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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Philippians 2:13
What does Philippians 2:13 mean?
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Philippians 2:13
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This verse is not just about God helping us to do good, but about Him originating our desire to do good and then empowering that desire into action. It highlights that both the "willing" and the "doing" are gifts from God, ensuring that our efforts ultimately align with His good pleasure, not our own independent capabilities.
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives of humble obedience and unity, working out their own salvation with genuine effort. He’s not telling them to be anxious or fearful, but rather to actively pursue godliness because God Himself is actively working within them, empowering their desires and actions for His own good purposes.
Ever felt like you're working hard, but not seeing results? This verse flips that on its head, showing how God's power is the engine behind our efforts, not a replacement for them.
Paul assures the Philippians that their efforts to live a godly life aren't in vain because God is actively working within them. This isn't a passive influence; the Greek word translated as 'works' (energon) implies an energetic, active power. It's the same power that brings about creation and sustains life.
The Source of Willing and Doing
This means our spiritual progress isn't just about 'trying harder'; it's about cooperating with the powerful, active grace of God at work within us.
When facing daunting tasks or striving for spiritual growth, it's easy to feel discouraged. Paul uses a surprising truth to motivate the believers: God's own activity is our greatest encouragement.
Instead of seeing God's work within us as a reason to become passive, Paul presents it as the ultimate motivation. Why should we work out our salvation? God is working in us!
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God's Work as Encouragement
This perspective shifts our understanding from 'I must do this' to 'God is enabling me to do this, so I will step forward in faith and 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 passage speaks of God giving a new heart and a new spirit, directly paralleling the idea in Philippians 2:13 that God works within us 'both to will and to do.'
John 6:44Jesus states that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him, highlighting the divine initiative and enablement for coming to faith, which aligns with God working within believers to will and do.
Romans 8:28This verse assures believers that God works all things for good, reinforcing the concept that God's active involvement in their lives, as mentioned in Philippians 2:13, is purposeful and ultimately for their benefit.
1 Corinthians 3:5Paul identifies himself and Apollos as servants through whom believers came to faith, emphasizing that ultimately it is God who gives the growth, underscoring the divine agency at work in believers' lives as described in Philippians 2:13.
Colossians 1:29Paul describes his striving and struggle as being according to God's power working mightily in him, mirroring the idea that God's energy is the source of both the desire and the action within believers.
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 is not just about God helping us to do good, but about Him originating our desire to do good and then empowering that desire into action. It highlights that both the "willing" and the "doing" are gifts from God, ensuring that our efforts ultimately align with His good pleasure, not our own independent capabilities.
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives of humble obedience and unity, working out their own salvation with genuine effort. He’s not telling them to be anxious or fearful, but rather to actively pursue godliness because God Himself is actively working within them, empowering their desires and actions for His own good purposes.
Paul is urging the Philippian believers to live lives of humble obedience and unity, working out their own salvation with genuine effort. He’s not telling them to be anxious or fearful, but rather to actively pursue godliness because God Himself is actively working within them, empowering their desires and actions for His own good purposes.
"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." — This verse is not just about God helping us to do good, but about Him originating our desire to do good and then empowering that desire into action. It highlights that both the "willing" and the…
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Last reviewed October 2026