Leave out

 

     We are headed into our second week looking at this passage in Philippians 2. We need to pay attention to what Paul is writing here because he is instructing how to live as a Christian in a world corrupted by sin. Christ calls us to be true to God living in a crooked place.

 

     In verse 12, Paul stated the Philippians were to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling. This was not a call for them, or us, to earn our salvation. That would be impossible. Rather, it was a call for us to work on understanding and growing in our faith. How do we do that? Read our Bible, gather with the body of believers, pray, do good works, and share the message of Jesus with others.

 

     In the opening of this section, Paul gives us practical advice on what we should be doing. It is not a coincidence that Paul immediately follows those words with what we as Christians should not be doing. Paul tells us what we should leave out.

 

     Philippians 2:14-16(CEB):

 

     Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world because because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing.

 

This is the word of God

For the people of God

Thanks be to God

 

 

     It is important to remember that these verses immediately follow verses 12 and 13 which say, “Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes.” Verses 14 through 16 continue the same thought. We are working out our salvation, and God’s grace in us will be evident in what we leave out of our lives.

 

     Paul does not dance around what the Philippians are to leave out, in verse 14 he writes, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing.” So in everything that is done to work out their salvation, they are to do it without grumbling and arguing. Grumbling is an attitude of inner dissatisfaction while arguing is the progression of grumbling to the outside. It impacts relationships between people and God. It was grumbling in the wilderness, then open rebellion with Moses that brought God’s judgment against the Israelites. Dissatisfaction with God and His ways will always lead to rebellion.

 

     Verse 15 is incredible if you dig below the surface. It reads, “so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world.” Paul is referencing a Greek god that was well known to the Philippians, but completely missed by us. This particular Greek god, called Momus [Moe mos], was known for finding fault with everyone and everything. The essential meaning of Paul’s words is, “Walk so righteously that Momus himself may have no occasion to find fault with you.”

 

     “Be blameless and pure.” The word translated “pure” is commonly used to describe wine that is not mixed with water or gold jewelry that is free of any alloy. Paul was telling the Philippians to live holy lives “surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt.” The word “crooked” is another interesting one, this Greek word is where we get our English word “scoliosis,” the medical condition for curvature of the spine. Paul’s thought is that the Philippians should live holy lives that look counter-cultural to those whose hearts are bent toward sin and not even looking for the pathway.

 

     The Philippians are to do this so that “Among these people you shine like stars in the world.” This refers not only to the stars but also to the sun and the moon. These luminaries are so bright, they contrast with darkness, with the sun providing enough light to completely block it out. But this analogy goes further than that because the sun, moon, and stars do more than stand out against the darkness. They shine in the darkness, giving light to those who would be in darkness otherwise. God is not calling the Philippians or any Christian to live away from the crooked place, but to work out their salvation by living in the crooked place.

 

     In verse 16, Paul completes the thought started in verses 14 and 15. He writes, “because you hold on to the word of life.” This certainly does imply that the Philippians are to hold the world of God dearly, but “the word of life” should be capitalized as a title for Jesus. As important and powerful as the Bible is, it is not what saves us. It points us to Jesus who saves us. Clinging to Jesus and applying God’s word to their lives will cause the Philippians to shine like lighthouses into the darkness of their crooked place, inviting people to Jesus.

 

     What does this have to teach us? Paul is telling the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. By working out their salvation, they will leave out grumbling and complaining so that their lives will shine in the darkness. This is true for us too.

 

     When we get saved and sanctified, we are filled with the Holy Spirit so we can live a holy life. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means we are possessed by the Spirit of the Living God, the Light of the World. God is so bright in His being that Moses was only allowed to look at God as He passed by.  The more we grow in grace from working out our salvation, the more we shine with His presence.

 

     Paul tells us to leave out grumbling and arguing because that is what those living in darkness do. This is not a call to blind agreement or abandonment of our minds. It is about respect for God, that He is working in your life and my life. Then collectively we are working out what that means together. Our goal is not to make more Nazarenes but to get more people to Jesus. Grumbling about other pastors or churches does nothing to help me, it only runs down the work of God. Arguing over doctrine does little for the Kingdom, and pushes people away from Jesus.

 

     The reason this happens is because that is the way the crooked and corrupt world operates. Winning arguments and being the strongest gets you ahead, even if that means destroying relationships in the process. We are to be lighthouses in the darkness by leaving out the ways of the world.