Bloodwork
October 11, 2023 at 2:52 pm | Posted in Ephesians | 2 CommentsTags: blood of Christ, commentary on Ephesians, drawing near to God, Ephesians 2, good works, Jews and gentiles, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
The good works mentioned in Ephesians 2:10 refer to the works described in Chapters 4–6. Ephesians up to Chapter 2, Verse 11 deals with individual believers, but, starting in 2:11, there is an emphasis on believers being part of a body.
Gentiles should not feel inferior to Jewish believers because of the preferred position of the Jews in times past as God’s chosen people, but neither should they feel arrogant because, under the New Testament, the gentiles have become the majority of Christians. The spiritual distinction between the groups has been dissolved in Christ.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13
Among the many amazing accomplishments of the shed blood of Christ, it allows all who believe to approach God, and, really, more than merely allow it – it actually does the work of bringing us near.
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life-gate that all may go in
Fanny Crosby, “To God Be the Glory”
His blood not only allows His people to enter in to eternal life, it BRINGS them in.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Ephesians 2:14
Jesus has slain the enmity between Jews and gentiles, AND the enmity between God and men. Jesus IS our peace, and He makes peace.
A Different Kind of Gravedigger
October 9, 2023 at 12:20 pm | Posted in Ephesians | 1 CommentTags: commentary on Ephesians, Ephesians 2, rescued by Jesus, spiritual Life, spiritually dead, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians, total depravity
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to save a lost sinner He finds him buried under several layers from which he must be rescued.
First, he is spiritually dead.
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephesians 2:1
On top of this spiritual death is a layer of trespasses – acts of deliberate evil which we have all committed. Over our trespasses we also lay beneath a pile of “regular” sins, deeds which which weren’t accompanied by the intentional malice we think of when using the word “evil,” but were incidentally evil nonetheless.
Above our sins and trespasses was the layer of the worldly system and its worldly influence on us.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:2
Further covering us were the lusts of the flesh, corrupting our feelings, and the lusts of the mind, perverting our thoughts. By nature we were at enmity with God and we were the objects of His wrath. Finally, on top of all these layers, covering our spiritual grave and pressing down upon us in the depths of our depravity, was the peer pressure to conform to those around us.
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 2:3
HOWEVER, for those who have trusted Christ unto salvation, we recognize that the richness of Jesus’s grace and the richness of His mercy made Him dive down so deep through so many layers to “quicken” us – to make us alive and to raise us up to the loftiest and most sublime exaltation.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; ) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:4-6
God’s Purposes and Our Obligations
September 25, 2023 at 12:39 pm | Posted in Ephesians | 5 CommentsTags: Biblical walking, commentary on Ephesians, Ephesians 1, Ephesians 2, Ephesians 4, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 1:6
God’s gracious purpose in calling us obligates us to walk worthy of that calling:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Ephesians 4:1
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:5-7
God’s purpose in raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life obligates us to put away our former way of life, and to walk in purity:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Ephesians 4:22-25
What Is the Gift of God?
December 19, 2022 at 3:40 pm | Posted in Ephesians | 8 CommentsTags: commentary on Ephesians, Ephesians 2, faith, gift of faith, gift of salvation, grace, Salvation, saved by grace, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians
God, in saving His people, has done the following:
1. He loved us.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Ephesians 2:4
His mercy and grace save us, but His mercy and grace flow from His intrinsic love.
2. He resurrected us.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:5
3. He shares His glory with us.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:6
4. He secures us.
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:7-8
There are different views as to what is being described in Ephesians 2:8 as being “not of ourselves,” and the “it” which is the gift of God. Some people believe it refers to the grace, although this seems redundant. Obviously, grace is not of ourselves; by definition it is a gift (although, to be fair, redundancy is sometimes use by the Holy Spirit for emphasis in the Bible).
A second view is that the “it” which is not of ourselves refers to the faith through which we are saved. This would mean that faith is a gift from God, which fits well with Ephesians Chapter One, where we were told that we were chosen by God, and with the beginning of Chapter 2, which tells us that we were spiritually dead, intimating that we had no faith of our own to bring to the equation. One possible problem with these views is that both grace and faith in this verse are in the feminine noun form in their original Greek, and “it” is in the neuter, which would mean that, grammatically, it is less likely that this verse on its own supports the idea that faith is the gift of God, although many other verses in the Bible strongly indicate that it is.
The best view seems to be that the “it” refers neither specifically to grace nor faith in this verse, but to the whole act of salvation. The “are ye saved” – the fact that you are saved – is the gift of God. That fits just as well with the whole theme of the epistle up to this point, and the next verse has to be read in conjunction with Verse 8 because it is part of the same thought:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:9
If you believe that faith is the gift of God, then obviously you don’t believe that faith is a “work.” However, even if you believe that faith is not the intended focus of the gift language, then you can still believe that faith is not a work. Faith – being belief in Holy Spirit-revealed truth about Jesus – is in a different category from baptism, communion, joining a church, doing good deeds, etc., and the concept of refuting works as playing any part in salvation segues nicely into Verse 10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Remember, the “we” is all Christians, and we are HIS workmanship. Ephesians is relentlessly God-centered, and our connection to God is never severed from “in Christ Jesus.” The word translated as “workmanship” is poiema, from which we get the English word “poem.” God’s salvation of us is a manufactured product that is meant to “work” (and to be read). We are CREATED – made to exist by someone else – not by ourselves. Works do not save, but God-glorifying works are the result of salvation and are produced by the Word and the Spirit, and, at times, by chastening and even suffering as they are transformed by Resurrection power.
Safe and Secure: False Professors Can’t Lose What They Never Had
October 27, 2022 at 3:40 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: Ephesians 2, eternal security, eternal security of the believer, John 6, Matthew 7, once saved always saved, perseverance of the saints
Those who oppose the teaching of the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer will sometimes cite the alleged danger it poses for those who have a wrong understanding of it. Some people, they say, will take the doctrine of the security of salvation as a license for iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23 is used as a prooftext for why we should not tell people that, once God saves them, they are eternally secure.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
Most Bible commentators and scholars take it for granted that the people saying, “Lord, Lord,” in that verse are being sincere in their profession, and that they actually consider themselves to be under the Lordship of Jesus, but, to me, this is not so obvious. Admittedly, the repetition of the title “Lord” MAY be an indicator of sincerity (the repetition of a name in Scripture is a rare motif, but it is a motif nonetheless), but the saying of a thing does not make the thing true, nor does the saying of a thing necessarily mean that the person saying it actually BELIEVES it is true. “Saith” does not automatically mean “believeth.” The person who denies the doctrine of eternal security wants to say that these people at one point said, “Lord, Lord,” and really meant it, but that at a later point they didn’t actually do the will of the Father, so they lost the salvation previously granted to them. However, this is not borne out by the logic of the text.
Consider the will of the Father concerning salvation:
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:28-29
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Matthew 7:22
Did they really do these things? Did they really cast out devils? Did they really do many wonderful works in Jesus’s name? Again, the majority report among commentators and scholars is that they did, but it is possible that they did not. After all, Jesus will go on to call them workers of iniquity. Lying to Jesus’s face is not a smart move, but we can’t discount that they might very well have been doing just that. And, as we have already seen, making a claim does not make the claim true. Nevertheless, for purposes of this discussion, let’s assume they did really do those works. The conclusion now would be not that they lost the salvation granted to them by God, but that they were never really saved at all. The summation of their argument is that they did many wonderful works. But we are not saved by works.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
This is both very clear and very insightful. It tells us the truth about works and something of the “why” salvation can’t be by works, while immediately dismissing the common claim from those who oppose eternal security when they say that, if you do believe in eternal security, then you must believe that works “don’t matter:”
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
The grace of salvation is an applied and living grace. It does not stamp you like a ticket for Heaven and then go away. It stays active in your life, motivating, equipping, and carrying out the good works God already planned for His children to accomplish in a way that glorifies Him.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:23
Here we see the key to understanding how the existence of false professors doesn’t disprove the doctrine of eternal security. These people professed to know Jesus, but HE didn’t know THEM in a saving way. Salvation means that God knows you, gives you to the Son, and that the Son will not and can not lose you. It is only to those who were never His that He says, “Depart.”
Bible teachers usually emphasize the iniquity or the lawlessness of these false professors, but we must not miss another key emphasis, which is on what they did to merit the designation of iniquitous and lawless: they “worked,” rather than truly believed. They tried to “work” for a salvation that could never be earned, and so at the end they hear the truth spelled out: not that Jesus failed them, but that they never really fully trusted Him.
From Dark Death to Living Light
October 10, 2019 at 4:21 pm | Posted in John | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical seeds, commentary on John, Ephesians 2, Exodus 20, good deeds, Jesus Christ, John 12, John 3, seeds, Sunday School lessons on John
Jesus, having learned of a contingent of gentiles who wanted an audience with Him as He made His way to Jerusalem with His followers and those waving palm branches, began to explain that His death would be the necessary fulfillment of all that He came to do.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
John 12:24
A kernel of wheat – a seed – must be buried away, in the dark, alone, in order to fulfill its purpose, and in its “death” it brings forth not only new life, but “much fruit.” This is a key New Testament theme, present in the Old Testament, but now revealed in a greater light. In order to bring forth fruit to the glory of God, followers of Jesus must die to self, both at the moment of salvation, and in ongoing service throughout our lives.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
John 12:25
It’s not that we hate life itself; it’s that we hate the life that our flesh considers “ours.” We receive a new kind of life – eternal life, “God life” – that is directed unto the service and glorification of God, and the service of others, not self-service. This way, people will recognize God’s greatness and goodness in deeds that He inspires and empowers us to do. This hearkens all the way back to John 3.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:19-21, emphasis added
It also foreshadows Ephesians 2’s great statement spelling out the distinction between working BECAUSE OF salvation, rather than working FOR salvation.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
John 12:27
This sounds similar to the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “If it be possible let this cup pass from Me, but nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done.”
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
John 12:28 (emphasis added)
“Father, glorify Thy name.” This should be our prayer in even our most extreme trials.
God had already glorified His own name through Christ, primarily through His miracles, and, secondarily, through Christ’s perfect obedience and consistent attribution of His own actions and words as being the same as God’s actions and words. “I will glorify it again” points directly to the Cross.
The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
John 12:29-30
The people did not have ears to hear God’s voice. It sounded like thunder, reminiscent of God’s revelation at Mt. Sinai:
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exodus 20:18-19
This was also a fulfillment of several prophecies throughout Isaiah about God increasing the inability of people who would reject His servant to hear or understand His Words and His teachings, which prompted the Holy Spirit to cause John to close out Chapter 12 with a theological treatise on the cause of the people’s unbelieving response to three-plus years of Jesus’s hands-on in-person ministry, miracles, and manifestation among them:
But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
John 12:37, emphasis added
Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
John 12:44, emphasis added
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
John 12:46, emphasis added
The But Chapter: Immaturity and Independence
November 9, 2018 at 1:10 pm | Posted in Luke | 7 CommentsTags: child-like faith, childish, Christian maturity, commentary on Luke, dependence, dependence on God, Ephesians 2, Luke 9, maturity, Sunday School lessons on Luke
In the last lesson we looked at Luke Chapter 9 and considered the “buts” of incomprehension, indecision, and ignorance. Now we will see:
4. The But of Immaturity
But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
Luke 9:46
Rather than marveling at the greatness of their Master’s mission, the Disciples were asking what a distressing number of us often find ourselves asking: What’s in it for me? Instead of looking back at what God has done, and looking forward to what He will do, or looking up to Him, we’re looking around – and not to find a need to serve – but to compare ourselves to those around us. “Why can’t I have what he has?” “How do I measure up to her?” “I attend Sunday School AND I have family devotions – the Lord MUST like me more than so-and-so…”
Jesus responded by calling a child into their midst.
And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,
Luke 9:47
Notice that the children were right there with the grown-ups when Jesus was teaching. He didn’t have to send someone to fetch a child from children’s church. The point of summoning this child was not to illustrate CHILDISHNESS. That was the Disciples’ problem: they wanted to follow Jesus, BUT they were exhibiting the “But of Immaturity.” “I’m greater than you.” “No, Jesus likes me more than you.” The child that Jesus took from the crowd wasn’t CHILDISH – He was CHILD-LIKE.
And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
Luke 9:48
This child was child-like in the sense of being un-self-conscious. One of the paradoxes of the Kingdom of Christ is that child-likeness is a sign of maturity – because it seeks to please others, not self. Childishness is a sign of immaturity because it looks out for number one.
5. The But of Independence
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Luke 9:57
Note the play on the word “certain.” Here it means that a particular man is being referenced, but we also use the word “certain” to describe someone who is absolutely sure about something. This man was certainly gung ho about following Jesus. He didn’t just say, “I’ll go where You go.” He said “WHITHERSOEVER thou goest.” That’s the kind of followers Jesus wants, right? Hold on a second.
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luke 9:58
Jesus did not respond with, “Ha! I gotcha now – you made a commitment and that’s all we’re looking for. You’re on the right team now – just do what you can. Serve when you feel like it, and get your bucket ready. My Father’s going to pour out blessings so that you won’t be able to receive them all.” No, instead, Jesus told Him to count the cost – to make a sober assessment of his commitment to follow Christ. Following Jesus means following in discomfort as well as comfort. Jesus never preached a gimmicky gospel. He would have never raised enough funds to keep His TBN show on the air. He never promised a bed of roses as much as a crown of thorns.
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luke 9:59 (emphasis added)
Notice the command: “Follow Me.” This man wanted to go, but he still wanted some independence. He wanted to go in HIS time.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:60
Christians preach to dead people – spiritually dead, not physically dead, people.
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:1-5
Christians are not “independent.” We were and are completely dependent upon God for everything good we’ve ever known.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Luke 9:61 (emphasis added)
The But of Independence puts conditions on our service to Christ. We think that we will decide what’s important for ourselves, then serve within that framework, but Jesus says:
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62
The Lord can’t use you if you’re always looking back at your “but.” Jesus sets the priorities and the agenda. We depend upon Him to let us know where to work, what to wear, what our schedule is, who our friends are. You can’t play follow the leader if you’re looking back, and you can’t keep up if your “but” is too big.
“Saved” as a Term of Art
August 1, 2018 at 2:21 pm | Posted in Salvation | 9 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 1, Acts 16, Acts 2, Acts 4, Ephesians 2, John 3, Luke 13, Mark 10, Romans 10, Titus 3
“Saved” has, for the last several decades, been the common Baptist and evangelical term for someone who has believed the Gospel and trusted Christ to forgive his/her sins, and called upon Him to give him/her eternal life. Because it has the “ed” on the end, it sounds better grammatically as a past-tense word: “Have you BEEN saved?” But it is has become so common that we see it frequently used to describe a present-tense condition: “ARE you saved?” It can be synonymous with the terms: “born again;” “redeemed;” “converted;” “Christian;” “regenerated;” and “believer.” And, while one of its faults may lie in the fact that Christians who use it commonly can forget that non-Christians don’t really know what we mean when we use it, it IS a Bible term:
And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mark 10:26
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Luke 13:23
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:17
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:21
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:47
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:31
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:9
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it unto us which is the power of God.
I Corinthians 1:18
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:8
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus 3:5
…. and many, many other verses. It is not very likely that someone these days will come up to you out of the blue and ask if you are saved, but, if someone does, AND IF YOU IN FACT ARE, then you should treasure that opportunity to affirm the great undeserved gift that Christ has given you in rescuing you from paying the price for your sins for all eternity.
The Family of Faith
February 9, 2017 at 4:08 pm | Posted in Ephesians, The Family of Faith | 14 CommentsTags: 1 Timothy 5, church family, church membership, church ministry, Ephesians 2, family obligations, Galatians 6, household of faith, household of God, the local church
Christians should be well aware that they are supposed to love their neighbors as themselves. So, when we see someone hurting or someone with a need, we are to fight our “natural” instinct to look out for number one, and instead make a genuine effort to help the other person (our “neighbor“) even if it means sacrificing our own comfort.
However, it is also true that, in a world where suffering and neediness is so plentiful, we are allowed and encouraged to place a special emphasis and attention on the needs of our family.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Your “household” is your family and those who live under your roof. The “household of faith” refers to those who are related to you as brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the fellow members of the local church to which you belong. We have a relationship of shared faith in Christ. We are to be on the lookout for opportunities to minister to Him by serving those who have like faith and are ministering alongside us.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Ephesians 2:19
Not only are we of the same “household” as part of a church family, but we are members of God’s household, having been brought into His family by both “birth” (the second birth of regeneration) and adoption. We willingly and lovingly minister to “strangers” (those who seem alien to us in our everyday experience of life) and to “foreigners” (those we may commonly encounter, but who do not seem to “belong” to the family of faith). We are like ambassadors: hailing from another country (citizens of Heaven), but also representing a benevolent and generous King, Who would have us accurately represent Him in this temporary, and sometimes hostile, world.
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
I Timothy 5:8
Finally, while we are to care for outsiders, and focus on the needs of our spiritual family members, we must not forget our blood relations. Parents must not use “church ministry” as an excuse for neglecting their children. Children must honor and respect their parents even when they perceive that the parents are lacking in spiritual maturity. Families must care for, and attend to, their elderly family members.
In every sense, the “household of God” is truly a “family of faith.”
Here are the the previous posts in this series:
1. Especially the Family (Galatians 6:10)
2. Becoming Part of the Family
3. Family Responsibilities (Galatians 6:10)
4. Family Privileges (Ephesians 2:12, 19)
5. The Privilege of Patriotism
6. The Privilege of Participation
7. The Privilege of Protection
8. The Privilege of Provision (Philippians 4:19)
9. Beware Familial Fidelity (Nehemiah 5:5)
The Deep End 
Working It Out Together
April 11, 2024 at 3:57 pm | Posted in Philippians | Leave a commentTags: commentary on Philippians, Ephesians 2, fear and trembling, Galatians 2, Philippians 1, Philippians 2, Romans 4, sanctification, Sunday School lessons on Philippians
Previously we looked at the Kenosis in the Christ-hymn which is inserted during the discussion about togetherness in the Gospel and in Christian ministry. This togetherness can be hindered by selfishness and pride. The antidote for selfishness and pride is humility.
Philippians 2:3-5
This was the lead-in to talking about Jesus’s Kenosis, so the purpose of inserting it there was to show Jesus as the ultimate example of humility and the God-given exaltation and glorification which follows true humility.
But this leaves us with a problem. The Apostle says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” That sounds like a great plan – UNTIL we actually try to put it into practice. Who can really think like Jesus, much less act Jesus? Well, in the very next verse, we see that it is going to take serious work:
Philippians 2:12
What does it mean to work out our own salvation? Let’s start by stating what it CAN NOT mean:
Romans 4:5
If there is one thing we know from Pauline theology – and, more to the point, from Christian, Biblical salvation doctrine – it’s that we can not save ourselves by our works. Therefore, Philippians 2:12 must be talking about some other type of works: non-meritorious works, works that are coming FROM something that is already there, not works that are earning something or creating something that comes from within the worker. This means that, although the idea of works being commanded in connection with the word “salvation” in the same verse sort of jumps off the page, and may seem like a head-scratcher at first glance, it is not really that uncommon for the ideas to be related in the way that they are here.
Compare:
Ephesians 2:8-9
This is very clear, and sounds and seems right, once we have grasped the concept of salvation by grace through faith, but, almost as if responding the objection that a gracious, faith-based salvation means that “it doesn’t matter” what we actually do, the very next verse tells us where “works” do fit in:
Ephesians 2:10
Now we can see that the “good works” are in a separate category. We are not saved BY good works, but we are saved unto good works, and in most cases it’s easy to differentiate between salvation/regeneration/justification and another doctrine called “sanctification.”
Philippians 2:12 (emphasis added)
Obedience sounds like sanctification language, but let’s acknowledge that it does say “salvation,” not “sanctification…” and THEN let’s acknowledge that sanctification has two facets two it: Positional sanctification and practical or progressive sanctification. Positional sanctification happens instantaneously at the moment of justification and new birth. In that instant a new Christian is “set apart” – his classification as a “saint” is a fait accompli. He now belongs to God as a child and a servant, with a calling and a classification. And the “He” Who began this work of salvation is the One Who will complete it through sanctification:
Philippians 1:6
The positional sanctification will result in the PERFORMANCE of practical sanctification, and this is what we might consider a part of the “big picture” of salvation. Although true Christians “have been” saved, we are still “being saved” in the sense that God is still making us into something we were not before. When we trust Christ unto salvation we are instantly saved from the penalty of sin, but we are beginning the process of being progressively saved from the power of sin, and this means work for us – not meritorious work (working for) but motivational work (working out).
Think of it the way we think of math problems. 6246 ÷ 347 = 18. This is a math problem I “worked out.” Did my calculations make it true? Did they make it happen? No, they demonstrated what was already a reality. But does this mean that I played no part in it? No, I needed to think, and scratch and scribble, and use an eraser and start over. This was part of the solution to the math equation for me personally, and hopefully I made progress in getting better at division, but the ultimate reality behind the numbers is something that came from somewhere else – some greater power. Which is why Paul could barely get out the idea of working out our salvation before he hastened to add:
Philippians 2:13
Our “workout” is empowered by God’s work, so that even if we classify sanctification (and our cooperative effort) as part of salvation, God still receives the glory for all of it.
Galatians 2:20