Philippians 2:12-13

English Standard Version Chapter 2

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure

v.12 Paul moves from theological concept of Christ death and resurrection, to how to implement it in daily life.

The Letter to the Philippians D. Work out Your Salvation (2:12–18)

The way to continue obeying Christ is to work out. The imperative means “to cause a state or condition, bring about, produce, or create.” A few examples will illustrate Paul’s use of this word. “The law brings wrath” (Rom 4:15); “suffering produces perseverance” (Rom 5:3); “sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting” (Rom 7:8); “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory” (2 Cor 4:17). Paul uses this word to call his friends to bring about, produce, achieve, or create something.

The Letter to the Philippians (D. Work out Your Salvation (2:12–18))

In order to understand what Paul is saying here, we need to remind ourselves that his interest in this context is social harmony in the community of believers. The entire context for Paul’s imperative to work out your salvation has to do with unity in the church. His previous imperatives call for unity: stand firm in one Spirit, striving together with one accord (1:27); make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (2:2). His subsequent imperative also focuses on social harmony: do everything without grumbling or arguing (2:14). In the light of Paul’s focus in this context on unity in the church, the command to work out your salvation “is to be understood in a corporate sense. The entire church, which had grown spiritually ill (2:3–4), is charged now with taking whatever steps are necessary to restore itself to health, integrity, and wholeness.”

In light of the issues and division, work them out. Do so becuase with fear and trembling because the survival of the church is at stake. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling concerning the possibility of failure.

J. Harold Greenlee, An Exegetical Summary of Philippians (Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1992), Php 2:12.

What are our thoughts on working out your salvation?

work out κατεργάζομαι to bear down to the ground,” “to overcome,” maintaining the older local sense of κατά; b. “to work at,” “make.” Refined by constant use, it gradually takes on the sense of the simple, so that the verb signifies working at, and finally accomplishing, a task

Georg Bertram, “Κατεργάζομαι,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 634.

v.13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The Letter to the Philippians (D. Work out Your Salvation (2:12–18))

Immediately after his imperative to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Paul encourages his readers by asserting, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Paul is well aware that the work of building the community of believers is frustrating when selfish ambitions and self-interest (1:15–17; 2:3–4) shred the fabric of the community. Workers burn out and give up in such discouraging situations. But Paul gives the builders of the Christian community in Philippi a very good reason to have supreme confidence that their work is not in vain: for God originally initiated, presently sustains, and ultimately will complete all their work by his indwelling power. God works in you. The verb works in means “to put one’s capabilities into operation, work, be at work, be active, operate, and be effective.” All the capabilities of God are in operation, active, and effective in the work of believers.

Has there ever been a time where you were working toward a goal and in-fighting seemed to ruin or delay progress?