What is my role and what is God’s role in my sanctification? Is it all up to me, or all up to God? Or is it half up to me and half up to God? Paul addresses these questions in Philippians 2:12-13. The answer may surprise you.
[powerpress]
The Human and Divine Role In Sanctification
Philippians 2:12-13
We come this morning to an extremely important passage of Scripture. It touches on a question that I think all of us have had at one point or another in our Christian life – “what is my part, and what is God’s part in my sanctification.” Now, if you are unfamiliar with the word “sanctification” it simply means the process whereby a believer is transformed more and more into the image of Christ.
Some believers advocate a passive approach to our sanctification. Their motto is “let go and let God.” They believe that all we are supposed to do is surrender to God. At that point there is nothing further we are to do. God does it all. He lives His life out through us as we trust Him. Their favorite Scripture is, “it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.”
Others stress obedience and effort so much that the power of God is forgotten, and we end up frustrated and exhausted as we try to live out the Christian life in our own strength.
I think both sides miss the mark. There is truth in both positions. But there is also an imbalance in both positions. Let’s see if God will help us to come to a deeper understanding of our growth in godliness this morning.
Before we dive into the text itself, we need to step back and survey the surrounding context. Beginning in 1:27, the apostle Paul has been discussing how we are to live out our Christian lives – personal sanctification. However, he has discussing our sanctification in relation to the rest of the church. In other words, Paul is calling on all believers to work out the practical implications of their salvation in their relationships within the body of Christ. How do I know that is His concern? Well, in 1:27, he urges the whole church to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. In 2:2 he urges them to be of the same mind, maintain the same love, be united in spirit, and intent on one purpose. His concern is the unity of the church. Then he brings up the greatest enemies to spiritual unity in the church – selfishness and pride. He exhorts the church to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Then he gives the greatest possible incentive to turn from selfishness and pride and pursue unity in the church by pointing to the greatest example of all time of selfless humility – the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ put our needs before His own. Christ humbled Himself, until He could not stoop any further. Then Paul tells the church to work out their salvation. He’s exhorting them to work out the practical implications of their Christian life as it relates to the unity of the body.
Later, in verse 14, he exhorts the believers to do all things without grumbling or disputing. Of all the things Paul could have exhorted them about, why does he choose grumbling and disputing? I believe it was because there was some grumbling and disputing going on in the church. And, since Paul desired them to dwell in unity and love, he exhorts them to put this disputing and grumbling to death.
Now, then, let’s get right into the text. We’ll begin by examining the human role in sanctification, and then look at the divine role in sanctification.
1. The Human Role In Sanctification
So then, my beloved. The words “so then” could also be translated as “therefore.” Basically Paul is saying, based on what I have just said, this is how you should live it out. Well, what has Paul just said? He has told us that Jesus Christ obeyed His Father even unto death, the death of the cross. Therefore, you must follow in His steps and obey God as well. Jesus Christ lived a life of selfless humility. Therefore, you must work that out in your Christian life as well.
Just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Paul is exhorting them to continued obedience. They obeyed God in his presence. But now that Paul is off in prison in Rome, they must continue to obey God. But notice that obedience is the important word in this sentence. This gives us a clue as to what Paul means by “work out your salvation.” He means they are to continue to obey. Continued obedience is working out their salvation.
Work out your salvation. Some have completely misunderstood Paul at this point. They understand him to be saying that people are to work for their salvation. But Paul didn’t tell them to work for their salvation. He told them to work out their salvation. It would be impossible for them to work for their salvation, because they already possessed salvation. You can’t work to get something you already have. Think of it – who is Paul writing to? The first verse of the letter says that he is writing to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi. A saint is a saved person, a holy one. In 1:6 Paul tells them that God has begun a good work in them and will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Paul is writing to Christians, and he is telling Christians to work out their salvation.
If I told you to work out your marriage, you would never dream that I meant you should work to get married! No, you are already married. But by working out your marriage you get to explore and enjoy the marriage you already possess. So it is in your salvation. You already possess salvation, but now you are to explore it, discover its riches and enjoy it. How can you work it out, if it’s not already in?! Of course, that is impossible. You have to first have salvation in you, before you can work it out.
So, Paul’s exhortation here to work out their salvation is not about sinners getting saved. It’s about Christians getting sanctified.
Notice that Paul calls on these Christians to do something towards their sanctification. Paul does not envision believers as being passive in their sanctification. Now, it is true, we were passive in our regeneration. We could not be active in our regeneration because we were spiritually dead. God had to take all the initiative and act upon our dead souls to give us spiritual life. But now that we have been given spiritual life, God calls us to be actively involved in our sanctification. There is something we must do. We must work out our salvation. Just as a mathematician works out a math problem to its logical conclusion, so must we work out our salvation to its logical conclusion in Christlikeness. Brothers and sisters, we must not take the position that our spiritual transformation is all up to God, and all we are to do is surrender. No, the Bible tells us to DO something! Fight the good fight of faith. Run the race. Wrestle against principalities and powers. There is exertion and effort in the Christian life. We are not all passive. We must rouse ourselves to activity in cooperating with the Holy Spirit if we desire to experience transformation.
With fear and trembling. Remember that Paul has just spoken of the majesty and glory of Christ. He just told them that God highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Brothers and sisters, this exalted One is your Lord! We must live out our Christian lives with a healthy fear of Christ. “Fear and trembling” describe someone who is not proud, cocky, or self-reliant. A person who fears and trembles is one who knows how weak and sinful he is, and thus looks away from himself to Christ to strengthen him to do His will. A person who works out his salvation with fear and trembling is a person who fears displeasing His Lord, and lives before Him in reverence and awe.
So, what is our part when it comes to living out our Christian life? We are to continue in obedience. We are to grow in our obedience. We are to become obedient in all areas of our life. This is our responsibility, and we dare not shirk it. We can’t push our sanctification off on God and say, “Well, when God wants to make me holy, He’ll do it without any help from me!”
2. The Divine Role In Sanctification
For. That little word “for” tells us a lot. It tells us first of all, that it is possible for us to change, because we are not on our own. If we were all on our own, I might despair of ever getting victory over sins in my life. But if God is for me, who can be against me?!
It is God who is at work in you. Now, that is an amazing statement! Stop right there and think about what that verse says. This is saying that the Creator of the universe is working in you! The almighty God is at work in you! If that doesn’t encourage you to pursue holiness, I don’t think anything will. This verb is in the present tense, which tells us that God is working continually in us. It’s not just that He worked in you once, when He caused you to be born again, and then He left you on your own. No, the same One who began the good work in you will perfect it. God not only begins His saving work, but He continues it, and one day He will perfect it.
This passage tells me that God is a worker!
Colossians 1:29, “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
All of these passages teach us that God works in us. His power mightily works within us. What a precious thought. The God of glory is working in you. He’s working in me. Just think on that thought for a while. So, if that is true, why in the world should we ever think that our sanctification is beyond us, and that we won’t ever experience it?
Both to will and to work. When God works in us, what will the result be? He will enable us to will and to work for His good pleasure. To will and to work means to desire and to actually accomplish the desire. Listen to some modern versions of this verse:
NLT: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”
NCV: “because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him.”
HCSB: “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.”
And, isn’t that exactly what we need? We need the desire and the power to do what pleases God. If we had the desire, but not the power, that would end in terrible frustration. We would always want to do God’s will, but lacking the power, never actually do it. And, if we had the power, but not the desire, we would never actually do the will of God either. Without the desire, we would never attempt to do God’s will. And God, in His mercy, has granted us both the desire and the power. And He is continually working both the desire and the power in us.
Notice that God and man have work to do. God works in and we work out. In our sanctification, we are co-workers with God. But notice, that God is always prior. He is always the One who takes the initiative. If He had not already worked in, we could not work it out. Our working salvation out is a result of God working it in.
Our willing cooperation is necessary in the sanctification process. Why do I say this? Because Paul says God is at work in you, so work out your salvation. If our cooperation was not necessary, there was no reason for him to write verse 12. Yes, it is true that God is working in us. But it is also true that we must cooperate with the Spirit of God by working out our salvation. It’s a lot like what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Let. If you are a Christian, the Lord is already shining in you. But we are to let that light shine out of us. We are not to bottle it up. “Let your light shine” implies that there are things we can do to hinder or prevent our light from shining. To let our light shine is to remove the obstacles and hindrances so that our light will shine brightly. Our sin can prevent our light from shining brightly. And our sin can prevent us from working out our salvation, at least to some degree.
For His good pleasure. What is God’s goal in giving us the desire and power? It is that we would desire, and then do what pleases Him. And, what is it that pleases God? Those things that are in harmony with His nature. That which is holy, righteous, faithful, true, loving, kind, gracious, merciful, just and good all please God. This is the issue that should be uppermost in our minds when making a decision. Will this decision please God? Will this decision reflect His character and nature?
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, we must avoid two pitfalls in the Christian life. It’s like we are walking a tightrope. If we lean too far to the left we will fall off, and if we lean too far to the right we will also fall off.
- Avoid the Pitfall of Minimizing Your Exertion in the Christian Life. If you take the position that it is all up to God whether you overcome sin, grow in holiness, and bear holy fruit, you are in deep trouble! The Bible is filled with exhortations to action for the Christian! He is to be sober and vigilant. We are to keep watching and praying. We are to put mortify the deeds of the body. We are to fight the good fight of faith. We are to wrestle against principalities and powers. We are to pursue peace and holiness. We are to love one another. All of those things require you to ACT! Never get the idea that the Christian life is a passive affair, because it is not. You are very active in living out the Christian life. It is an imbalanced position to expect God to do everything if you will just surrender to Him.
There is much you and I need to do, must do, if we are to do those works that please God. So determine that you will act. Determine that you will make the right decisions. Determine that you will seek God daily in His word and prayer. Determine that you will worship Him and enjoy communion with God daily. When you know the will of God, DO it! Don’t be a hearer only, but also a doer of God’s Word.
- Avoid the Pitfall of Minimizing God’s Work in the Christian Life. It would be equally disastrous for you and I to throw ourselves into trying to live the Christian life without putting all our trust in the power of God! Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” St. Augustine once said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” I think we all know deep down, that we will never make progress in this Christian life without the power of God actively working in us. We are too weak, too sinful to be able to do this on our own. We desperately need God’s powerful work in us. And, praise God, we can have it! He lives in us! He is constantly working in us. He is giving us right desires, and then enabling us to actually act on those right desires. Praise God for His almighty work!
Don’t make the mistake of prayerlessness. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting about God’s power. Don’t make the mistake of being self-reliant.
It is not one or the other in the Christian life. You must rely 100% on God, and you must exert yourself 100% in the Christian life. May God give us grace to work out our salvation with fear and trembling!
______________________________
© The Bridge
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Bridge.
Follow Us!