Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
Philippians 2:15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Philippians 2:16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
In our last post on this passage, we discussed (with some tongue in cheek language) of a better motivator for the saint if we are eternally secure. We spoke of replacing “fear and trembling” with an alternate motivator, since being eternally secure removes any concern over the quality of our relationship with the Father. We spoke of a silly option Paul may have used to motivate the Philippians. He chose not to!
I may have been a bit crass. I hope it made at least one of my readers think about the text, and reconsider the possibility that Paul’s message may mean more than we currently understand.
Paul continues with the Philippians in our passage this morning, speaking of the characteristics of the believer, of refraining from grumbling and disputing, and of the believers life exhibiting a character that is blameless and innocent. We have previously addressed what it means to be blameless and innocent in this blog (See Philippian Bits – 2:15.01 & Philippian Bits – 2:15.02), so I will not repeat it here.
What I would like to consider is the last verse, where Paul speaks of his labor in the ministry. The topic of this last phrase is the effect of the Philippians obedience on the potential vanity of Paul’s ministry.
If the Philippians were not obedient, Paul’s ministry, at least in relation to the Philippians would be in vain. Now to say something is vain is difficult for our modern society since we are so immersed in it. So much of our society is a chasing after vanity, of emptiness, of smoke and mirrors. For you see, for something to be “vain” is stating that it is devoid of truth, empty, full of nothing. It is of no purpose, without fruit and of no lasting value.
To be vain is to be empty. Maybe our world will wake up some day to the vanity of living for themselves, but I fear not, for this is a vain, vain world we live in!
But Paul uses it in relation to the souls of the Philippians, of his work amongst them. Now remembering the thoughts in our last post on this passage, if the saved are eternally secure, that to be once save always saved is the way to understand the Word, why would Paul be concerned about the emptiness of his ministry, especially since the Philippians have exhibited a previous fruitfulness. Surely the Philippians were a saved people, exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit and worshipping in truth. Even a few verse earlier, Paul confessed to the reality of their identity in the Messiah.
All is well Paul, for they could not fall away, they could not apostatize! Have no concerns Paul. Your ministry work is also secure, for the past fruit of the Philippians has proven your work. The possibility of your work amongst the Philippians being in vain is impossible, for the souls you reached are destined for glory, no matter what they do. Oh they may loose some rewards, but they will be before the throne, and prove your effectiveness in converting lost souls.
My friends, I think I have been excessively sarcastic, even crass in these last two posts. Forgive me. But if there is truth amongst my words of harshness, and something is stirring in you, consider your standing before the Lord. Confession and repentance of sin before the Lord is never rebuffed by the One who has proven us His love.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
Considering the Bible 