Philippians 2:12, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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."
1. What does Paul mean by "work out your own salvation?"
Philippians 2:13, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" He wants us to be His lights in this crooked and perverse nation, however, He will not force us.
If we are not participating in our own salvation, we will be leaving it to God to do it for us. But God asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him. It is a partnership.
Matthew 16:24-27, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Our works will demonstrate our faith.
Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." When we deny ourselves, we allow God to work through us. It is His will working within us. God has told us what this life is about and how it is going to end. He tells us we must have faith; however, true faith requires works.
2 Thessalonians 3:10, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." Why does Paul tell us we need to work if we want to eat? Because we need our daily bread, but if we refuse to work for our daily bread will not eat. We are then choosing to deny Jesus and His Word. When our works flow from our faith, God's will and love are seen in this world, James 2:26, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." It is a partnership.
2. What does Paul mean by "fear and trembling?"
The works that are the fruit of our faith come from our fear and trembling. We need to have someone greater than ourselves leading us, otherwise, we will follow the flesh to death.
When we have the proper image of God in our minds, we will be in awe of Him and when we are wandering off the path to Him, we will tremble, which allows us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us back to the path of life. John 16:12-14, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
God is a worthy leader, who loves everyone. He has created a world where everything works together for good to those who love Him, and are called to His purpose, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
He is worthy because He created everything, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." and Psalm 33:6, 8, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." and Revelations 4:11, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
We are always trying to prove we are capable of being our own god, Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." However, it never works out in the end. Deuteronomy 28:15, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:" and Jeremiah 5:25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you."
He has provided the proof we need, if we are willing to open our minds, Romans 1:18-20, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
God has created all of the laws of nature, which control how things will work together. When we choose to deny any of His laws, we suffer the consequences of our defiance. Like walking off the edge of a 30-story building, or lying to our spouse, thus destroying the trust that was meant to protect the relationship. It is our choice.
Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"
God has placed us in unique places throughout this world. This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those you believe would be blessed by hearing it. Bless you! If you want to receive the Quarterly Newsletter, email us at bill@reasoningwithgod.com. If you want to read past blogs, go to https://www.reasoningwithgod.com/blog.
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