The truth about "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..."

Believers, Philippians 2:12 says: "Therefore, my beloved, 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;"

This verse is only half of one sentence. See the completing part of the sentence in verse 13 below:

"Therefore, my beloved, 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; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

By God's grace, NEVER EVER let anyone deceive you into reading verse 12 as an admonition for you to work FOR your own salvation by obeying the Ten Commandments and doing works of the Law by your will-power to become whatever after you are saved. This false teaching is the doctrine of antichrist "pastors." Galatians 5:4 show us the result of following this antichrist doctrine:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Recall-  "Therefore, my beloved, 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;" -

The obedience that Paul wrote of here IS NOT obeying the Law in order to be saved. This is death. Paul was writing about obedience to the doctrine that he preached: the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ. See this Good News in Romans 1:

16 "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Believer, what Paul preached and what he said the Philippians "always obeyed" tells us how God makes us right in His sight. We see a detailed account of how God makes us right in His sight in Romans 3:

"26...for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

Working out your salvation is not keeping the law or doing its works in order to have salvation. The work of our salvation was completed by Christ when He cried "Finished" at the cross. And right now, this is what He said He is doing in the lives of all who believe in Him: John 6:43-46 (MSG) -

"Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End." 

Believer in Christ, God gives us the desire, willingness and the ability to do His good pleasure and then rewards us for doing what He did in us, through us and for us because (by His grace alone) we obey the truth of the Gospel - Righteousness by Faith. We get to work out the salvation that He worked into us by His own power. This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me." He gets all the glory. 

By God's grace, may no antichrist pastor deceive us into trying to work to earn the salvation that Christ died that we might FREELY have. What work of salvation can man possibly do by his own will-power? Believer, see what God's word says of man, a truth that Paul experienced:

God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, is powerless and cannot. See Romans 7:18-

"For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

But Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail makes many churchgoers say:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I still have some good in me. I can keep the Law and resist temptation to commit sin by my will-power and sheer determination. I can work out my own salvation by keeping the Law and doing good things.”

Reminds one of Peter telling Jesus that He was wrong when Jesus told him of his upcoming denials. Peter seemed to be making good on his promise to die with our Lord Jesus Christ during His betrayal and arrest - he  cut off someone's ear in Jesus' defence– John 18:10-

“Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave.” 

But we all know what happened after Jesus was taken away by the Temple guards. Peter, who had boasted that he would die with Jesus, denied that He even knew Jesus – three times - with swearing and cursing! This principle of life is still very real and is why people start off well in their resolutions to keep the Law for some time but end up failing at some point. If Satan should come to sift like wheat (trials and tests), anyone who depends on his own will-power or effort to work for his own salvation will fail. 

The reason why we are not committing particular sins and why many see themselves as making progress with some resolutions is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas - see 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 - 

"So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall.13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."

If God was not filtering and screening (most times without our being aware of it) we would all be wallowing in serious sins by now. Thinking that one can keep the law by sheer determination and will-power is akin to the human body thinking that it can carry out the function of movement without a skeleton. God's Hand is the "skeleton" that keeps us upright and able to live right. But many are being deceived into believing that, of themselves, they have some good in them.

"Time and Chance" do not conduct SWOT analysis or give notification before throwing weights at anybody, so what do you do if you can only carry 10kg and you get blindsided with a 100 ton weight courtesy of Time and Chance? There is nothing like "I can never do that" in the natural dictionary of any human being. Crayfish must bend to the right condition. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that they can keep the law/keep resolutions/overcome sins/work for their salvation, etc.

Like pre-denial Peter, what we have of our own human effort are good intentions, the undertaking of which are subject to life's circumstances. One popular song says "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Christ said to the rich, young ruler who thought he was doing a good job of keeping the Law: "There is none good but God." In God's sight, every form of righteousness that proceeds from human striving at earning salvation is like a menstrual rag: Isaiah 64:6-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

Christ says in Luke 6: 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Of our human nature and striving, there is no good in any one of us. So how can man produce good fruit from a place of no good? How can man ( who has no good in Him and whose will-power will fail) work out his salvation unless God does it all? You know it is human striving if you can boast about what you did as why you got something from God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ (Romans 8:32) e.g.

"God gave me a jet because I sowed my car."

"I got delivered from generational curse because I fasted for 70 days."

Notice no Christ doing anything in these anti-Christ confessions? Believer in Christ, this "trade by barter" arrangement does not represent our heavenly Father who gives us all things FREELY with Christ: Romans 8:32-

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

In Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and Strength, God fills us to overflowing with His goodness and mercy so much that what is spilling over we can't help but be a blessing to those around us and achieve what others see as impossible. We get to love and live a life of moral excellence that exceeds that which the law demands. We get to give beyond the lawful regulation of the tithe, yet not us but Christ in us, so we cannot boast in the flesh (human effort) at keeping resolutions. This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me."

But Satan, through his ministers in many churches, appeals to the non-existent ability to produce good or be good (be like God) in man. The man that falls for his deceit is able to boast about how his efforts at keeping the Law and doing good things is what got God to bless him. Notice no Christ freely saving/delivering/healing/providing in this false equation of salvation? This is the preaching of the antichrist spirit: it is seemingly holy, godly and thoroughly against sin but very subtly, it tries to reduce, remove or replace the finished work of Christ in freely saving/healing/providing for/making righteous the sinner who believes with human striving.

Satan tries to get man striving to achieve godliness by human effort aka law-keeping. Same strategy was used to deceive Adam and Eve. Satan knows this is how to get one cut off from Jesus Christ the Tree of Life:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Galatians 5:4.

Smack where Satan wants the church to be. Believer, by Grace, let's not be found here. Law-keeping in order to get right with God is the broad road that leads to destruction and many Christians are suffering on this road due wrong beliefs about God. Believer, God is not a "trade by barter" taskmaster who is just waiting in the wings to catch you in your sins so that He can punish you or let the devil have a go at you. He is Abba Father who gave His own Son to die for us that we might live free from sin and death.

Thought to add that there is nothing like generational or other curse in the life of believers in Christ as "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law..." Galatians 3:13.

Believer, by Grace, let's receive the same revelation-knowledge that Paul did - "that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity." No sin is beneath anybody. The reason why we are not committing particular sins is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them or that they can obey the Law and overcome trials and tests by human striving aka the arm of flesh.

By Grace, stop trying to save yourself from your sins by your own will-power (arm of flesh) that will fail. Trust in Christ of whom it is written in Matthew 1:21-

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus did not come to tell bad people to try to be good or to "try and change" by will-power and sheer determination. With man this is impossible. He came to raise the dead (in sin) to life (in HIS righteousness - we have none of ours) and that we might have life more abundantly. With God, all things are possible.

SALVATION in Christ is not behaviour modification by human effort at suppressing sinful urges by human effort at keeping the Law or resolutions. The arm of flesh (human effort at keeping the Law and resolutions) will fail and when it does, those suppressed sinful passions will explode in a volcanic eruption of sins that lead to death (Romans 7:5.) 

SALVATION in Christ is all about hearts transformation by the Holy Spirit. In Christ, God sees us as 100% righteous, despite our many flaws and imperfections. Romans 5:9 says of Him:

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Believer, this is how our heavenly Father in Christ sees us. And His Word concerning us here isn't something that we believe just for the sake of it. By seeing ourselves as He sees us, we are being transformed. As we continue to see ourselves through the mirror of God's Word (Christ Himself: Grace-personified) and not through the Law (which kills and which Romans 3:20 says was given to show us how sinful we are,) we are being transformed by His Spirit: 2 Corinthians 3:18-

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Only imperfect people need transformation. The one who can transform himself to "be like God" by will-power and human striving (arm of flesh) at obeying the Law does not need the Spirit of the Lord to transform him. With Christ as our righteousness, we are 100% righteous in God's sight and "so lovely" to Jesus Christ our Shepherd-King through whom we have God's super-abounding Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ that causes us to live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ: Romans 5:16-17:

16 “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.”

Good works (our salvation that we work out) are EVIDENCES of our salvation in Christ, not CONDITIONS. We get to work out our salvation because "It is no longer I that live but Christ lives me."

Through (and only through) Christ's shed blood does God sees all who believe in Him as righteous and free from His wrath forever: See Romans 5:9-

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

If our salvation depended on a hair's breadth of our own human effort, nobody can be saved. Beware of false preachers who give you the impression that you can do anything at all of yourself much less work to earn your own salvation. Christ does it ALL.

Right believing always produces right living.