Working Out What God Has Worked In. Phil. 2:12-13.

What is salvation?

Is salvation is a once and for all act in which I agree with God’s judgment that I am a sinner in His sight, repent of my sin and then believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ for full forgiveness of that sin and new life in Christ. Yes it is.

Is salvation is also that great future event in human history when Jesus Christ will return for His people, judge the world and save us from that judgment so that we can forever enjoy the new earth He’s created for us. Yes it is.

But does it end there? Is salvation basically confined to a one time act of belief in Christ that has little bearing on our lives until either we die or He returns to completely set up His eternal kingdom? Basically do we view salvation in a way we look at an insurance policy? At first we pay attention to it because we know that it is of some importance to us. But following the initial purchase of the policy we go about living our lives with barely a thought about it unless a time comes when we need it. I wonder how many people who call themselves Christians in America think that way about salvation? That it’s some kind of decision I made when I was younger and then basically forgotten about until the distant future when either I pass on or Jesus returns?

How would then such a person respond to Paul’s words in Phil. 2:12-13? In order for them to even begin to understand what Paul wrote here he or she would have to at least enlarge their definition of salvation.

So what is salvation?

We should start with recognizing that our salvation is not just confined to eternal fire insurance. Salvation is a way of life that involves how we think about ourselves, God’s church and our place and purpose in this present world. Salvation is a way of life in which we leave the idols of our society and pour our affection, our love, our delight and our worship into the living God. Salvation is a way of life in which we purposely seek to have every area of our lives directed by the word of God, this includes how we speak and think. Salvation is a way of life that involves looking for and creating opportunities to declare the gospel of salvation in Jesus alone to all those God brings me into contact with.

Now you can see that we most certainly have something to work out.

What does it mean to work out our salvation?

The phrase Paul uses translated ‘work out’ in vs. 12 means to carry something to its intended goal or end. Thus Paul is saying that we are called to work out or carry our salvation to its intended goal or end. And what within our salvation should we be looking to carry out?

Salvation calls for us to grow and develop in our worship of God.
Salvation calls for us to grow and develop in our walk before the Lord.
Salvation calls for us to grow and develop in our witness of the Lord.

We do this with the knowledge that God is actively at work within our lives to bring about His good pleasure. And we know from the rest of scripture that God’s will, purpose and pleasure for His people involves our growing in worship, our growing in holiness and our growing in witness.

Grow in our worship. In order for us to grow in worship we must begin to have an increasing understanding of, knowledge of and appreciation of the character, nature, ways and activities of the living God as expressed fully in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Such growth will happen as we more and more learn to read scripture with the focus on what it says to us about the character and nature of God. In what ways can we grow in the area of worship? We can begin by cultivating an attitude of worship by reading scripture regularly and even listening to good worship music that draws our attention to the Lord’s character and nature and the person and work of Jesus Christ. We should also look to do the following: Attending worship regularly. Participate in worship wholeheartedly.
Focus on worshiping God as and end in and of itself and not as a means to get something we want from God.

Grow in our walk before God. Growing in our walk before the Lord goes hand in hand with growing in our worship of God. That’s true because the more we grow in our knowledge of God’s character and nature the more we should desire to imitate His character in our own lives. In fact that’s how Paul began this whole section of this letter. We exalt and worship Christ because among other things He demonstrated tremendous humility for our sake. And the key to show that we’re really understanding that humility is when we begin to make it a regular part of our own character. What steps can we take to begin growing in holiness?
Identify those issues of character and holiness that God has revealed to you. God will put you in situations where you can demonstrate such character. Failing to do so is an indication that it’s an area you need to grow and develop in.
Also God through the Spirit will reveal these areas of your life as you consistently read through scripture. Get involved with a small group of people with whom you can talk about your growth issues.

Keep in mind that God is bringing out these character issues so that you can move past them for His glory and your own good. He has given us the Spirit so that He can empower us to put off old, ungodly and unfruitful ways and put on new, godly, fruitful ones.

Grow in our witness of God. The first step toward growing in our witness to have a firm grip and grasp on the gospel. For those who need a refresher please check out the message entitled ‘The gospel, The whole gospel and nothing but the gospel’.
Pray for the Spirit’s power to enable you to witness. Understand the importance a lifestyle of proactive holiness plays in our witness. Read through scripture to become more and more familiar with the gospel. Pray for those engaged in proclaiming the gospel.
Pray about setting aside two to three hours per week to devote in cultivating relationships with those who don’t know the Lord. Accept and embrace that it is the Lord’s express will and intention to spread His gospel through the witness of His people.

Finally, remember that God is at work in all of us to do what is pleasing to Him. Thus from God’s point of view salvation isn’t just about fire insurance either. And we know that worship, holiness and witness are the things that please God because that’s what Jesus spent His life and ministry doing.

Questions For Reflection:

In what ways do you want to grow in your worship of God during the next year? What aspects of God’s character do you wish to learn more about?

What aspects of Christ-like character do you want to grow and mature in within the next year?

Do you have a clear understanding of the gospel? How can you adjust your schedule so that you’ll have some time to spend with unbelievers?