Philippians: Vision, Promise, and Practice – Part One (Bruce Epperly)
What is the Pauline vision of divine providence and the divine-human partnership? That is one of the questions that Bruce Epperly discusses in his new study guide for the Pauline letter to the Phillippians. This study guide appears in a series for Energion Publications, to which I contributed a volume on Ephesians. This is an important introduction to that book and to Paul's vision of Christ's work. I invite you to interact with this first posting by Bruce in a series on Philippians.
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Philippians:
Vision, Promise, and Practice – Part One
Bruce G. Epperly
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ….having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:6, 11)
Good
theology involves the interplay of three factors: vision, promise, and
practice. Good theology presents a
vision of reality, descriptive in a flexible fashion of the relationship
between God and the world, the human adventure, revelation, brokenness, and
hope. It promises that we can experience
in a life-transforming way the ultimate healing and saving realities of
life. It provides creative practices
that enable us to more fully experience the ultimate and saving realities of
life. I believe that Paul’s letter to the Philippians represents biblical
theology at its best – a vision of God’s graceful providence and practices that
deepen our sense of God’s presence. In
the next few weeks, I will be portraying Philippians as a twenty-first century
spiritual primer, joining theological reflection and spiritual practice for the
transformation of congregations and individuals. God is doing a good work in our lives and we
can share in it.
Philippians
begins with a vision of divine providence and human hope, a gentle and implicit
eschatology. Paul affirms that the good
work that God has begun in our lives, God will bring to fullness. This corresponds to Paul’s affirmation in
Romans 8:28: “in all things God works for God.” Paul asserts that even negative
events such as his current imprisonment or the contentions within the Christian
community can further the gospel. God
works through all things, even negative things that God has not chosen, to
bring healing and wholeness to our world.
Paul
assumes that God’s providence is gentle and all-encompassing. It does not eliminate human freedom, but
supports, nurtures, and cooperates with human freedom. We can work out our freedom with awe and
seriousness [fear and trembling], precisely because God’s grace is working
within us. (Philippians 2:12-13) The
Spirit that moves through all creation is also quietly working within our
lives, interceding on our behalf with sighs too deep for words. (Romans
8:26)
The
spiritual practices that Paul counsels in Philippians 4 enable us to experience
the sighs of the Spirit and share consciously in the good work God is doing in
our lives. Although God is unrelenting
in providing opportunities for spiritual growth, our ability to grow in grace
partly depends on our own efforts.
Despite the invocation of Paul by Augustine and Luther as the theologian
of human passivity in relationship to God’s grace, the Pauline theology of
Philippians is surprisingly Pelagian in its affirmation of divine-human
synergy. God calls and we respond, and in response, God continues to call us
toward our highest good in any given situation.
Though
non-coercive in nature, Paul’s vision of divine providence is fundamental to
the Philippian vision. Every moment can be the source of growth and healing,
especially when we open ourselves to divine energy and possibility through
prayer, thanksgiving, and the use of spiritual affirmations.
Bruce Epperly is a theologian, spiritual
guide, pastor, and author of twenty one books, including Process Theology: A Guide to the Perplexed, Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living,
and Philippians: An Interactive Bible Study. He may be reached at drbruceepperly@aol.com
for lectures, workshops, and retreats.
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