Work Out Our Salvation & Shine Like Stars

Jesus is Lord, and He calls us to live as citizens of heaven, to live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. In the passage 1:27-2:18, Paul explains how we live as kingdom citizens. We stand firm in the Spirit and in one spirit. We contend for the gospel in unity, side by side. We are fearless in the face of opposition. We believe in Christ and suffer for him (1:27-30). We unite in love and humble service to others. We are others-concerned. We love, honor, and respect others above ourselves and we look out first for their interests. We set our minds on Christ, and we have the same mind as Christ. We follow Jesus’ example who humiliated himself, was obedient to death, and gave himself for others, for us. God super exalted Him. Jesus Christ is Lord. (2:1-11) And now we come to Paul’s next instruction on how we live as kingdom citizens. Because Jesus Christ is Lord we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling so that we can be the light of the world. We must contend for our faith, our souls, our spiritual growth in Christ, for the gospel of Christ, and his kingdom. 

Philippians 2:12-18 — Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But even if I am poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. In the same way you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

1. Work Out Our Salvation

Work out your salvation — We cannot earn our salvation through our own actions and works. We cannot save ourselves. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ. He achieved our salvation and gives us new life. Our salvation is God’s gift because of his great love and the incomparable riches and blessings of his grace (Eph 2:4-10). We receive this through faith. But what do we do with our salvation? How do we live this new life we have received? To work out our salvation is to figure out what it means that Jesus Chris is now Lord of my life, all of my life, and then to live accordingly. We have been made holy in Christ. Now we must be holy and live holy. We must grow, become fully mature, perfect in Christ. We work out our salvation by applying our salvation to our daily lives, by living the new kingdom life in obedience to our Lord.

2. God Works in Us

God works in us. Because of his great love for us, He saved us by grace. He made us alive and raised us up with Christ. We are his handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:4-10). He gave us this new life. What are we going to do with it? Knowing what God did for us, knowing how Jesus gave himself and suffered for us, should fill us with the fear of the Lord. It should fill us with awe, reverence, worship, praise, and gratitude. We are alive. We have this new, eternal life. We are children of God. This compels us, motivates us, drives us to do our utmost best to live this new life for his glory. That’s why we make every effort to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, to live as children of God. 

But that is not all. Jesus Christ the Lord lives in us through the Holy Spirit. He is always with us, in us, and working in us. Therefore, we live in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31) and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We do everything out of reverence for the Lord and his glory. 

God works in us to will and to work for his good pleasure — How can we work out our salvation? God in his all-knowing wisdom knew that we cannot do this on our own. In his amazing grace, He fills us with his Holy Spirit and enables us to do this. When we submit to the rule of Jesus Christ as Lord, when we live by the Spirit, He rules, has full control of our minds, hearts, wills, spirit, hands, and feet. The Holy Spirit cultivates the heart and mind of Christ in us. He changes our will, so that we desire, want to live the kingdom life. He empowers and equips us to actually do it. God’s grace is with us, works in us, and is not without effect (1 Cor 15:9-11). He equips us with everything good for doing his good, pleasing and perfect will. He works in us what is pleasing to him (Heb 13:21). That is why we offer our lives, including our bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is our true and proper worship (Rom 12:1-2). This is how we, empowered by the Spirit, work out our salvation. 

3. Contend Not Content

Therefore, we contend for our faith, our spiritual growth in Christ, our souls, the gospel of Christ, and his kingdom. We can never be content and complacent. No one is perfect yet in Christ. We are all growing and in the process of being perfected. No one has arrived yet. As Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14 — Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We are on a journey. We are running a race. We are involved in a battle — a battle within us where our old self fights against our new self in Christ (Rom 7-8). We struggle against sin (Heb 12:4). We are involved in a battle against the kingdom of darkness and evil. In this life and world, Satan is walking around like a prowling lion looking to destroy us. 

Therefore, we must contend to work out our salvation, and not be content. We are called to action. Look at all the actions we must do to contend for our faith and work out our salvation in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, 7-16 — Train yourself to be godly, devote yourself, be diligent, give yourself wholly. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. There are many other Bible texts talking about contending for our souls — guard your heart, press on, run the race, flee from, pursue, fight the good fight, throw off, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, be strong in the Lord. But we cannot contend on our own. We cannot run this race or fight this battle in our own power. We must put on the full armor of God through prayer. We must be strong in the Lord. We must walk in step with the Spirit.

4. Take A Hold and Hold On

We work out our salvation by holding firmly to the word of life. Jesus Christ is the Word of Life. We take a hold of Him when we believe in Him. We hold firmly on to Him by abiding in Him every day. He gives us life and enables us to live this new life. Therefore, we run this race with perseverance, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:1-2).

The Bible is the Word of God that gives life. We take a hold of it when we believe this is the Word of God and accept its authority for our lives. We hold firmly to it when we are rooted in the Bible, meditate on, study, read, memorize, and teach the Word. God’s Word is powerful and it changes, transforms us, empowers, and guides us. This is our manual for the kingdom living. We hold on to the word of life when we obey Jesus Christ our Lord and his Word, when we put into practice his words and obey the will of our Father. We have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ ... (1 Pet 1:2). We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).

Illustration — gospel explanation—man in boat on river speeding out of control to high waterfall—Jesus on shore throws lifeline. To be saved from certain death—Take a hold and hold on for dear life. 

5. Do Not Grumble and Argue

We work out our salvation by doing everything without grumbling and arguing. Grumbling displeases the Lord. Arguing destroys unity. Both are rebellion against God. It implies that we do not trust Him. It indicates an unwilling spirit, a spirit of insubordination and dissatisfaction. When we grumble against one another, against our leaders, about the works of service, the ministries, we are called to do, and when we argue with one another — there is no unity and love. When we grumble and argue we are self-centered, not others-centered. We are discontent; discontent with our circumstances, with what we have, and what is happening to us. Think — What are we grumbling and arguing about? Is it really worth it? It does not help. In only creates more anxiety. Instead, we should always rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances. It will do us good to read the stories of Israel’s grumbling and disputes in Exodus and Numbers and take notice of God’s response to these. 

6. Work Out Our Salvation Together With Others

We work out our salvation together with others. We are not in this alone. We cannot do this alone. We need each other. The one and the same God works in all of us. He gave gifts to each one of us. We use these gifts to build up the body of Christ, to help one another to work out our salvation and to serve others. “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Pet 4:7-10).

And so, like Paul we run and labor in self-giving, sacrificial ministry to help others work out their salvation. We proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature (perfect) in Christ. To this end we strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in us (Col 1:28-29). So that on the day of Christ, like Paul, we will be proud that we have not run and labored in vain, and that we will stand before his throne together.

And even if we are poured out like drink offerings, if we suffer, are persecuted, and killed because of the sacrifices of our faith, lives, and ministry for our Lord and to others, we will be glad and rejoice with one another. Because that also will serve the advance of the gospel, the kingdom, and His glory. 

Illustration — We are on a journey—uphill, downhill, level, fighting through bushes, sometimes lost on by-roads, take detours — strive, persevere, hold on firmly, don’t give up, help one another along the way, rejoice in all circumstances & places.

7. Shine Like Stars in the World

We work out our salvation so that we will be blameless and pure, children of God, perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48). Then we shine like stars in the world, like stars in the dark night sky. We are living in a dark and evil world. We are living in the midst of an ungodly generation. They are deceived and led astray. They are living in darkness without hope. But Jesus is the Light of the world and His light shines in this world through us. We are the light of the world. “Once we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light” (Eph 5:8). “We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Therefore, we are to live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse us of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Pet 2:9-12).

Let us all together as brothers and sisters in Christ make every effort to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, holding firmly to the word of life, without grumbling and arguing, always rejoicing, so that we live as citizens of heaven and shine like stars in this world, all for the glory of our Lord.