The Christian's Serious, Satisfying, and Supernatural Obedience, Part 1

THE GOSPEL-SHAPED LIFE:

THE CHRISTIAN’S SERIOUS, SATISFYING, AND SUPERNATURAL OBEDIENCE PART 1

An Exposition of Philippians 2:12-13 (Part 1)

By Pastor Brian Wilbur 

Date:   June 17, 2018

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

“Therefore” is a very important word. It has been well said that whenever you see the word “therefore,” you should ask what is it there for! This word connects what has been said up to this point, with what is about to be said going forward. For example:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way….” (Psalm 46:1-2a)

“… according to his promise we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” (2 Peter 3:13-14)          

The sequence of thought matters. The before and after, the cause and effect, the reason and consequence, the foundation and conclusion, are matters of great importance. “Therefore” calls us to understand the bigger picture of what is being presented to us, and not make assumptions about the short little clauses or sentences that we are apt to take out of context. 

Many people are familiar with Philippians 2:12-13 and its exhortation to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.” When people hear this phrase “work out your own salvation,” what do they think of? Or to put it a different way, what do they not think of? I would speculate that often people do not think of the content of Philippians 1:27–2:11. But they should, not least because of the word “therefore” which stands at the beginning of verse 12. The entire passage reads:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13) 

The “Therefore” connects the instruction in verses 12-13 with all that we have been learning about from Philippians 1:27 and onward. Often times, when we see the word “therefore” in the Bible, we may only look back at the previous few verses – and that is certainly a good place to start. But in the present case, this whole section hangs together in an interlocking sequence of thought, and each short little section builds on what comes before, brick upon brick, panel upon panel, floor upon floor, until you get the whole edifice of instruction about what it means to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). What does this gospel-worthy or gospel-shaped life involve?

Five Building Blocks Leading Into Philippians 2:12-13

The first building block, given in Philippians 1:27–2:2, is Christ-centered, Spirit-generated congregational unity in which we are working together and suffering together for the cause of the gospel. The church is a community of believers who are on mission together, proclaiming Christ and making disciples and strengthening the church family and holding fast to the truth of God’s Word.

The second building block, given in Philippians 2:3-4, is honoring and loving your Christian brothers and sisters. We will not have congregational unity if each one of us is pursuing our own selfish agenda and looking down on all the others, especially those who would question or stand in the way of our own selfish agenda. Instead, congregational unity is experienced and strengthened when each one of us walks in humility, holds others in high regard, and is lovingly attentive to our fellow Christians. Each and every one of us is called to adopt the heartfelt attitude of a humble servant – a servant of the Lord, and a servant of others for the Lord’s sake.

This heartfelt attitude of a humble servant doesn’t come from nowhere; it actually comes from the Lord Himself. The third building block, then, given in Philippians 2:5-8, is letting the Lord’s attitude of humble obedient sacrificial servanthood become your attitude. The Lord of glory lowered Himself, “made himself nothing,” “humbled himself” – indeed, “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” in order to do the Father’s will and rescue us from our sins (Philippians 2:2:7, 8). Jesus was lovingly attentive to our deepest needs, therefore we who believe in Jesus ought to be lovingly attentive to one another’s needs.

The fourth building block, given in Philippians 2:9-11, is knowing and understanding that this path of humble service is the path – the only path – that leads to glory. The Father “highly exalted” His faithful and humble servant, our Lord Jesus Christ, “and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9) Although the glorification of Jesus is unique in the sense that He is truly God and Lord of all – and we are not! – nevertheless all of His faithful followers who trust in Him and follow after Him on the pathway of love, will share in His glory. Jesus declared: “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). And “save it” doesn’t mean mere survival but sharing in Christ’s resurrection and in the glory of His everlasting kingdom. 1 Peter 5 says: “the God of all grace… has called you to his eternal glory in Christ” (1 Peter 5:10). Colossians 3 says: “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4) Romans 8 says: we are the “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). The Lord’s faithful people will share in the Lord’s everlasting glory! 

Though we will share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, only Jesus is Lord of all, and we are His humble servants. This observation yields a fifth building block, also given in Philippians 2:9-11, that as Christians we live eagerly and joyfully under the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the High King over all creation, and we gladly worship Him and confess Him as Lord and seek to live in a way that honors Him. We follow in the footsteps of our sovereign Leader, and we obey the instructions of our sovereign Teacher. His example and His exhortations are authoritative.

A Sixth Building Block in Philippians 2:12-13

Now comes a sixth building block, given in Philippians 2:12-13, starting with the word “Therefore”! Follow this line of thought with me:

“Therefore,”

since He is the Lord who is worthy of your obedience and imitation, and

since the instruction and example He gives to you involves humble loving sacrificial service, and

since that attitude of humble service is the very thing that enables your fruitful participation in the blessings and labors of a unified Christ-centered congregation, and

since the Spirit-generated unity of Christ-centered fellowship is the means of advancing Christ’s mission and displaying Christ’s glory and bringing others into submission to His sovereign Kingship,

and since this path of humble service is the path that leads to glory,

“therefore” – in light of all this – you’ve got some serious work to do: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”!

Do you understand the flow of thought? 

You need to be earnest about this work, and deeply devoted, and ready to exert yourself and summon all of your energies to the sacred task that the living God has set before you. Do you understand?

Philippians 1:27–2:11 is folded into the word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 12. And as the “therefore” unfolds into the instruction “work out your own salvation,” the point is that you really must do the very things that Paul has just been impressing upon us in the previous fifteen verses. To all that previous instruction Paul now adds a note of divine mandate, sacred obligation, and solemn responsibility. There is a gravity and a weight to your holy calling!

You are not to treat congregational unity as a nice-sounding ideal that the pastor must say a few things about because he gets paid to say such things, but rather you must “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” by pursuing unity within the church family. You are not to treat the congregation’s mission like it’s okay for a fourth of the congregation to carry the load, but rather you must “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” by participating in our God-given mission. You are not to treat brotherly love like something that you have fulfilled just because you smiled at a few people on Sunday morning and didn’t hurt anyone, but rather you must “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” by pursuing love and building others up. You are not to treat Christ like an insurance policy filed away until judgment day, but rather you must confess Him as the living Lord who is worthy of your joyful obedience and then you must pursue that obedience “with fear and trembling.”

Obedience

There is much to say about our obedience, and how it relates to our salvation. We will devote a number of sermons to Philippians 2:12-13. Pastor John Piper regards these two verses as among the most important in the whole Bible. Pitching our tent here for a while is well worth our time and our careful thinking.   

Regarding love and obedience, I once heard this nugget of wisdom: ‘Do not throw God the bone of love without the meat of obedience.’ I take this to mean that since love-talk all by itself is cheap, if you have heartfelt love for the Lord, then demonstrate that love by throwing your heart and life into obedience – obedience to His will. Jesus put the matter in very simple terms: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:21).

Or to put it another way: “Trust and Obey,” as we sang together before this sermon.[1] This hymn rightly celebrates the truth that the Lord’s blessing, favor, and joy belong only to those who “trust and obey.” Beneath this reality is the biblical teaching that trusting God entails obedience to Him. True faith in God is not merely a mental affirmation or intellectual agreement that something is true. True faith is believing the Lord with your whole person – with your heart, soul, and mind. True faith is entrusting yourself to the Lord and drawing nourishment and strength from God’s promises. True faith is therefore a lively faith that springs into actions. Faith that doesn’t produce the fruit of good works, is a dead and useless faith (see James 2:14-26). The person who claims to believe but does not walk in love toward other Christians, remains in in the realm of spiritual death (see 1 John 3:14). The basic message of Christianity is exceedingly simple: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23) The person who professes faith but doesn’t adhere to Jesus’ words, isn’t a true disciple (see John 8:30-32). 

So, when Paul says that the Philippians “have always obeyed,” he is simply reflecting the clear biblical teaching that the normal, ordinary experience of true Christians is that they obey the Lord. When Paul looked back on the conversion of the Christians in Rome, he described it this way: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18) In a similar vein, when Paul wrote a letter to the Colossian believers he expressed thanks to God because of “[their] faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that [they] have for all the saints.” (Colossians 1:4). All this, true faith and heartfelt obedience and sincere love, is nothing other than Christianity 101.

We Need Help!

But even though obedience is normal among the saints, we need encouragements and helps and motivations to keep going forward on the path of obedience. As fragile and weak creatures, we are vulnerable to dullness, sloppiness, and weariness. “[Our] adversary the devil” (1 Peter 5:8) puts land mines all around us, the values of the world are continually at odds with the principles of God’s kingdom, the pressures of daily life can stretch us thin, and sinful passions wage war against our souls (see 1 Peter 2:11). To say that true Christians are ordinarily obedient is not to say that true Christians are perfected and struggle-free. We are not yet perfect, not yet glorified; and we humbly confess that we are prone to wander and drift and lose our spiritual edge; and we humbly recognize our continual need for divine mercies to strengthen us. 

Keep Going!

In calling the Philippians to obedience, the apostle Paul is happy to make use of their prior obedience as leverage to impress upon them that they must continue their obedience: “as you have always obeyed, so now.” What you have been doing, keep doing! Keep on keeping on!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow More Diligent!

The Philippians should be serious and sober-minded about their obedience, whether or not Paul is physically with them. In fact, their resolve to obey should only be the greater in view of Paul’s physical absence: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence.” Remember that Paul and the Philippian believers are dear friends and partners in the gospel. Paul has been a means of profound spiritual blessing to the church in Philippi, and they in turn have been a blessing to Paul: supporting his missionary endeavors, standing with him in the midst of persecution, and sending financial gifts to meet his needs. Their obedience to Christ is the result of God’s work in their lives, which means that their obedience to Christ is not dependent on Paul’s physical presence. If Paul is present with them, that’s all well and good. But if Paul is absent, they must be all the more diligent to follow the Lord.

Perhaps Paul’s absence would also be a way of highlighting their holy obligation to take responsibility for their spiritual health and for their progress in God’s saving purposes for their lives. How sad it would be for a church to play the part when the pastor is present, only to let their true colors of unbelief show when the pastor is absent. But it would not be so with the Philippians! Paul envisioned that his absence would only strengthen their resolve to honor him, “so that” – going back to Philippians 1:27 – “whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”

Biblical Obedience is a Serious “Work Out” Way of Life

Next, Paul specifies the nature of the obedience that he is calling the Philippians to embrace: “as you have always obeyed, so now… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Biblical obedience involves the believer in an utterly serious “work out” program. Of course, it’s not really a program but a way of life.

Lord-willing, in the next sermon we will devote significant time to understanding what it means to “work out your own salvation.” We will consider the specific purpose and aim of obedience in the economy of God’s salvation.

Jesus Died in Order to Bring About Obedience in His People

In the remainder of this sermon, I want us to think about the frame of mind in which we must pursue obedience. But first, I want it to be clear to everyone that Jesus died in order to secure our obedience. In other words, Jesus died upon the cross in order to bring about obedience in His people. When the Lord Jesus inaugurated the Lord’s Supper, He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of covenant, for now you may think of it as the restoration of a proper relationship between a sinner and the holy triune God. And God is the One who does the restoring, God is the One who makes the covenant. Do you know what is involved in this new covenant? When God brings a sinner into this covenant through faith in Jesus, this is what happens:

• He forgives that person’s sins (Jeremiah 31:34),
• He removes that person’s hardened disobedient heart and replaces it with a soft, teachable and obedient heart (Ezekiel 36:26),
• He gives that person “a new heart, and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26),
• He writes His law on that person’s heart (Jeremiah 31:33), and
• He puts His Holy Spirit within that person (Ezekiel 36:27).

By means of this powerful, regenerating, heart-changing, Spirit-filling work, the Lord God fulfills His promise: “I will… cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:27) Jesus purchased this new covenant reality for His people with His blood on the cross. Therefore, as we reflect on the nature of Christian obedience, remember that Jesus died and rose again in order that you would be forgiven and transformed and obedient.    

THE FRAME OF MIND WE MUST HAVE IN PURSUING OBEDIENCE

The call of Philippians 2:12 is clear – we must walk in obedience, we must “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.” And Philippians 2:12 and the surrounding verses tell us that we must pursue this obedience with a certain frame of mind. I discern at least five aspects of an obedient mindset that are present or implied in this passage. The point of the observations that follow is not what the obedience is or how it relates to salvation, but with what attitude we ought to pursue that obedience.

Pursue Obedience Within the Sphere of Love

First, we must pursue obedience within the sphere of love.[2] Instructions like what we find in verses 12-13 are a good example of a divine mercy that comes to us in order to keep us walking in the right direction. We may not think of instruction as a mercy from God, but it truly is. One way to see this is to see that the instruction is given within the sphere of love: “Therefore, my beloved.” (Philippians 2:12) Paul loves these brothers and sisters. He is laboring gladly “for [their] progress and joy in the faith.” (Philippians 1:25) Of course, Paul’s love for the Philippians is a reflection of Christ’s love for the Philippians: “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8) Christ-centered love is a love that cares deeply about you and your spiritual health and your obedience. Does Christ-centered love desire the happiness of the beloved? Absolutely! Deeply! Profoundly! And Christ-centered love knows that the only way to be deeply, profoundly, and wonderfully happy in Jesus is to “trust and obey”! Therefore, Christ-centered love pursues the obedience of the beloved for the sake of the beloved’s “joy in the faith." 

When Jesus impresses obedience upon us in John 15, He says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) When Jesus teaches us to serve one another in John 13, He says, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17) Likewise, Jesus says: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) The unhappy folks who grumble (Philippians 3:14) are the people preoccupied with selfish ambition and self-interest, the very things that Paul is calling us to flee in Philippians 2:3-4. The joyful people are the ones who are walking in obedience by loving others for Jesus’ sake. Thus in calling you to honor and love others, Paul is seeking your joy in the Lord!

So, if you are a Christian who lives in the grace of God, then you should hear the instruction of Philippians 2:12-13 as a word of grace, mercy, and peace from the throne of God! God wants you, His beloved children, to have more joy than you ever thought possible, and that river of joy comes on the riverside joy walk called obedience. Therefore, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Pursue Obedience with a Sense of Responsibility

Second, we must pursue obedience with a sense of responsibility, a responsibility that we all share together and yet a responsibility that each believer must own for himself or herself. On the one hand, Philippians 2:12 is a word to the entire church community. Paul is saying: O Church, “work out your own salvation.” This call to corporate responsibility is increased when you consider that Paul is giving this instruction in view of his continued absence: “so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation.” Do you see? Paul’s absence means that the Philippian congregation must take responsibility for their spiritual health as a congregation and for their ongoing participation in the wonderful salvation that God has granted to them. This shared responsibility means that we must help one another. In Philippians 4:2-3 Paul calls upon a fellow Christian to help two Christian women, Euodia and Syntyche, be reconciled with each other. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 we are told to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak." 

At the same time, if “work out your own salvation” is a word to the whole congregation, it is also a word to each member of the congregation. So this corporate responsibility that we have is a responsibility that must be shared by all, which means that you personally must understand and feel this responsibility. Therefore even as Paul is calling the whole congregation to unity in love and mission, he highlights the personal responsibility that each one of us has: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4) Each one of us must own this responsibility that is laid upon us all, namely, to live faithfully and fruitfully as citizens of God’s kingdom. It is not enough for the pastor and the elders and certain key leaders or isolated individuals to be the only ones who understand, feel, and embrace this responsibility, but rather everyone must do his or her part to pursue the obedience that is enjoined upon us all, and everyone must follow Paul’s example and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).   

Pursue Obedience with Deliberate and Diligent Spiritual Exertion

Third, we must pursue obedience with deliberate and diligent spiritual exertion. The call to “work out” (Philippians 2:12) and “[strive] side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27) and “press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14) and “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1) and “make every effort” to advance in godly character (see 2 Peter 1:5-7), is a call to deliberate and diligent exertion in the things of God. We must have a determination and resolve to put our salvation on display in a holy life of love and mission. We must be at the ready, at all times and in all places, to put our faith into practice and our love into deeds. When the people of God rebuilt the city wall around Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah, we are told that the people “built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” (Nehemiah 4:6) And so it is with all good work: the key to good work is “a mind” to do it. Walls get built, yards get mowed, gardens get planted, and crossword puzzles get finished, because someone had a mind to do it. And if we would grow in holiness of life and love for each other and evangelizing our community, then we must have a mind to do so, a mind to “work out [our] own salvation,” a mind to obey the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have such a mind?

Pursue Obedience with Serious and Humble Reverence for God

Fourth, we must pursue obedience with serious and humble reverence for God. I am taking this from the phrase “with fear and trembling.” Note well that the opposite of “fear and trembling” is not gratitude and joy. Paul’s letter overflows with gratitude and joy. In just five verses he will say, “Even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith [which sounds and is an utterly serious matter], I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” (Philippians 2:17-18) And this is just one example of many references to joy or thanksgiving in this letter. Biblically speaking, “fear and trembling” is fully consistent with gratitude and joy. So, what is the opposite of “fear and trembling”? The opposite of “fear and trembling” is frivolousness, levity, superficiality, weightlessness, lack of heartfelt conviction, lack of sober-mindedness, lack of reverence and awe. If we would follow after Christ, there must be in us a serious and humble reverence for God in which we realize that we live on holy ground. And be assured that Philippians 2:9-13 is holy ground!

There is the holy ground of Philippians 2:9-11, where we learned that the Father has exalted Jesus Christ as Lord of all so that all the universe will bow down in awestruck recognition before Him – some in glad adoration, others in great terror before they are cast away into judgment. There is an inscription inside the Lubeck Cathedral in Germany with these sobering words:

Ye call Me Master and obey me not,

Ye call Me Light and see Me not,

Ye call Me Way and walk not,

Ye call Me Life and desire Me not,

Ye call Me wise and follow Me not,

Ye call Me fair and love Me not,

Ye call Me rich and ask Me not,

Ye call Me eternal and seek Me not,

Ye call Me gracious and trust Me not,

Ye call Me noble and serve Me not,

Ye call Me mighty and honor Me not,

Ye call Me just and fear Me not,

If I condemn you, blame me not.

May it not be so for you! But, the Lordship of Christ and that coming day when He will “judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31), should put us in a sober frame of mind. Our calling is to honor this sovereign King who laid down His life as a sacrifice for sin and died on a cross. The Savior’s death on a cross and resurrection from the dead and exaltation to glory is the light in which we live. This should promote serious and humble reverence for God.   

There is also the holy ground of Philippians 2:12, where Paul calls us to “work out your own salvation,” which means that we are talking about ultimate realities, here. We are talking about our participation in God’s overarching purposes for the entire universe. If you would be rightly serious about receiving an education and holding down a job, if you would be rightly serious about strengthening your marriage and family life, if you would be rightly serious about taking care of yourself physically and medically and financially, how much more serious ought you to be about being a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does Scripture say? “[Train] yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8) Our calling is to “work out” the most significant reality in the universe, and this should promote serious and humble reverence for the Savior.

Further, there is the holy ground of Philippians 2:13, where Paul tells us that God Himself is working in us. If the President of the United States or the Governor of Maine or the CEO of Apple or a famous musician or movie-star was personally attending to you and investing in you and preparing you for some significant role, would you treat that lightly? A fool might! But a wise, sane person would have a sense of the weight of having a great person, humanly speaking, equipping and empowering you for a big role in the government or in the company or on the stage. You would pay attention, listen well, follow instructions, and show yourself faithful. Brothers and sisters, the God of the universe, the God whom heaven and earth cannot contain, the God who speaks and by speaking moves comets through the sky, is personally attending to you and investing in you and preparing you for significant works in the administration of His mission in this world. Not only does He reign over you from heaven and speak to you by His Word, but also He works in you through His Holy Spirit. Do you treat this lightly? Or does it promote in you “fear and trembling” that leads you to pay attention, listen well, follow instructions, and show yourself faithful in a life of obedience?

Pursue Obedience in Humble Dependence on God and His Work in Us

Fifth, we must pursue obedience in humble dependence on God and His work in us. The responsibility assigned to you in verse 12 is real and serious, but verse 13 makes it clear that you cannot carry out your responsibility in your own strength.

“… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13) 

On your own, you do not have the internal capacities and resources that are required in order to please God through a life of faithful obedience. You working things out (verse 12) is dependent on God working things in (verse 13). On your own, you do not have the desire to live in faithful obedience. Further, on your own, you do not have the ability to live in faithful obedience. And without this God-given, God-sustained desire and ability, there is no Christian life and there is no Christian, but only a sinner still dead in his sins. But if the Holy Spirit has regenerated your heart, then you can be sure that God is sowing and sustaining godly desires and spiritual abilities into your redeemed heart. And if the living God, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sustainer of the universe, the Fountain of all beauty, grace and love, is at work in you, then you live under a sacred and holy obligation to “work out” the good and holy things that He is producing within you. Do you understand?

How should we pursue obedience to Philippians 1:27–2:4?

So, how should you pursue obedience to Philippians 1:27–2:4? This way: Within the sphere of love and joy, with a sober awareness of God-given responsibility, with a mind that is ready to obey, with serious and humble reverence for God, and with profound dependence upon God, love one another, pursue congregational unity, participate in our God-given mission, honor your brothers and sisters, pour out your life in service to others, glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of your life, and do it all willingly and with joy, without any complaining or grumbling. 

Let us pray.

ENDNOTES

[1] “Trust and Obey” is a great hymn written by John H. Sammis.

[2] Listen to J. Ligon Duncan’s excellent sermon “The Whole in Our Holiness” for a helpful understanding of how true God-pleasing obedience takes place within the sphere of God’s blessing and love. Available online: http://t4g.org/media/2018/04/the-whole-in-our-holiness/.