Working Out Our Salvation
I mentioned two weeks ago that Paul and the Philippians had a strong and affectionate bond; clearly Paul loved them and was proud of them. I can relate to Paul’s feelings this week. Almost two dozen BBC folks have opened their homes and are hosting small groups for this series on Joy and Encouragement in Difficult Times. I am grateful to all of you for doing so, thanks for your leadership. Friday Bob Linnell, Kevin Jamieson of Cape Cod Chef on Call, and a host of other folks were here for hours cooking, setting up, serving, and cleaning up after a terrific Harvest Supper attended by over 200 people. Then we had a nice concert here in the sanctuary. Saturday our Deacons provided caring hospitality as people came to attend Sherry Strum’s memorial service. Pastor Patti Ricotta played with a great-grandchild in the nursery so his parents could attend the service without any concerns. Meanwhile our Caring Heart to Heart Team was making Fellowship Hall look nice and setting out food, serving everyone, and cleaning up. Like the Friday night crew, they were also here for hours. Throughout the weekend our sextons were basically living here cleaning up, setting up, and changing rooms over. It was a great effort this week by everyone and I appreciate it and I know many other people do as well. Thank you all. Today I finish my 17th year at BBC and I understand why Paul would call a church “my beloved.” Listen to today’s scripture from Philippians 2:12-16,
September 30, 2012
Philippians 2:12-16, Working Out Our Salvation
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
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“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work (plural) out (fulfill) your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”
In Philippians, Paul is trying to show us what God and Christ are like because our life task is to become like Jesus. Last week we spoke about having the mind of Christ which is humble, obedient, willing to serve others, not self-seeking, but willing to empty ourselves. God, who worked in Christ, is also at work in the lives of his followers enabling us to become who we were meant to be. “For it is God at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
God is at work within us to accomplish God’s will. In these verses there is an unmistakable emphasis on “work.” We don’t work for our salvation; that is a free gift of God. We can’t work, serve, or give enough to merit our salvation. We work out our salvation through godly living not to be saved but because we are saved. Following Christ takes effort and sweat. It’s work. When Paul writes, “work out your own salvation,” work is plural. This work, this fulfilling of salvation happens together in community. We must work out together what God has worked in us individually by God’s grace. It is a group effort because virtually everything involved in working out our faith involves interacting with other people. When you work physically on a project you sweat, get dirty and maybe even a little tired and sore. Paul, the apostle who tells us so much about God’s grace, knows that the gift of God’s grace in our lives does not exempt us from the work of living out our faith. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them – though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Paul had to work hard at living and sharing the gospel because the gospel meets resistance within us as individuals. The resistance within us can take many forms, one of the main ones being that instead of working out our own salvation we worry about, focus on, and think about other people’s issues instead of dealing with our own. This is reflected in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says, ““Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” Even among the twelve apostles this tendency to look at others rather than working on ourselves is reflected in Peter’s conversation with Jesus in John 21:21-22, “When Peter saw (the disciple whom Jesus loved), he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” That is still true, we are to follow Jesus and not dwell on other people’s journeys.
Jesus and Paul found the gospel also meets resistance outside of our selves especially in two kinds of people: religious people who are so sure of themselves that they can’t see what God is presently doing, and in those who are threatened by God working in the lives of people contrary to their self-interest. Examples of the former would be those in the first century who believed people had to become Jewish and obey all the laws of Moses before they could be accepted as followers of Jesus. Their spiritual descendents can be found among those who believe that people must adhere to what their particular church knows is the only “true” expression of Christianity in order to truly be a Christian.
The others resisting the gospel are those who find it contrary to their self-interest. An example of this occurs in the city of Ephesus when all the silversmiths and idol makers realize that Paul’s message about God will hurt their business of making statues of Artemis (goddess for many of the Ephesians). They riot and protest and almost kill Paul. Paul knows it isn’t a game show figuring out who God is; it is a matter of life and death. It takes work to live out our faith – it is difficult to do and it is sobering to think that Jesus, Paul and many others have been killed for it.
Working out our salvation will mean doing some things that we find difficult. Loving our neighbors takes work because we all find some people not very loveable. Working for peace and justice in a violent world takes work. Being faithful or honest when we’re pressured to cheat and lie is work. Not giving into unhealthy pressure from peers to drink, do drugs, or drive dangerously is work. We live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, just as the Philippians did. The charge to the church remains the same:
“Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.”
We are to work out our salvation in the midst of a crooked world populated by grumblers who complain about everything from the weather, politicians, the church, the economy, even God. Grumblers are often unhappy, discontented and tend to see the negative side of everything. Frankly, grumblers are annoying and they tend to suck the life out of a room the way a vacuum sucks dust off the floor. Nothing is good enough for a complainer and they always know better than those around them. They like to play the part of the martyr and feel that no one likes them, and often they’re right.
Paul says working out our salvation in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation requires doing all things (not some things) without murmuring or arguing. “Murmuring and arguing” are frequently a problem for God’s people throughout the Bible and in the present. Paul reminds the church members in Corinth what happened to the complainers among God’s people during the Exodus. “And do not complain as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us (1 Corinthians 10:10-11).”
It’s tough enough that Paul says we’re not to argue and murmur or complain, but he says we should do everything without complaining or arguing. Think about that for a minute…doing everything without murmuring or arguing.
How would taking this command seriously impact our lives?
What would it mean in doing chores around the house, or in responding to interruptions? How would it change the way we handle differences of opinion?
How would it change our discussions of politics or the church?
What would happen to gossip and accusations?
What would happen to the conversation in a men’s or women’s small group if we did what Paul said and didn’t murmur or argue, especially about people who weren’t present? Make no mistake about it we are sinning when we murmur and argue. Paul says we cannot become blameless, pure, and without fault as long as we are complainers.
Paul encourages the church members to, “shine like stars in the world.” He wants them to take the initiative to shed light where the darkness might tempt us to be less than we are called to be in Christ. When we act with a joyful, trusting attitude as we work out our salvation without murmuring and arguing, we stand in stark contrast to those around us who don’t.
Theology, having an understanding of God, is important because our theology shapes our living, whether we’re aware of it or not. Salvation is a process begun by God and brought to completion by God that also requires our diligent and persistent work. We need to cooperate with God’s Spirit so that we are people who are growing and changing throughout our lives.
Specifically it means we do things like:
Reading the Bible and learning scripture, reading inspiring books, listening to Christian music, working to make worship an attitude rather than a ritual, being open to opportunities to serve gladly, and giving generously to God’s work. If these habits seem too much for you, begin by committing yourself to no longer murmuring, complaining, and arguing and hold accountable anyone who does it in your presence. This all takes work.
An unknown author wrote,
It is not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong;
not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;
not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and
not what we profess but what we practice that makes us Christians.
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this passage from Philippians says,
“Do everything readily and cheerfully- no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.” Amen to that.
If you want to bring joy to God, if you want to shine like a lighthouse next to a stormy sea, and if you want to be a sensible voice in a confused world, stop murmuring and arguing. Someone wrote,
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful the yard is getting watered for free.
Today I can be sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.
Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.
Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful for what they shared with me in addition to life.
Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.
Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.
Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.
Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with new knowledge thankful for the opportunity to get an education.
Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because I’ve been provided shelter.
Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.
And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.
What today will be like is up to me.
I get to choose what kind of day I will have!
This is an example of working out our salvation without grumbling and we need to help each other to do it.
Blessing: Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish who shine like stars in the world.