We all know that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), but just as surely as the moon reflects the light of the sun to brighten the night sky, so you and I are also lights, candles, in a dark world as we try to brighten our dark world. “Be a candle” is the theme for our study this morning and it will come from Philippians 2:12-18…
To see the context of this paragraph, I want to briefly go back to the first few verses to remind us what the chapter is about because it serves an important role in our understanding of this paragraph.
DO NOTHING FROM SELFISHNESS OR EMPTY CONCEIT – 2:1-4:
There’s a major barrier to being united as Christians: our egos, our personal feelings, our personal preferences. That’s why Paul requires Christians in verse 3: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.” Instead, Paul writes in verse 3, “with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
Be interested in other people. Be humble toward other people. In fact, Paul writes in verse 5:
BE LIKE CHRIST – 2:5-11:
Because Christ humbled Himself, because Christ exhibited the attitude that Paul is trying to encourage in Christians, then God rewarded Christ: verse 9. He highly exalted Him. He gave Him a name that was more honorable than all other names, a name that will compel respect, worship, and confession from every tongue on earth.
WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION – 2:12-13:
First, Paul assumes they have and are obeying His commandments. It is through that obedience that they are “working out” their own salvation. In fact, Paul puts the object of the verb first, for emphasis: “your own salvation, work out.” We do have something to do with our salvation! This verb, “work out”, is used 22 times in the NT, half of those are in the letter of Romans. Put any of those synonyms in the place of the word here and listen to what Paul is saying:
“Effect your own salvation.”
“Accomplish your own salvation.”
“Commit your own salvation.”
“Produce your own salvation.”
Paul is certainly not saying that we earn our salvation! The letter of Romans is very clear on that. But, too many people, especially Protestant scholars and preachers, have taken the “salvation by grace” to such an extreme that they are willing to pervert what the Bible teaches about obedience/baptism. There are many people who misunderstand that salvation is by the grace of God and there’s no way that any of us deserve it. However, there are just as many people, if not more, who misunderstand that salvation also requires us to obey God’s commandments.
It is the difference between the grounds or foundation of our salvation – which is the gracious, free sacrifice of Christ on the cross, which paid the penalty for our sins; and the reception of that sacrifice for ourselves, which is our humble and serious obedience to the commands of Christ, which appropriate that sacrifice for us, each individually and personally.
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The second item Paul mentions here that we need to understand if we are to live humbly, following the example of Christ is to “Do!”
First, Paul writes “Do all things without grumbling.” What’s the difference between constructive criticism and grumbling or complaining? It’s all in the context of Philippians 2: humility! Am I grumbling for selfish reasons, unloving reasons, or am I offering criticism out of love and respect for the other person?
Secondly, Paul writes: “Do all things without disputing.” With how the NT translates the word “disputing”, I might translate this word as “nit-picking.” Do all things without “nit-picking.” Again, what is our motivation for our complaint? Are we really just nit-picking?
Thirdly, Paul writes: “Do all things so you will prove yourselves to be” and notice this list:
“Blameless”
“Innocent”
“Children of God”
“Above reproach”
The challenge is for us to live this way in the midst of a crooked and “perverse generation.” This word, “perverse”, is a participle, a form of a verb which denotes “having become and still is perverted.” All sin is a perversion of what God has created and we live in a perverted society.
Fourthly, do all things “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” Here’s the idea of us shining our candles, our “little lights” in our neighborhood.
Fifthly, do all things “holding fast” the word of life. In 1 John 1:1, this phrase “word of life” refers to Jesus in the flesh. In Acts 5:20, a similar expression refers to the Gospel message. Compare Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 4:16.
A FINAL, POWERFUL METAPHOR – 2:17-18:
Paul uses the same imagery, a drink offering, in 2 Tim. 4:6. Jesus “emptied Himself” (2:7); here, Paul says that he is being emptied as a drink offering, not an atonement sacrifice (that would put Him on the same level as Jesus which Paul would not do), but as a drink offering for a sacrifice, for the spiritual service of the Philippians’ faith.
Be a candle – be unselfish, like Christ. Don’t grumble or nit-pick. Shine your light, holding closely to the word of life. Pour yourself out as a drink offering in service to others.
Paul Holland
