Salvation Summaries

OVERVIEW OF BOOK

The book of Philippians was written by Paul (with Timothy) to believers in Philippi, and it is mostly about joy.  Paul has joy because of them, he has joy in Christ despite being imprisoned, and he wants them to have joy (in fact, he urges them to rejoice).  In this book, Paul uses the words “joy” and “rejoice” at least 15 times.

To help these Philippian believers have more joy, Paul tells them to:

• grow in their love for others (1:9)
• have unity (in spirit, mind and purpose; 1:27-2:2)
• be humble and obedient like Jesus was in order to “will and to work” for God’s good pleasure (2:3-2:13)
• no be anxious (4:6)
• always pray and be thankful (4:6)
• dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and excellent (4:8), and
• put into practice what they have learned, received, heard and seen in Paul (4:9).

If you are a Christian, having more joy in your life is possible, and it’s not only possible, it’s expected.  But if you’re not a believer, happiness may come your way, though true joy is unlikely to be found.

SALVATION VERSES

Philippians has one important salvation-related verse in Philippians 2:12.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, 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,

Philippians 2:12 says “work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”  Does this mean that works, or deeds, are required for a person to become saved?  Does it also mean that salvation is a long-term process?  

On the surface, this verse seems to suggest that salvation is by works – or trying to do something good – and that you should be afraid of losing it if you don’t do enough works.  Thus, according to this interpretation, salvation is not something God does, it’s something you do; it’s not by faith alone, but also requires effort on your part to do good things; it is not a one time event, but a life long process; and it is not assured, for it can be lost at any time.  However, from reading other verses in chapters 1 and 2, we see that this interpretation is incorrect. I’ll provide several reasons to support this view.

The first point I want to make is this: it is very important to note that the Philippians who received Paul’s letter are not in process of achieving salvation; they are already saved.   We know this from the following verses:

• Saints – Paul refers to them as “saints” in 1:1.  As I’ve mentioned before, “saint” is another term for Christian.

• Belief – In 1:29, Paul says “For to you it has  been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake…”    These Philippians believe in Christ, and we know from John 3:16 that those who truly believe in Christ will receive eternal life.

• Citizenship – In 3:20, Paul tells them this: “For our citizenship is in heaven…” Now that they are saved, they are to focus on heavenly things, not earthly things; they are not to be of this world, for they are citizens of heaven.

• Righteous – In 1:11, Paul refers to them has “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.”  By faith, these believers have been made right with God and thus declared to be righteous. Non-Christians are not righteous.

• Faith – in 2:17, Paul states that they have faith; only Christians have faith, non-Christians do not.

• Possess – In the first part of chapter two, Paul tells them to have unity among themselves and to love each other. Why?  As Christians, they already have encouragement from belonging to Christ, they already have comfort from His love and they already have fellowship in the Spirit.

• Rejoice in the Lord – Paul tells these believers to “rejoice in the Lord” (3:1, 2:18).  Only a believer, or Christian, can rejoice “in the Lord.”

• Circumcision of the heart – Paul also tells them that they are the true circumcision who worship in the Spirit of God. This circumcision is of the heart, not the flesh, and is only found in Christians.

• God’s Work – And most importantly, in 1:6, Paul tells the Philippian  believers this: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”   What is the “good work” that God began in them?  Salvation.

If these Philippians believers are already saved, do they need to perform certain works in order to become saved? No.

Second, if the salvation of the Philippian people was not a reward for works they had performed, then how were they saved?  God saved them.

• We see this from verse 1:6 above (“He who began a good work in you”).
• In addition, we see this from 3:5-9, where Paul clearly says that if anyone is qualified to be saved it is he (circumcised on 8th day, from nation of Israel and tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, blameless in conforming  to the law).  But Paul goes on to say that a person is not saved, or made right with God in that way. Rather, a person becomes right with God only by having faith in Jesus, or by knowing Jesus and being found in Him.

As a result, we know from these verses that God does the saving; He is the one who does a “good work” in a person.  There is no “work” a person must perform in order to be saved, though it is true that a person must have faith in Christ in order to be saved.

Third, now that we know that God saved them, and not by any works that  they had performed but because of God’s good work in them, what must these Philippians do in order to keep (or not lose) their salvation?  Nothing.

• God is the one who saved them, and He is the one who will keep them saved.   This is clear from the last part of 1:6 (“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus).  God, who began a good work in them (or saved them) will perfect it until Christ returns (He will keep them saved until then).

So, what can we conclude from the above verses?

• God saved these Philippian believers by performing a good work in them.
• God will keep them saved until Christ returns.
• The Philippians did not need to perform works to become saved (they were already saved, by faith alone)
• The Philippians do not need to keep performing good works in order to remain saved.
• The only requirement they needed to meet in order to be saved was to have faith in Jesus, which is not a work.

If all of this is true, then what does “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” mean?  Before I tell you the answer, let me give you a few hints.

The first hint is this: What was Paul telling these Philippian believers to do in the verses prior to 2:12 (2:1-5)?  He wanted them to have unity, and to be humble like Christ. How was Christ humble?  He was obedient (to the point of death).  Christ submitted Himself entirely to God the Father in order to do the Father’s will, not His own.

The second hint is this: In 2:12, what did Paul say they had done thus far?  Obeyed.

The third hint is this: In 2:12, what did Paul want them to keep doing?  Obeying.

The final hint is this: Who was doing the working in the Philippians according to 2:13 – was it themselves, or God?  Answer: God.

So, based upon the above hints, I think you already know the answer to the meaning of 2:12-13, but I’ll go ahead and mention it here.  “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” means to be obedient to God, with reverence and awe of Him, for He is the One who is working in you, both to have a desire to do His will, and the power to do His will, and not for personal accomplishments, but for God’s good pleasure.  I think the New Living Translation of this verse does a great job of capturing the true meaning of it.

Philippians 2:12-13 12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. (NLT)

Furthermore, we find a similar verse in Colossians:

Colossians 2:6-7 6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.