Salvation - God's Work or Mine?

Today I will share a difficult passage with you.  One which has caused much confusion and just as much consternation for the people of God.  Pray the Spirit guides our hearts and minds as we delve into His Word.

So then, my beloved, just 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 is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:12-13

On the surface it sounds as if Paul is telling us that our salvation is up to us!  And when we combine this with his statement that we are to be obedient, it can be perceived that through our own obedience we will obtain salvation for ourselves.  The only problem with this interpretation is that if flies in the face of the grace of God!

In order to rightly understand this passage, we must go deeper into the meaning of the text and then make sure our understanding is balanced by the full Words of Scripture.  So, lets break it down and seek God’s wisdom in this text.

Paul tells us we should “obey” in his absence just as in his presence.  In other words, be obedient with or without me present!  Sounds simple doesn’t it. But this places us squarely back in the area of works because the outcome of our relationship with God is dependent upon how obedient we are.  

While the meaning of the word obey can mean simply do what is commanded, such as a servant being obedient to his master, the word used in our text has deeper nuances than what we might first expect.  In our text when Paul writes, just as you have always obeyed, the meaning is “to do on the basis of having paid attention to.”  In other words, follow what you have learned to be true!  Not blind obedience to a command, but a heartfelt devotion to the truth.  This certainly changes the understanding of the opening words of our text.  Let’s move on!

Paul writes, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  This sounds as if we are responsible for our salvation.  The burden is squarely on our shoulders.  If we are saved, we did it right!  If we are lost, it is we who failed God.  If this were actually the truth, we should all go and dig a hole!  There is not hope, and only death awaits.

First, the Greek verb rendered “work out” means “to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition.”  We do this by actively pursuing sanctification, which Paul explains further in the next chapter of Philippians. He describes himself as “straining” and “pressing on” toward the goal of Christlikeness (Philippians 3:13-14).

When Paul says we are to fear, he does not use this word saying we are to be terrified!  Actually, if our salvation were to truly depend on our ability to be faithful, maybe we should be terrified at the thought of standing before God!  Paul is actually telling us to stand in awe and reverence before God as we strive for what we know to be true.  

The “trembling” he references is the attitude Christians are to have in pursuing this goal.  Yes, there is a healthy fear of offending God through disobedience, but also an awe and respect for His majesty and holiness. “Trembling” can also refer to a shaking due to weakness, but this is a weakness of higher purpose, one which brings us to the point of total dependency on God.

The key for our understanding in this text are the words of the second verse, for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.  According to Paul, who is the one working in us?  It is God who is working, not us!  Our salvation is not based on works or our ability to remain faithful, but on God’s working and faithfulness to us.  

What we hear in these words are reminiscent of the words we have already heard, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6.

So, what is actually being said to us?  Hold onto what you know to be true. The truth you have been holding onto!  As you hold onto this truth, do so standing in awe of God and with total dependance on Him.  Do so knowing it is He who is at work in you to accomplish your salvation.  Know that your salvation is what brings great joy to His heart.

This is what Paul is seeking to encourage in us today through the letter he sent long ago to our brothers and sisters in Christ at Philippi!  Nothing has changed!  The truth we hold onto is Jesus and the grace of God in Him which has changed our lives.

In Christ,
Pastor Russ