Philippians 2:12-18
Jesus spoke plainly about his generation. He called it faithless, adulterous, sinful, twisted, and evil (Matthew 12:29; 17:17; Mark 8:38; 9:19; Luke 11:29). Both Paul and Peter add the word crooked (Acts 2:40; Philippians 2:14). Faithless, adulterous, sinful, twisted, evil, and crooked. My first question is, Do you believe our generation is any better? Though some troubles have been alleviated over the centuries, we are all painfully aware that sin is just as deeply entrenched in our generation today as it was in the first century.
My second question, then, is, What do we do about it? How do we handle the fact that we are surrounded by so much sin and trouble? I’m afraid two of my main tendencies over the years have been to worry and to complain. These responses may not be as bad as participating in the corruption ourselves, but still, they are neither right nor helpful. Complaining is a particularly ironic response, as we’ll see. Other people respond with blame and criticism. Still others seek pleasure or busy themselves with various pursuits to distract them from thinking about the terrible things going on in the world. Right now we have the opportunity to vote for political leaders we believe will make things better. I’ve already voted in the mid-terms and encourage you to do the same. Even though this is a somewhat better response to our twisted generation, politics is a secondary solution and is limited in its value.
How do we handle the fact that we are surrounded by so much sin and trouble?
Instead of these responses which seem to come so naturally, I am trying to focus my best energy on two ways of dealing with the mess in the world that are based on direct instruction from God in Scripture:
First, we need to be saved from the terrible things going on in the world. Peter urged the Jews at Pentecost to, “save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40) and later wrote to exhort Christians who had “escaped the corruption that is in the world” and “the defilements of the world” (2 Peter 1:4; 2:20). Similarly, Paul spoke about Christ delivering us “from the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). The aspect of salvation we most often talk about is salvation from condemnation and the wrath of God in hell. That part of salvation is desperately needed, and is both amazing and remarkable. As we celebrate it, however, we must also remember there is much more to be saved from than just those consequences. You may want to reread the verses just cited and notice that we are also saved from the chaos and trouble of our generation. The world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19) and it threatens to contaminate us, confuse us, control us, and also to consume us, in both senses of the word. But God has sent a Great King to rescue us from clutches and curse of this sinful generation. We need to embrace him and pledge allegiance to him so that he can lead us to freedom and fullness of life. Being saved from this crooked generation is step one.
The second step is to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). God has saved us and continues to work salvation “in” us by giving us both the willingness and the ability to work (v. 13). But that salvation has to be worked “out” in our lives and relationships. We work out around us what he is working in us. This second step is actually not a single step but a journey. It is probably clear that it will take a lifetime to work out all that is needed in our lives, but if there is any doubt, the very verb “work out” is a present tense that indicates ongoing action. Sadly, we often neglect this second phase of God’s solution, perhaps because we are naïve about the dangers of our sinful and twisted generation.
We may be surprised to hear what Paul says it looks like to work out our salvation. The example he gives in this passage is to “do all things without grumbling or disputing”
We may be surprised to hear what Paul says it looks like to work out our salvation. The example he gives in this passage is to “do all things without grumbling or disputing” (v. 14). His specific mention of grumbling is the reason why I said my typical response the mess of the world is ironic. Yet refusing to complain helps ensure we will be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish (v. 15). God’s salvation includes graciously deeming us blameless, innocent, unblemished children of God (cf. the first step), but he also urges us to work out that salvation by refusing to grumble or dispute (and many other things). Working out our salvation entails becoming in fact (v. 15) what he has already deemed us to be. This is God’s will for us, and we are empowered to do it by his work inside us (v. 13). When we “hold fast to the word of life” in this way, we are genuinely in the process of “being saved” (consider carefully 1 Corinthians 15:2). This God’s will for us.
What’s more, when we work out the salvation God is working in us, we will also shine like stars or lights in the midst of our “crooked and twisted” generation (vv. 15-16). If we don’t grumble, dispute, and complain, we will stand out distinctly in our generation. There is some question about whether Paul is urging the Philippians to “hold on” faithfully to the word by the way they live or to “hold out” that word by actually speaking it to those in darkness, as some translations indicate. I’m not sure we have to decide which one he meant. In order for people to be turned from darkness to light, the word definitely needs to be spoken to them at some point (Acts 26:16-18). But Jesus said that, if we live as the beatitudes teach us, we are the light of the world and our good deeds have the potential to make others favorably disposed toward God (Matthew 5:14-16). Those who love darkness will not come to the light, but those who do what is true will be attracted to it (John 3:19-21). Working out the salvation God is working in us, then, is the divinely endorsed way of addressing the crooked and twisted generation in which we live, and it has power to draw people out of darkness and into the light.
When we work out the salvation God is working in us, we will also shine like stars or lights in the midst of our “crooked and twisted” generation
This leads to a third question: How do we feel about God’s guidance concerning how we should respond to our sinful generation? In some ways it doesn’t matter because his guidance is true and best regardless of how we may feel. But if we don’t think his way is very powerful or effective, we may downplay it and focus on mere human responses. Any expectation that God should quickly eliminate the evil and sin in our generation is eerily similar to the mistaken ideas many Jews in the first century had, that God should intervene and establish his kingdom in one feel swoop (cf. Luke 17:20-21; 19:11). The kingdom of God does indeed grow and permeate the secular world, but it does so gradually and unobtrusively, like a mustard seed or leaven. When we embrace Christ as King and work out our salvation in everyday life, we demonstrate what it looks like to be ruled by him and others can see it and have an opportunity to come to the light. If we believe in the royal counsel of our King, we will respond to our crooked generation by giving our best energy to working out the salvation God is working in us and persevering in it.
