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Fear and trembling

by Adam Bennett  
6/06/2008 / Christian Living

I have often thought about what Paul meant by, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," (Philippians 2:12 ESV).

Before any other remarks it's important to say we do not produce our own salvation. Paul wrote, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:9-9 NIV).

However, in case we doubted that our inward life must have an impact on our outward life, in this verse Paul uses the phrase, "work out" to translate the Greek word katergazomai. This Greek word refers to things being achieved or produced.

For instance, the word is translated achieving in 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV) in, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Or, in Romans 5:3 (NIV) it is translated produces in, "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance."

I think the New Living Translation gets the sense of the verse right when it says, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation."

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it out? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you." (My Utmost for His Highest, May 15)

Just as we are reminded that, "we love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19) the working out of our faith can only happen because, "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (v.13 ESV).

Next, Paul wrote that we should work with "fear and trembling." The working out of our faith is the most important vocation of our lives. We work in response to the initiative of Almighty God and we work toward his purpose and "good pleasure".

CH Spurgeon wrote, "With such a responsibility, how solemn your work becomes! He who is doing a work for himself may do as he likes, but he who is labouring for another must take care to please his master." (Spiritual Parenting, p.105)

Copyright Adam Bennett 2009. More articles are available at http://godward-thoughts.blogspot.com/

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