Work Out Your Salvation??

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 

--Philippians 2:12

What was the Apostle Paul trying to communicate about salvation?

• Was he telling Christians that everyone’s salvation is different, that each person has to figure it out on his own?
• Was he making a point about individual responsibility?
• What does fear and trembling have to do with salvation? Fear of what?

Salvation: 

Paul was writing to Christians, those who were in a state of having been saved. Sometimes we are so accustomed to the word salvation that it becomes cliché. It is easy to forget that salvation is more accurately salvation from the wrath of God because of sin.

Work out: 

The phrase “work out your salvation” is not about ‘figuring it out’ but working through to completion. Salvation is not like a treasure hunt in which cryptic clues are discovered and must be figured out. (That’s the Hollywood way.) Rather, God has made it clear how a person can be saved from His wrath due to sin. In addition, God has made it plain how followers of Jesus are to order their lives while living in this world. There is no mystery about God’s expectations for the saints.

So, working out one’s salvation is not a mystery that is individualized. The phrase was meant to encourage endurance. Work it through to completion. Don’t give up part way through. Remain loyal.

Obedience: 

Look at the phrase, “just as you have always obeyed.” The early Christians would have understood fully what they were to obey. Paul was referring to obedience in their Christian life. They were obedient to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. This was what they had ‘always obeyed.’ It really is that simple. That admonition carries forward to us. We are encouraged to hold fast to the things that God has revealed to us in His written word. Again, it is not a mysterious code. There may be passages that are challenging, but God’s instruction is clear and simple.

Fear and Trembling: 

Many believers today latch hold of a scripture they like:, such as, Call on the Lord and you’ll be saved. Or, believe in the Lord and you’ll be saved. The New Testament teaches these things but not in the absence of obedience, purity, and loyalty.

Many wish to portray God as a tolerant friend instead of Creator. Other’s fixate on ‘Father’ forgetting that God is also our Judge and demands holiness. ‘Fear and trembling’ call us to soberness, to say the least.

Ancient Jericho trembled when Israel approached. The Bible says that there was no spirit in them any longer. That means that they trembled to the point of being virtually lifeless. They had lost all motivation to fight. They could not run or cry for help. They trembled, accepting certain defeat.

We must have confidence in God’s word because God keeps His promises. And yet we must also possess a sense of awe and reverence toward God. We are not to be scared, but fearful. 

There is no personalized instruction to you and me. So, every time we open God’s word we must recognize that individually we are the learner, the slave, the child. We must open God’s book for understanding. We must be serious about interpreting God’s word according to what He intended, not what it means to me. And we must be careful to apply God’s word in obedient allegiance to Jesus, our King. This is not done without reverence and awe toward God, and yes, a measure of fear and trembling.

Mark Stinnett

June 28, 2026