Immediately following the beautiful Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:6-11, the ancient Gospel song that describes the coming of Jesus and his death and resurrection for the salvation of the world, the apostle Paul commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because God is at work in us according to his good purpose. So how do we do that? Any suggestions, Paul?

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life.” ~Philippians 2:14-16

This is not really what I would expect out of Paul. Maybe Peter or James, but not Paul. With Paul, I’m looking for some deep theology, some complicated insight. Where’s the rich and layered rhetoric? Where’s the complex argument? Instead, he gives us this very simple, very practical, very specific command: “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

God’s purpose for you, what God is working in you, what transforms you into a blameless and pure child of God, what allows you to shine like a star, which is God’s will for you – it all begins with “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

Everything. All things. The Greek word here is”panta.” It means total and complete. Every kind of. All of it. No matter how you translate it, there’s not a part of your life not covered here. Now, most of us are pretty good at doing most things without complaining or arguing. We’re pretty good most of the time. Some of us – let’s face it – don’t hardly do anything without complaining or arguing. Some of us aren’t happy unless we’re complaining or arguing.

At the restaurant, the customer service counter, the bank, or the post office – what happens if the people you’re complaining about or arguing with show up at your church the next Sunday? What will you say to them? You’ll have nothing to say to them! And it won’t matter because they won’t be listening anyway! Not anymore! Your Christian witness is hindered, if not completely destroyed. You don’t have any credibility.

You claim to be a child of the Almighty Creator of the Universe. You claim to belong to the eternal Lord who defeated sin and death and Satan and reigns forever at God’s right hand. You claim to be a citizen of of heaven, to belong to the everlasting Kingdom that cannot be shaken. You claim to belong to a Father who always provides and protects. But when you’re complaining and arguing, you’re telling the people around you that you don’t believe a word of it! Your behavior contradicts your beliefs. You live like your beliefs don’t really matter, they have no impact on your life.

How does your belief system and your faith, how does your allegiance to Christ and to his Kingdom, work for all the really big questions in life and solve all the planet-wide sin and suffering and death if it won’t even work at Whataburger? Or the grocery store?

We’ve got to take complaining and arguing as seriously as Paul does. Holding out the very Word of life is at stake. Shining as pure and uncontaminated light-givers in a dark world. Becoming children of God without fault, especially as the world sees us. Living free from anything blame-worthy. Beyond reproach, credible lights in a world that so desperately needs our Savior.

Peace,

Allan