The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 103

CoNOLUSION, llcre is tho fixed law of heaven. The moral spirit that would ascend to lrue dignity, win a no.me that shall command the reverence both of earth and heaven, must empty itself of o.11 selfish motives and personal interests. There a.re two hills lying opposite each other, one is the hill of personal pride-barren, bleak, cloudy; the other is the hill of Divine dignity-grand, sunny, blooming in beauty, and a.bounding in fruit, crowned with the pavilion of the Godhead. No soul can ascend the one without descending the other; he must go down the brow of selfishness step by step, till he reaches the dark valley of self-abnegation, and then upward he may commence scaling the sublime a.ltitndes of Divine diguity and bliss.-D. T. Vere. 12, 13.-SalvatiDn as a worlc in the soul. "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worket:i in you both to will and to do of his good plea.sure." It is worthy of note that this, of all the Epistles of Paul, is the only one that contains no direct rebuke. The apostle here speaks of them as "having always obeyed," not only in his presence, but in his absence. The passage lea.de us to contemplate salvation as a work in the soul. The word " salva- tion" implies a previous lost condition. The soul is lost; but in what ser,se ? Not in the sense of missing, as the piece of silver was lost, the sheep was lost, the prodigal son lost; God knows where every soul is. Not in the sense of destruction, as the tree or house is lost when burnt to ashes; but in the sense in which a worthless child is lost to his parents, a worthless soldier to an army, a. worthless citizen to his country. All souls are lost to God in this sense-they fulfil not their mission, which is (1) truthfully to reveal, (2) loyally to obey, and (3) religiously to serve him. I offer three remarks on this subject. J. SALVATION Iii A SUPREME WORK IN MAN. The apostle urges it here as supreme: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence," etc. As if he had said," Mind, attend to this, wherever I am, in whatever condition. whether I am living or dying, do not neglect your salvation." '!'his is the supreme work. If the soul is not restored to the knowledge and image of the true God, what matters it what else a man may possess? "What shall it profit a man, if he go.in the whole world, and lose his own soul?" II. SALVATION IB A DIVINE WORK IN MAN. "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 1. He works in you. He works every- where outside of you. He is the fo,·ce of all forces, the Spirit in all the wheels of nature; but in the soul he has a higher sphere. As outside in unreasoning nature hs works in harmony with the laws which he has established, so in the soul he workl!I according to its laws of thought and volition. 2. He works in you for your salvation. Not for your destruction; destruction would require no work on his part, a. mere voli- tion would extinguish you for ever, but he works to save you-works as the physician works to save his patient, as the lifeboat works to save the sinking bark. 3. He works in you for your salvation "according to his good pleasure." It is not his will that you should perish; the desire of his great fatherly heart is that you should be saved. Hence he works in you, works silently, constantly, and m connection with all the influences of nature, events of history, and the laws of your own being. III. SALVATION IS A HUMAN WORK IN MAN. 1. It is a work which the man must do for himself. "·work out your own salvation." No one can do the work for you; no one can believe, repent, and love for yon; the work is absolutely personal. 2. Man':; encouragement to this work is the co-operation of God. "God worketh in you both_ to will and to do of his good pleasuro." His agency, instead of supersed!Ilg the necesstt_v of yours, should stimulate yours. If he did not work with you, your efforts would bti futile; if ago.inst you, your efforts would be baffled and confounded. But your salva- tion is his "good pleasure." He works with you as he works with the industrious ngticulturist ; he supplies all the nece$sary couditions for success in the production of golden crops. He works with you us he works wit~ the genuine truth-seeker, touches the springs of thought and slimulates by ever-openmg prospe~ts•. _ . CoNOLUBlON. Never let us forget tbat our supreme work is spmtual salvatwu, th~t, u.11 other works i;hould l>e malle s11bscrvicnt to this.-D. T.  100 THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. [ea. IL 1-30,