The Olympic flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. In ancient Greece, a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of those first Olympiads. The fire was introduced at the Games of the IX Olympiad 1928 in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. 

Over the years, it has become a tradition to let famous athletes with significant achievements and milestones have the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron, which commemorates the games’ commencement. 

Famous light-bearers of the torch have included heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1996) and ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (2010).

In our modern age, the eyes of millions from across the globe gaze upon the light-bearers as they enter the Olympic Stadium, holding forth a torch, a powerful symbol of the games, for these light-bearers represent something much bigger than themselves.

When the Apostle Paul addressed the church at Philippi, he exhorted them in one section of the letter to be light-bearers, not of international cooperation and competition, but of spiritual light that emanates from the Lord Himself, Who is Light and the Light of the World. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).  “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (John 8:12). As followers of Jesus, we are most certainly light-bearers of someone bigger than ourselves, namely the living God!

In this section of Philippians 2, Paul connected light-bearing to the actions and attitudes of believers in Philippi as it pertained to their witness:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Philippians 2:12-16).

 Work Out Your Salvation

When Paul told them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling in verse 12, he was not talking about earning or keeping one’s salvation. Rather, he was referring to following the Lord, striving to be obedient in the Christian life within the sanctification process. The Greek word rendered “work out” means “to continually work to bring something to fulfillment or completion.” This is to be changed by Christ and used by Christ as we walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

For you and me, as we work out our salvation as it relates to the Great Commission and our Christian witness, the Lord desires to work in us both to “will and to do for His good pleasure” (verse 13). For we, the Church, are God’s vessel to fulfill the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations. In fact, there is no plan B! The Church is the hope of the world, and each of us has a part to play as He builds His Church.

Do All Things Without Complaining And Disputing

When Paul penned these words to the believers in Philippi, the overall theme of the letter was joy. This was a powerful aspect of Paul’s testimony. Remember, Paul, writing this epistle while sitting in a Roman jail cell, exhorted his audience to be joyful in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

In contrast to the exhortation of rejoicing, Paul instructed them to “do all things without grumbling and disputing” in verse 14. The idea implies to refrain from complaining against and rejecting the Lord’s providence, will, and circumstances of one’s life, whatever they are. 

Paul experienced joy even amid life in a jail cell. For he “learned to be content in whatever circumstances” (Philippians 4:11) he found himself.

Blameless and Innocent—Appearing as Lights

Here is the endgame of Paul’s reasoning in this section. The result of the believers in Philippi doing all things without grumbling or complaining would be two-fold: 

1. They would be “blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).

To live uniquely and distinctly, following the Lord, is a powerful testimony to unbelievers in our midst. For when our theology takes on biology, walking in the light as He is in the light, those outside the faith can’t accuse of us of hypocrisy and evil.

Paul’s instruction to walk blameless and innocent in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation had an initial first century audience, all of us today can certainly agree there is a powerful twenty-first century application, for today’s culture continues to descend morally. 

2. They would appear as “lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16).  

A powerful by-product of holy living would be holy shining. That word “appear” can, according to one Bible commentator, more precisely be rendered “you have to shine” in the midst of spiritual darkness, as the sun, moon, and stars shine powerfully in an otherwise dark sky! 

As we walk with the Lord, we are going to be more inclined to “hold fast the word of life,” which essentially means to share the gospel, offering new life in Christ, for we can confidently proclaim that because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can be forgiven, experience abundant and eternal life, and truly be joyful and hopeful in the midst of a world in great need of joy and hope, for we have good news, the best news.

So go forth, my fellow light-bearer, boldly entering the darkness of brokenness in our needy world, shining the light of Christ and holding fast the word of life. As you do, may the God of Light pierce the darkness of unbelief in those you know and meet, that many receive the Light and walk in the Light, for the glory or our great God and for the building of His Church. Amen.