Philippians 2:13 - God working in you the wanting and working?

Does Philippians 2:13 have conditions?


Philippians 2:13: "For God is the (One) WORKING in you both the wanting and the working, for (His) good-pleasure."


Conditions:

God is "WORKING in you both the wanting and the working" (Philippians 2:13). Now there would be a condition on the part of man to work out what God would be WORKING in man. Indeed in the previous verse, it is written about the part of man to "be-working-out" (Philippians 2:12) this WORKING, as it is written: "be-working-out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).


If God is "WORKING in you both the wanting and the working" (Philippians 2:13), would it be possible to want or work anything different than what God is WORKING in you?

Yes, as Paul for example wrote: "I also am-laboring, struggling according-to His working WORKING in me" (Colossians 1:29). Paul was laboring according-to the working WORKING in him. This could suggest a cooperation of two: Paul's labor, and the working WORKING in Paul.

If we apply this principle to the "WANTING" (Philippians 2:13), Paul here would be willing according-to the WANTING WORKING in him. This could suggest a cooperation of two: Paul's will, and the WANTING WORKING in Paul.



The idea of a cooperation between the two could for example be hinted at the fact that Paul commanded in the previous verse: "be-working-out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). The Greek word for "be-working-out" (Philippians 2:12) is in the imperative mood, which expresses a command to the hearer to perform something by the order and authority of the one commanding. Paul did not use the indicative mood in the Greek, which would simply have been a statement of fact that would have described in this case a consequence which would have followed from God "WORKING in you both the wanting and the working" (Philippians 2:13). This would also be evidence that the working out would not have been expected to necessarily happen automatically.

The idea of a cooperation between the two could also be hinted in the following passage. In what follows, it is described that it is possible for the WANTING of man to not go the same way as the WANTING of God, as for example Jesus said: "How-often I-WANTED to-gather-together your children the way (a) hen gathers-together her chicks under (her) wings, and you-did not WANT (it)" (Matthew 23:37). This indicates that a cooperation may or may not happen between the two. An objection may be that Jesus would have expressed in Matthew 23:37 His own WANTING and not the WANTING of God (the Father), but an answer could be that Jesus implied that His WANTING was always aligned with the WANTING of God, when Jesus said for example: "I-am not seeking My will, but the will (of) the (One) having-sent Me" (John 5:30). 



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