prisoner’s bonds, Paul is successfully working out his own part in God’s process of redemption, and from the heights of glory the Son of God has triumphantly wrought His unique part in this same process. The Christians in Philippi, therefore, simply could not fail to come up with the part God had left to them. Thus Paul’s en forced absence from them becomes a challenge to encourage their response: “now much more in my absence.” The third factor is the divine initia tive. This is the most powerful appeal of all: “God it is who is working in you both to will and to do according to his good pleasure” (v. 13). Paul’s conception of the divine ini tiative is always in terms that stimu late our own. In Romans 9-11, where this doctrine finds its fullest expres sion, God’s sovereignty h e i g h t e n s man’s free choice instead of paralyz ing it. Engraved on the keystone of the arch constructed in those three chapters on the divine initiative are the words, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13 ASV). Paul’s conception of the doctrine of election spurs him to the most intense missionary activ ity. The same principle applies in the passage before us. The fact that it is God who works in us cannot lead to passivity on our part. Our choices and our actions are never freer and never more active than when thus en gaged in the doing of His good pleas ure. “But Paul gives the divine sov ereignty as the reason or ground for the human free agency. He exhorts the Philipgians to work out their sal vation with fear and trembling pre cisely because God works in them both the willing and the doing and for His good pleasure.” Robertson. 2. T h e P r o c e s s U n fo ld ed ( w . 14-18) This outworking of God’s inwork ing is now described in terms of their own experience and of its effect upon others. For the Philippians it was to be a perfectly natural unfolding of the life which was in them, or, to follow Paul’s shift of figures, it was to be the clear shining of the light which
BIOLA GRADUATION EXERCISES
SUNDAY, MAY 31 3:30 P.M. ☆ ☆ Dr. Jack MacArthur, Speaker ☆ ☆ BIOLA CAMPUS 13800 Biola Avenue La Mirada, California
was theirs by virtue of their relation to Christ. In either figure the empha sis was on the transparency of their life. They were to do all things with out murmuring and arguing (“ques tionings”) because such expressions would obscure any thought of privi lege in the inconveniences and hard ships they were called upon to endure for Christ’s sake. No one murmurs at a privilege. Complaining Christians have never caught the vision of the cross. The generation in the midst of which the Christian lives is crooked (v. 15), all twisted up by the havoc of sin which has plunged the world into darkness. In this spiritual blackout the Chris tian’s testimony shines forth with the Word of life.
BIOLA HIGH SCHOOL CONFERENCE JUNE 20-27 HUME LAKE, CALIF.
KEN POURE, SPEAKER
35
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs