Daily Lesson for Sunday 25th of January 2026
Having just presented Jesus as the perfect example of humility and obedience to God’s will, Paul now turns to the Philippians themselves. He affirms their obedience to the Lord after they received the gospel message (see Acts 16:13-15,32-33) and urges them to continue in that obedience.
Having presented the example of Christ’s life and the Cross as the way of salvation, Paul now focuses more directly on how this all works in practice.
Read Philippians 2:12-13. What does Paul mean by saying, “Work out your own salvation”? How would you describe the relation between faith and works?
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In these two verses, Paul does not present a different gospel from what he outlines in Romans and in his other epistles. We can be sure his message here agrees with the gospel of justification by faith, which he also preached in Philippi and other places. But it’s also important to consider all the Bible says on a given topic, especially on the topic of salvation, which can be so misunderstood.
Read Romans 3:23-24; Romans 5:8; and Ephesians 2:8-10. What do these passages teach about salvation?
Without question, salvation is God’s work, and we can take absolutely no credit for it ourselves. Even faith itself is a gift, encouraged through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our own works cannot save us; however, through the new birth, God re-creates us spiritually, enabling us to do good works. God’s Spirit works in us, empowering our will to choose the right, to resist temptation, and to make right choices.
Thus, we work out what God works in, “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Does that mean we should be afraid of God’s judgment on our often feeble efforts to obey? Of course not. This phrase refers to sensing God’s presence (see Psalms 2:11) and our need to obey Him.
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In what ways have you experienced Christ working in you? How, though, does your fallen nature fight against what God is doing in you, and how can you resist that pull? |
