energizer
At the beginning of Philippians chapter 2, Paul wrote about humility and the Christian’s call to serve fellow believers in love. He shared Christ’s own example of humble surrender, shown not only through His life but also through His suffering and death. In verses 9–11, Paul revealed the marvelous truth that Christ is now exalted and given “the name that is above every name.” All nations will fall at His feet and “confess that He is Lord.” What a wonderful hope we have in Christ!
Indeed, there is so much we could glean from Philippians chapter 2, but for now I simply want to focus on verses 12 and 13. Paul wrote in verse 12: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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 first word is “wherefore,” which implies there is a reason behind the call to commitment. To put it plainly, Paul was stating, “In light of Christ’s resurrection and exaltation, let us faithfully labor in our lives, striving to be approved when we kneel before His throne.”
Now, if we are not careful, we might take Paul’s exhortation in verse 12 to mean a “works salvation,” but the word “work out” means to continually work with the intent of fully accomplishing one’s task. The word “salvation” does not simply refer to what takes place when a person accepts Christ; it means rescue and safety and speaks to the second coming of Christ and the Church’s final deliverance. In Luke 18:8, Jesus said, “…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” We do not know when He will return, but we do know that we are to “work” so that we can be found “faithful.”
However, we cannot stop here. If we do, there is a massive gap regarding the Christian life. What do I mean by this? Verse 13 of Philippians 2 reveals the marvelous truth of God’s personal work in the believer, which reads: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In this verse, the Greek word for “works” is where we get the word “energy” from. In a way, it depicts a person being strengthened and energized. How wonderful it is for the believer to finally acknowledge in faith that God can empower him to live a victorious Christian life! This is what fills the gap! The Almighty gives the empty vessel life! We are only the brush, but He is the grand painter who can paint a beautiful picture through us. It is He who not only produces in us a desire to accomplish His will but also strengthens us to walk on the path He has called us to.
