Working Out Your Salvation

“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 salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

Paul is encouraging the church in Phillipi to work out their salvation to honor and glorify God. This passage can be confusing to some because it could be taken that we need to work for our salvation. It could also be assumed that we must be scared to death about how we live our lives because God is there to judge everything we do.

However, if we look a little deeper, we see that it encourages each of us to apply biblical truth to our lives to please God. It is only through our desire and ability to change our lives’ negative things that gives God great pleasure.

Working out your salvation doesn’t mean you have to work for your salvation. It means that salvation is only the beginning of a lifelong journey of Spiritual Growth. When you receive the gift of salvation, you accept Jesus into your life, but you still tend to fail in sin. You’ve only allowed Jesus to come and begin to clean things up. Working out your salvation is the process of removing the sinful nature that was once your life and replacing it with Godly character and qualities.

Fear and trembling don’t mean being terrified of making a mistake. God loves you and accepts you for who you are, mistakes and all. It is simply saying that we should have determination and perseverance in this process. You’re going to fail sometimes. That doesn’t mean God counts you out. It just means you’ve messed up, and it’s time to try again. You can’t become super Christian overnight. It takes time, consistency, and work.

If you want to start working out your salvation today, then ask God to reveal areas in your life that need to be changed and begin making small changes. Next, get into the Word of God and start studying. Finally, be consistent. Take a little time every week to check on your progress.

Before you know it, you’ll be making leaps and bounds in your Spiritual growth.