Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse isn't just about God helping us; it emphasizes that the very ability to want to do good and the energy to actually do it originate from God, all orchestrated for His own pleasure. It's a powerful reminder that our spiritual drive and actions are not independent efforts but are empowered by God's continuous work within us.
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives worthy of the gospel, working out their salvation with humility and reverence. He's just told them to do this, not out of their own strength, but by relying on God's power that is actively working within them. This verse explains why they can and should obey that command: because God Himself is the source of their desire and ability to obey.
Ever feel like you have to choose between God doing it all or you doing it all? This verse shatters that false choice.
Paul tells us, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." This isn't a verse that lets us off the hook; it's the very reason we can be on the hook!
The Source of Our Desire
God's work starts on the inside. He doesn't just influence us from afar; He actively ignites the desire within us to want what He wants. It's His energy that sparks the willingness, the deep-down inclination to align with His will. This is the gift of a renewed heart, a heart that begins to truly desire righteousness.
The Power for Action
But it doesn't stop with just wanting. God also empowers the doing. The same divine energy that creates the desire also fuels the action. It's this inner working that enables us to carry out the willing. Think of it as God giving us both the 'want to' and the 'can do'.
This divine empowerment is the foundation for our own efforts. We are called to 'work out' our salvation precisely because God is 'working in' us.
Why does God work in us? It's not for our ego, but for His ultimate delight.
The end goal of God's working within us is stated clearly: 'for his good pleasure.' This phrase, 'good pleasure' (Greek: eudokia), points to God's own delight, His benevolent will, and His perfect satisfaction.
His Satisfaction, Not Ours
This means our spiritual transformation isn't primarily about achieving a personal sense of accomplishment or earning merit. Instead, it's about aligning with and fulfilling God's own perfect will and desires. When we 'will and work' according to His pleasure, we are participating in His divine plan and bringing Him joy.
The Motivation for Obedience
Understand the original words
energeō · Greek Verb
Referring to the sovereign divine activity by which God carries out His purposes. It indicates that God is actively engaged in the lives of believers to conform them to His image.
This Old Testament passage prophesies God giving a new heart and spirit, directly paralleling the 'to will' aspect of God's work in believers, showing the foundational promise behind Philippians 2:13.
Romans 8:14This verse describes believers as 'led by the Spirit of God,' which directly relates to God's active working in their will and actions, as stated in Philippians 2:13.
1 Corinthians 15:10Paul emphasizes that his apostolic efforts were 'by the grace of God,' mirroring the sentiment in Philippians 2:13 that all willing and doing originates from God's power within us.
Colossians 1:29This verse speaks of Paul striving 'according to His working which He is powerfully working in me,' illustrating the divine empowerment that enables human effort, just as described in Philippians 2:13.
Hebrews 13:21This verse prays that God would equip believers 'with everything good that you may do his will,' which is a beautiful echo of Philippians 2:13's affirmation that God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.
barnesPhilippians 2:13: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
For it is God that worketh in you - This is given as a reason for making an effort to be saved, or for working out our salvation. It is often thought to be the very reverse, and people often feel that if God works "in us to will and to do," there can be no need of our making an effort, and that there would be no use in it. If God does all the work, say they, why should we not patiently sit still,…
poolePhilippians 2:13: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
That they might not be negligent in working out their salvation with humility, from any conceit or carnal confidence any might have that they could believe and repent when they pleased, imagining their wills to be as pliable to good as evil; the apostle urgeth the effectual grace of God, as a powerful inducement and encouragement to embrace his exhortation. For it is God which worketh in you: the…
This verse isn't just about God helping us; it emphasizes that the very ability to want to do good and the energy to actually do it originate from God, all orchestrated for His own pleasure. It's a powerful reminder that our spiritual drive and actions are not independent efforts but are empowered by God's continuous work within us.
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives worthy of the gospel, working out their salvation with humility and reverence. He's just told them to do this, not out of their own strength, but by relying on God's power that is actively working within them. This verse explains why they can and should obey that command: because God Himself is the source of their desire and ability to obey.
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives worthy of the gospel, working out their salvation with humility and reverence. He's just told them to do this, not out of their own strength, but by relying on God's power that is actively working within them. This verse explains they can and should obey that command: because God Himself is the source of their desire and ability to obey.
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Understanding this motivates us. We aren't just trying to be 'good' for the sake of being good. We are responding to the One who created us, empowered us, and has a perfect, joyful purpose for our lives. Our obedience and actions become an expression of His glorious will being carried out in and through us.
"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." — This verse isn't just about God helping us; it emphasizes that the very ability to want to do good and the energy to actually do it originate from God, all orchestrated for His own pleasure. It's…
