Follow the obedience of Jesus Christ Philippians 2:12-18

6 April 2022

The apostle Paul urged the people of the Philippian church to unite, not divide. It requires humility, not partisanship, he urged to emulate the humility of Jesus Christ. The theme here is “obedience of Jesus Christ.

Do Everything Without Grumbling

¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ¹⁴Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2: 12-18)

What does “Therefore” mean? Just as Jesus Christ, God, became humble, became human, and Jesus Christ was obeyed to the death of the cross (2: 8) and obeyed the will of God. Paul urges us to obey God like Jesus.

It says to be obedient not only when he is with them, but also when he is not . Follow Jesus’ humility, and follow His obedience, just as Jesus was always obedient to God’s will, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (verse 12), Paul. wrote in the Philippian church.

“Salvation” here does not mean salvation of the soul. It does not mean that salvation will be achieved by one’s own efforts. It is important to note that the Bible may differ from the message of the entire Bible if only one phrase is taken out and interpreted. It is always important to understand in the context of the whole Bible, here in the flow of letters to the Philippians. It is salvation in the context where unity is recommended, and it is written for Christians who have already been saved.

“Fearful” is because salvation is God’s sovereignty. We can see the powerlessness of human beings here. No one of us can achieve salvation on our own. We need God’s mercy. We are saved, but salvation is not complete.

God wants us to grow because we have Born Again, a new birth, a spiritual birth. Have their parents do it all for their baby. However, as they grow up, they gradually become able to do various things themselves. They are in trouble if they can’t do it no matter how long times passes.

Therefore, it can be said that there are three major stages of salvation. First, believe in Jesus and be saved. The next stage is to grow through Christian life and church life. And finally, it’s time for salvation to be completed.

The first step is to receive salvation. We can’t do anything. But there is something we can do in the second stage. To cooperate with God’s work. We can obey God’s will, God’s plan, and the Word of God. There is a battle in Christian life. Therefore, we must keep an eye on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of faith. It’s the same as an individual, but also as a church community.

God has begun good work and has begun the work of salvation. I firmly believe that those who have begun good work in you will complete it by the time of the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1: 6). The day of Christ Jesus will come, and when Jesus will come again, salvation will be completed. Until that day, we are required to be fear before God, and to be humble.

God makes us motivated and do things. First of all, it is God who takes action. We cooperate through obedience to the work of God. The apostle Paul recommends, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing” (verse 14). The Israelites who had exodus were disobedient people. In the wilderness life, they always muttered. Instead, we are expected to walk with gratitude.

It is to be innocent, to be the unblemished child of God, and to shine as the light of the world (verse 15,16). This was a prayer for Paul’s Philippian church. May you be able to discern what is truly good. And may you be innocent and unblamed on Christ’s day, and be filled with the fruit of the righteousness given by Jesus Christ, and show the glory and honor of God(Philippians 1: 10,11). This is to keep the impure things from coming in, in the world of sin, in the darkness, firmly grasping the words of the Bible, which is the word of life, and shining as the light of the world as a child of light.

It is important to always grasp the words of life. There is always a way of life and a way of death in front of us. God said to the people of Israel. I will put life and death, blessings and curses before you. Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19) . Disobedient people could not enter the Promised Land of Canaan. It perished in the wilderness and died. However, Joshua and Caleb, who continued to obey God, were able to enter the Promised Land of Canaan. It is important for us to receive and grasp the words of the Bible, the words of life, day by day.

By doing so, we can walk like a child of God and shine as the light of the world. We are given a mission as the light of the world by Jesus. Jesus said. You are the light of the world(Matthew 5:14). As we continue to live with God, we will be transformed into the image of Christ. That leads to the achievement of salvation.

The apostle Paul thus sincerely hoped that each and every one of the Philippian church, and the Philippian church, would walk in unison, rather than by division and disobedience. He recommended that Jesus Christ be an example. I (Paul) , if you do so, I can be proud of the day of Christ (in the last days) (verse 16).

Paul says that I am pleased even if I am to be martyred (verse 17). Paul said, ” For me, living is Christ, and dying is also good” (1:21). Paul is determined to obey the will of God. He encouraged the Philippian church to imitate Jesus Christ, God wants us to humbly follow God and the Words of God, Bible.