Work Out Your Salvation

Therefore my dear friends, 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 the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God. Do all things without grumbling and disputing, in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world, holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you. And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.

Work Out Your Salvation

The first thing that must be said about this verse is he did not say “work for your salvation.”

We cannot forget Ephesians 2:8-9

They the church of Philipi are no different from us. we have been saved by grace.

What does it mean to be saved?

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Now it is time to bring the salvation to completion, to live out the fact that they have been saved.

The word “salvation” comes from the same Latin root word as “salve,” an ointment for healing. To be saved is to be made whole. In Greek the word is sōtēria, meaning not only salvation, but preservation.

σωτηρία - sōtēria = Salvation

There is a beginning point in our salvation experience, the point of repentance and justification—the time of our faith commitment to Jesus Christ—this is only the beginning. We are to “work out” our salvation, to grow into maturity, into the full stature of Christ.

Obedience

Salvation involves faith. (Eph. 2:8; 2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 1:9). We do not properly understand Paul’s meaning of faith unless we know that the primary ingredients of it are trust and obedience. (See commentary on Gal. 2:15–16.) When Paul talked about the Thessalonians’ coming to faith (1 Thess. 1:8), he wrote of their obedience. In Romans 1:8 he wrote of “your faith” and in Romans 16:19 of “your obedience,” clearly meaning the same thing. In Romans 1:5, he used the actual phrase “obedience of faith,” probably meaning “obedience which is faith.”

“Do all things without complaining and disputing,” Paul says in verse 14. He is talking about the Philippians’ style of getting along with each other, to be sure. But since this follows the admonition to work out salvation with fear and trembling, it also suggests the content of what they are to do without murmuring and disputing. They are to obey—to take God at His word, to act with the conviction that the promises of God in Christ are true.

In the OT, soon after being delivered by God (Exod 14:21–22), the Israelites began to express their discontent (Exod 15:24); they failed to recognize and acknowledge God’s provision. After they grumbled against God about their food and Moses’ leadership, God sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years (Num 14:26–27, 33), until the entire generation that complained had died (Num 14:29).

When you allow God to work in you, you do everything without complaining or arguing. Unsaved people might be expected to complain and dispute, but Christians are to have changed lives. We do the work God has for us without being negative or rebellious.

Abandonment

If we are obedient, we may become blameless and pure or “without fault” in contrast to the culture around us. Our life resembles our divine Father rather than our pagan neighbors.

Paul hear echoes Deut 32:5

Deuteronomy 32:5 LEB

They have behaved corruptly toward him; they are not his children; this is their flaw, a generation crooked and perverse.

Believers are to be so distinct from unbelievers that we stand out as positive models. If God is working in our lives, we are to be unlike the godless society around us. We are to make them curious as to why we are not like them. Christ, himself, said that we are to be “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). Paul says we are to be as conspicuous in the world as stars are in the dark nighttime heavens.

In Obedience we are to give up control with abandonment. Abandon myself in faith to the Christ-life process.

We pour out our lives “as a drink offering,” as a sacrifice, for the sake of others. Jewish as well as pagan sacrifices were normally accompanied by a libation of wine (2 Kin. 16:2; Jude 7:18; Hos. 9:4). Priests not only poured libations of wine, but of blood, thus the connection between the two in Lord Supper.

And when we live with abandon we will shine like stars.

Which alludes to Dan 12:2-3

Daniel 12:2–3 LEB

And many from those sleeping in the dusty ground will awake, some to everlasting life and some to disgrace and everlasting contempt. But the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse, and the ones providing justice for the many will be like the stars forever and ever.

By reflecting God’s character through their conduct, believers stand out against the darkness of the world and reveal the transformative power of the gospel.

We Grasp hold of the Gospel and our lives are to reflect the Glory of YHWH.

Rejoicing

If anyone had the right to complain it was Paul. Yet he was an example of what he preached. Facing death in prison he viewed it as an act of worship, a sacrifice, a drink offering to God.

We, Too, can experience joy under difficult circumstance. If our primary purpose is serving God and Others

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 LEB

For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? For you are our glory and joy.

Jesus is the author and the finisher of faith (Heb. 12:2), of our faith, but we must believe all the same and keep on looking to Him, the goal of faith and endeavour. There is no higher standard of rectitude than God’s good pleasure by which He regulates our lives. Happy is the man who finds God’s plan for his life and falls in with it.

You Rejoice and Rejoice with Me - Imperatives.

Archbishop Anthony Bloom, the Russian Orthodox

A Christian should be like a sheep dog. When the shepherd wants him to do something, he lies down at his feet, looks intently into the shepherd’s eyes, and listens without budging until he has understood the mind of his master. Then he jumps to his feet and runs to do it. And the third characteristic, which is not less important: at no moment does the dog stop wagging its tail.”

Next Steps

No Work will Save you, but Work so that as you get into heaven, Heaven gets into you.

---Bibliography----

Dunnam, Maxie D., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon. Vol. 31. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982.

Anders, Max. Galatians-Colossians. Vol. 8. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Harris, W. Hall, III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, Douglas Mangum, John Dunham, Jeffrey A. Reimer, and Micah Wierenga, eds. The Lexham English Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.