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“Do all things without complaining or arguments; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”  Philippians 2:14-15

My husband and I are huge fans of the “Great British Baking Show”—we’ve watched every season (and some more than once). We love the premise and the competition…and, of course, the end-product baked goods. The only problem with our bingeing this particular show is that it leads to another sort of bingeing in that we tend to start baking delicious treats. One of our favorite weeks of the show is “Bread Week,” when the participants craft mouth-watering bread creations. Since Paul Hollywood is the master of all-things-bread, it’s a tough week for the competitors. The surface crust must be just-so, and the inside the perfect aerated texture. With each fail, it’s usually the result of not being “proved” enough—or, in other words, the dough needed to grow more.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul uses this concept of “proving”—the process of growth—to make a point to the believers in Philippi (and to us) that our salvation is also a process. We’re to “work it out with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Now, please note that we are saved into new life the moment we surrender to Jesus as our Lord and Savior by grace through faith. That said, the rest of our life until we are in glory with the Lord is a process of becoming more and more like Christ (also called “sanctification”). And we are only able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Paul exhorts us in all his epistles as to the “how’s” of sanctification, and it’s true within Philippians as well. In chapter 1, Paul reminds us that God, who began a good work in us through salvation will complete it (1:6). He then goes on to encourage us to love others more and more through continuing to know the Word and seek discernment, which will help us live fruity lives (1:9-11). We’re reminded to be bold for the gospel and stand firm against false teachers and persecutors, even unto death (1:16-30). Then, Paul goes on to urge us to maintain unity in the church body, humbling ourselves to put others first as Christ did for us (2:1-11). What’s more (and what’s super-difficult), we’re to “do all things without complaining or arguing” (2:14). We don’t live this way to earn anything! We live this way in response to our salvation and to continually grow in our faith.

As Paul says in verse 15 of chapter 2, this is how the “proving”—or growth—happens. Not only are we becoming more and more like Jesus as we walk out our lives as children of God, but we become beacons of light in this dark world. We’re not needing to “prove ourselves blameless and pure”—we’re clearly not in this life! We live in a fallen body in a fallen world operated by our enemy. This “proving” is simply continuing the process God started in us to become more and more blameless and pure, standing out from the perverse culture around us. We’re to be a beacon of light drawing others into its warmth, security, and hope.

So, friend, let’s prove ourselves. Not in the way our world uses this phrase—we don’t have to prove anything because we didn’t earn our salvation—it was a gift. Like that “scrummy” loaf of delectable bread, we must allow for the process of growth, rising up toward our ultimate glory when we’re Home with the Lord.

“Father God, thank You for the gift of salvation! Through the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, help me grow to be more and more like Jesus, and shine like a light in darkness around me.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life