Philippians 2:12–13 (NIV)
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
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A Living Faith, Not an Earned One
If there’s one verse that has often caused Christians to pause and think deeply, it’s Paul’s instruction to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” At first glance, it can sound as if we’re being told to earn our salvation. But that’s far from Paul’s intent.
Salvation is — and always will be — a gift of grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul himself makes this clear elsewhere:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
So what does it mean to work out our salvation? The phrase conveys the idea of bringing something to completion or living out what’s already true. It’s like tending to a garden that’s already been planted — we nurture, water, and care for what God has begun in us.
We don’t work for salvation; we work from salvation.
Fear and Trembling: Awe, Not Anxiety
Paul’s phrase “fear and trembling” is not about living in dread of losing salvation. Instead, it speaks of reverent awe before the majesty of God — a realization of just how holy He is and how profound His work in our lives truly is.
Charles Spurgeon once said:
“When a man knows the love of Christ, it breaks his heart much more than the terrors of law ever could.”
The “fear” Paul speaks of flows from love and reverence, not insecurity. It’s the humble posture of someone who stands before God’s holiness with gratitude and wonder. It’s the trembling awareness that the Lord of heaven is personally involved in shaping our character, desires, and actions.
When we understand that it is “God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose,” fear becomes awe, and trembling becomes worship.
Assurance and Awe: Two Sides of the Same Faith
At first glance, assurance and fear seem like opposites. But in the Christian life, they actually strengthen each other.
We can be fully confident in Christ’s finished work on the cross — knowing our salvation is secure — and yet still approach God with deep reverence.
John Calvin once reflected on this balance:
“True piety does not consist in a cold speculation of God, but in adoration joined with fear and reverence.”
The more we grasp God’s grace, the more deeply we’re moved by His holiness. Grace does not lead to complacency; it compels us to live carefully and gratefully before Him.
Letting God Work in You
Working out our salvation means yielding to God’s ongoing work within us — cooperating with His Spirit as we grow in obedience, holiness, and love. It’s an active partnership: we obey, God empowers. We surrender, God transforms.
As A.W. Tozer put it:
“The believer must come where his own will and God’s will cross; there he must say yes to God and no to himself.”
That’s the very heart of “working out” salvation — not through self-effort, but through humble surrender.
For Today
Take a moment to reflect:
- Are you letting God work in you to will and to act according to His purpose?
- Do you live with both confidence in His grace and reverence for His holiness?
- Is there an area of your life that needs to align more fully with what God is working out in your heart?
Live with assurance — because Christ has secured your salvation — and live with awe, because the almighty God is shaping you from the inside out.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for saving me by grace through faith. Help me to live in joyful awe of You — confident in Your love and humble before Your holiness. Work in me to will and to act according to Your good purpose. Amen.
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