to Will and to Do

"...Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:3-4)

Volumes upon volumes have been written about these two verses. I have no illusions of pioneering new theological territory here, but I would like to share a few thoughts.

It is obvious that the credit for having righteous motives cannot rightly be attributed to the Christian. The believer's desire for righteousness is a gift from God. It is He who works in us "to will." But is His working in us "to will" separate from his working in us "to do?" Judging by our feeble experience, it may appear so. But our experiences do not always reflect reality. Let me explain.

Many believers are discouraged and defeated because they know God's working in them to Will, but are unable to consistently act in accordance with that will. "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do...For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." (Romans 7:15, 18) The frustration occurs because when we discern God's working in us to Will, we respond by attempting to Do by our natural human means. We do not yet see that God's will for us can only be accomplished by God's power in us.

God graciously responds by letting us fall repeatedly, while maintaining His working to Will in us. This leads to increased dissatisfaction, frustration, and intensified longing for victory over sin and self. Then, only when we have exhausted all of our natural resources, we come back in broken, helpless desperation to the Lord our righteousness. (Jeremiah 33:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30) And there, pleading for Christ to do the work for us, we not only find that He does so, but He long ago has worked in us to Will and to Do. If only we would have been untrusting of ourselves and rested in faith toward God, we would have seen His deliverance from the beginning.

But as desperately sinful creatures, this is impossible. Though Christ's victory over sin was complete at the cross and fully communicated to us when we were reborn, as temporal beings we only learn to appropriate His overcoming life over time. The more deeply we undertand our utter sinfulness, the more freely and joyously will we rejoice in His righteousness for us. "Come unto Me... and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Therein is Christ exalted and true rest experienced. The life of the believer is to be the life of the resurrected Messiah (Galatians 2:20)--but there is no resurrection that does not come out of death. There is no revival that does not come out of brokenness. There is no peace that does not come out of struggle, defeat, and surrender.

My point is this. If you're trying to live the Christian life, stop it. You can't. The only person that can live the Christian life is Jesus. But He did, and He has imparted that triumphant life to His children in the indwelling Holy Spirit. Too many believers have accepted the lie that a life of righteousness is impossible. If we would learn to believe what God has said to be true of us, we would find that His divine power has indeed "given us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." because we have been made "partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

"But as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"
(1 Peter 1:15-16)

"He who says he abides in [Christ] ought himself also to walk just as He walked."
(1 John 2:6)

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
(John 15:4-5)