Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Philippians 2:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Verse 13 gives the reason the church can obey: God is working within their willing and acting for his good purpose. It does not make their action unnecessary; it grounds and enables it.
Read It With
- Philippians 2:12–13
Verse 12 commands the church to work out its salvation, while verse 13 explains that God is already at work within its willing and acting.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The word 'for' ties God's work directly to the command in verse 12. Paul holds together God's enabling action and the community's responsibility before describing their public witness in verses 14–16.
Read Philippians 2:12–13 together
Why these verses belong together: The command to work out salvation is grounded by God's work within the community.
Verse 12. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
Verse 13. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Follow the Context
- Continue obeying whether Paul is present or absent.
- Work out salvation with reverent seriousness.
- Do this because God is working within the community's willing and acting.
- Reject grumbling and crooked argument so the church can shine while holding to the word of life.
- Paul and the church can rejoice together even when service is sacrificial.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Philippians 2:13 does not teach that believers remain passive because God acts.
The verse does not teach that human effort earns God's saving work.
What Remains True
God works within his people in a way that enables and calls forth real obedience.
How It Can Shape Life
- Depend on God's enabling work while taking responsibility for the obedient action the passage requires.
Teach It Back
Explain why the word 'for' in Philippians 2:13 matters for reading verse 12. How do God's work and the church's action fit together?
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Philippians 2:12–18 — Live Out God's Work Without GrumblingSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The KJV wording and immediate English context for Philippians 2:12–18.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Philippians 2; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and punctuation used as the base text for this passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Phil.txt, Philippians 2, verses within Philippians 2:12–18.
Open the Philippians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Philippians with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Material English translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants identified for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Philippians 2, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Philippians 2:12–18.
Open NET Philippians 2 ↗A major interpretive source
Philippians: A Commentary
Paul A. Holloway
Fortress Press, Hermeneia, 2017
Supports: Passage structure, historical setting, Greek analysis, and interpretive alternatives tested against the primary text.
Exact location: Paul A. Holloway, Philippians: A Commentary (Hermeneia), pp. 130–137.
Open the book record ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: A cross-check of the Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for words surfaced to readers.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Greek lexical records, Philippians 2, verses within Philippians 2:12–18.
Open source ↗