God Is Working In You

Philippians 2:13 ESV for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Asher, and it is an honour, a tremendous privilege for me, that Sam and Constance have invited me to speak at their wedding. They have asked me to speak on this verse, Philippians 2:13, which you can find on your invites: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for his good pleasure.” (ESV)

When I asked Sam why he had chosen that verse, he told me, “I don’t know; I just felt led to choose it.” But, knowing Sam, and having been on a journey with him, I think that he does know why he chose that verse, and I think that I have a pretty good idea about what he had in mind. So, with that, let me share a few words of encouragement from this verse.

I really dislike chapter and verse divisions in the Bible, which were not present in the original texts of Scripture, but were added later on. The problem with chapter and verse divisions is that they tend to blind the reader to the context of a given verse. The danger is that the reader might take the verse completely out of its context, interpret the text to say something that the author never intended to convey, and miss the point of the passage completely. That is the danger which we face here with this verse if we are not careful to consider it in its context.

Philippians 2:13 starts with the word “for”, which means “because”; it is giving a reason for what came before. So, what came before? Let us look at the previous verse: “Therefore, my beloved ones, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence...” That is the dream of every parent, isn’t it, parents? You want your children to be obedient to you in your presence, but you also wish that they would be obedient even in your absence.

Likewise, in this passage, the Apostle Paul talks about obedience. Obedience to whom? Well, in context, obedience to God, but we will come to that in a while. The Philippian Christians were obedient when Paul was around with them. Now, he wants them to be obedient, even more so in his absence. Look at how Paul describes this obedience in other words: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Now, what this does not mean is, “Work for your salvation.” The rest of the Bible tells us that. You cannot read the letters of Paul to the Romans and the Galatians and conclude that we obtain salvation by working for it. Rather, the Greek word for “work out” here, katergazomai, presupposes that you already have salvation. So what Paul is saying here is: Live out that salvation which you already have!

So, when we read verse 12 in its entirety, we find that what Paul meant by “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” is simply this: “Just as you have always obeyed God when I was with you, continue obeying God even now than I am gone—and even more so!”

At this point, some of you are saying in yourselves: “But that is impossible! It is impossible for me, an imperfect human being, to live in obedience to God!” I think Paul anticipated that kind of response from the Philippian Christians, and I think that is why, after he writes, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” he goes on to write, “because it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.”

{At this point, I insert this post: God Works Supernaturally Naturally.}

So, what is “his good pleasure”? Let us make it more personal: What is God’s “good pleasure” for your life? Sam and Constance, what is God’s “good pleasure” for your marriage? Well, the Bible gives us a pretty good idea of that. Ephesians 5:22–23 says: “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.” Husbands, you are not let off; verse 25 says: “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”

However, in the context of this passage, I think the Paul had something more specific in mind. Take a look at verses 3–4: “Let nothing be done in selfishness or empty glory, but with humble-mindedness, let each consider others more important than themselves. Let each not look to their own interests only, but also to the interests of others.” In other words, humble-mindedness involves laying down one’s interests for the sake of others.

That sounds a lot like what is involved in marriage, don’t you think? Laying down your own interest for the sake of the other. Now, is that always easy? Of course not. Maybe you are thinking: “Oh look at this little boy! What does he know about marriage? He’s not married; he doesn’t even have a girlfriend (hint, hint)!” Fine, I don’t know, so let me ask all the married people here: Is marriage always easy? No, of course not!

So, look at what Paul does next. He sets forth the ultimate example of humble-mindedness: Jesus Christ himself. Verse 5: “Let this mindset be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” What “mindset” is Paul referring to here? From verse 3, “humble-mindedness”. Now, is Paul’s point here simply that Christ was humble-minded, and so we should also be humble-minded? “Monkey see, monkey do; Christ did this, and so should you!” Is that the point?

Of course, Christians should follow the example of Christ, but I think Paul had more than that in mind here, because in the next few verses (vv. 6–11), he goes on to cite a beautiful early Christian poem lays out the Gospel; Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. Sam has requested that I read this poem to you in the original Greek text and provide a more dynamic translation.

Speaking of Jesus, the poem says: “Although existing in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to be held tightly to. Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave.” (vv. 6–7) And we know that a “slave” in those days was the lowest caste in human society.

The poem goes on to say: “He humbled himself”—there is that word “humble” again—“becoming obedient until death—the death of the cross.” (v. 8) Of all the kinds deaths that he could have died, God chose for him the most cruel death conceivable at that time: “the death of the cross.” And even then, he was obedient, and he obediently suffered that death.

Jesus lay down his own interests for the sake of others—for us! Do you realize that if Jesus had not done all that, you and I would never be able to enjoy the personal relationship with God that we enjoy today? Because of his humble-mindedness, Jesus was willing to lay aside his equality with God, take on the lowest human estate on this earth, and die the worst possible death—all for us!

So, if Jesus lay down his own interest for me, so that I, the most undeserving wretch, could receive the the most awesome benefit of entering into a personal relationship with him and God the Father, then who am I to turn around and refuse to lay down my own interests for the sake of my brother or sister in Christ—or even my own spouse—no matter how undeserving I think he or she is?

You see, Christian obedience is more than just, “Here are a set of rules, now follow them.” Christian obedience is even more than, “Christ did this, now do likewise.” Rather, Christian obedience is the result of God “working in you to will and to do for his good pleasure” as our understanding of the Gospel—Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and exaltation—grows and transforms the way we think and live. That is why Paul cites this beautiful poem.

Christian obedience is also more than just worldly benefits. Some people obey God only because they think that God must bless them with worldly benefits as a reward for their obedience. Once they find out that that is not always the case, they stop obeying God. But that is not the Christian attitude. We do not obey God in order to receive worldly benefits; that is not the point.

Of course, the poem does tell us that that Jesus did get some benefits because he obeyed God: “Therefore, God also highly exalted him, and gave him the name which is above every name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (vv. 9–11) Obviously, this is not going to happen to us. Nobody is going to bow in your name and confess that you are lord.

But even for Jesus, who receives exaltation from God and worship from all creation, all that was not his ultimate goal. The exaltation that he receives from God and the worship that he receives from all creation is ultimately “unto the glory of God the Father.” That is what matters the most. That is the ultimate goal of all things, including your marriage, Sam and Constance.

So, Sam and Constance, I would not wish you 一帆风顺, because that is wishful thinking. Rather, I would wish you 一帆丰神—a life full of God. Neither would I wish you 一路顺风. Instead, I would wish you 一路顺服—a journey of obedience. Just as Christ did for you, lay down your own interests for the sake of each other, knowing that at the end of the day, what really matters is that your marriage and your life is ultimately “unto the glory of God the Father.”