Philippians 2:12-18 STudy Guide: Light in the World
Community Group Study Guide — Lights in the World
Philippians 2:12-18
Study Information:
A life fully devoted to following Christ will be compelling in our world. We want to be careful here because there is a paradox in that Jesus taught his disciples that people will see our good works and give praise to God and at the same time there will be groups that hate his followers because they’re associated with Jesus (Matthew 5:16, John 15:18-19). But generally speaking when we follow Christ and experience the life transformation that comes from his grace, our lives will stand out like stars in the night sky. That is because God makes us more and more humble, sacrificial, generous and loving as we submit our lives to Christ.
Think about the people in your life who live a beautiful life, likely many of them are spiritually mature Christians who take living for Jesus seriously. It is not a guarantee but survey data shows that people who regularly attend church, pray, read their bibles, tithe and take part in other spiritual practice report higher levels of happiness, satisfaction in their marriage, higher levels of generosity and lower levels of anxiety. This is not to say that if you experience any of those things that you’re somehow not a “good Christian,” but when we look at the overall picture people who follow Christ do stand out in the world as shining stars in the darkness, like what Paul says in Philippians 2:15-16. Paul calls us to put into practice this teaching on humility and we can do so with certainty because our all powerful God is at work to help us to grow to be more like Christ.
Work Out Your Salvation
Philippians 2:12-13
In our last study guide we looked at Paul’s call to pursue unity through humility and how he connected that action to Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion. Our passage, especially Philippians 2:12-13, connects back to that call to humility with the “therefore.” In response to all that Christ did and the example he gave us, we all should work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is really easy to read that verse as a stand alone verse for an individual, removed from the larger context of Philippians. However, if we do that we’re likely to read it as a verse teaching us to work really hard for our salvation and that our salvation may be in jeopardy. But that is not what Paul taught, rather Paul instructed this community to put into practice this call to humility together as they pursued Christ-likeness. To work out their salvation meant that they needed to pursue Christ like future in their relationships with one another as God was at work in them. Philippians 2:13 teaches us that there is certainty in this call to Christian sanctification and obedience because God is at work in them! We can have confidence that we can grow in Christ, consider the needs of others more important than our own and grow in sacrificial generosity because God is at work in it. This certainty points back to earlier verses like Philippians 1:6 where Paul had great confidence that the work God began in them would be completed and Philippians 1:28 which reminded them that their salvation was “from God.”
This call to work out their salvation was not a strong rebuke but rather an encouragement in a “hey, you can do this!” admonition from Paul. Notice how he instructed them to do this with fear and trembling, teaching us that this is not a light matter but one of serious importance. But also notice how he expressed his gratitude and joy in them in Philippians 2:17-18. We studied earlier that Paul had great love and admiration for this church and this is yet another example that he is kind of like a proud father rejoicing in them.
When you think about how Christ-likeness is expressed in your life, do you see growth in love and humility and a decreasing desire to sin? The world, our flesh and the devil can want us to feel powerless to grow in holiness but God calls us to partner with the work he is doing as we “work out” what he “works in” to us because this is God’s good pleasure. If you desire it and God desires it, he will cause it to happen and that should bring us great joy!
Shine As Lights in the World
Philippians 2:14-18
One reason God desires our unity and Christ-likeness is because God has made us to be a contrast to the world. Paul called for the Philippians to keep their mind on the path of humility and service so that they did not slip into grumbling or disputing which is the pattern of the world.
Grumbling and disputing is a sin that has it’s roots in selfishness and pride. We are most likely to be divisive when we pursue our own interests and not the interest of others, or when we put ourselves first or when we get caught up in rivalry.
Paul reminded the Philippians that their unity as a church had the foundation of a shared identity, gospel and mission. They were to live out their identity as innocent and blameless children of God.They were saved by the gospel, meaning their sin was forgiven and they were reconciled to God through a salvation he authored (Phil 1:28). Likewise, God gave the church a shared mission to be part of the work he was doing namely to help one other become more like Christ in their thoughts, attitudes and actions and to share the message of salvation in Christ. Historically the church has called this mission “discipleship” and it has an inward and outward component to it. We look inward at the church community to how we can love, serve and encourage one another and we take the message outward with a message of salvation in Christ to those who do not yet follow him. Grumbling and disputing happens when we lose sight of the shared gospel and shared mission we have. When followers of Jesus have unity, humility and love we stand out like stars in the night sky. When we do this we stand as a contrast to the world and shine as light in the darkness. Paul concluded this admonition with a command to hold fast to the word of life, meaning “don’t take your eyes off Christ and his mission.” This was something Paul knew from personal experience and followed. Paul pointed to his own sacrificial actions to emphasize this point when he wrote in Philippians 2:17 “even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial altar of your faith…” Paul was ready to give his very life for their good.
Does our church stand as light shining in a dark world? How is God at work in your life right now to make you more like Jesus and how is that work being accomplished with other Christians as we work out our salvation in fear and trembling? We can take heart that God is behind making us more and more like Jesus and we get to joyfully participate in that work. Prayerfully look for ways to pursue humility and love and serve one another and by doing so we have the opportunity to shine as lights int he world.
At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.
How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?
Discussion Questions:
Read Philippians 2:12-18
What does it mean to work out your salvation and what are some reasons Paul added the qualifier with “fear and trembling?” Think about the context of Philippians 2:12-13 including what came before these verses.
Based on what we’ve read and studies do far in Philippians, what are some things that causes grumbling and disputing in a church community?
Paul encouraged the church to take their shared mission of unity seriously so they’d stand out in our corrupt and twisted generation. Paul linked grumbling and disputing from an attitude of rivalry and pride. Do you think that it is normal for the world to be characterized by grumbling and disputing? How does the Christ like attitude of Philippians 2:5-11 cause Christians to stand out as lights in the world?
Are there specific attitudes or actions that God is calling you to “work out” as he works in you? What are some steps you can take this week to pursue Christ likeness in those areas?
