Phil 2:12–18
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We believe the Bible teaches that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone, through faith alone, as a gracious gift of God. What, then, are we to make of Paul’s command to the Philippian church in Philippians 2:12: ”...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”?
What role does our obedience (“work out”) play in our salvation? We can come up with all sorts of confused answers. On the one hand, since there is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation and since God has done all the work, we are tempted to coast with regard to our spiritual life. We expect the fruit of the Spirit to come easy. On the other hand, we can be tempted to think that with a little more effort and a little more obedience, we can make ourselves more worthy. We treat God like we can earn his favor with our obedience. Neither of these approaches is what Paul is talking about here.
So what does Paul mean that we “work out” our salvation? What should motivate us to obey this command? What hope do we have of obeying it successfully? These are the questions we’re going to wrestle with together on Sunday morning. Paul gives us a glorious promise and shows us the tremendous power that motivates and enables our obedience. Join us this Sunday in the Skyline Plaza at 8:45 am for Sunday school and 10 am for Sunday service, and we’ll explore Paul’s answers together.