Paul now brings everything back to practical living. After showing us Christ’s humility and exaltation, he calls the believer to obedience. This church had a track record of obedience-they had lived under the Lordship of Christ daily. But this obedience was not just eye service. It wasn’t about appearance or impressing others.
Paul emphasizes that their obedience was not only in his presence, but even more in his absence. The Christian life is lived for the audience of One. It is not about living right when the pastor is watching, or when others are around-it is about living in the awareness that “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13). God sees everything, and He is the one we must please.
When Paul says, “work out your own salvation,” he is not teaching a works-based salvation. This is not working for salvation-it is allowing salvation to be lived out. In the context of conflict and relationships, this means letting salvation affect every part of life. Salvation includes justification, sanctification, and glorification-but here the focus is sanctification: daily obedience and growth in becoming like Christ.
To “work out” salvation means to let what God has done inside show on the outside. It affects our relationships, our responses, and our actions. As Philippians 1:27 teaches, our lives should be worthy of the gospel. A Christian is one who lives like Christ (Acts 11:26).
The phrase “fear and trembling” speaks of a deep desire to please the Lord. It is a seriousness about living right. As Lightfoot described it, it is “a nervous and trembling anxiety to do right.” This is not fear of losing salvation-it is a heart that wants to honour God.
We must be diligent in the use of all the means which lead to our salvation, persevering therein to the end. With great care, lest, with all our advantages, we should come short. Work out your salvation, for it is God who worketh in you. This encourages us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain: we must still depend on the grace of God. The working of God's grace in us, is to quicken and engage our endeavours. God's good-will to us, is the cause of his good work in
us. Do your duty without murmurings. Do it, and do not find fault with it. Mind your work, and do not quarrel with it. By peaceableness; give no just occasion of offence. The children of God should differ from the sons of men. The more perverse others are, the more careful we should be to keep ourselves blameless and harmless. The doctrine and example of consistent believers will enlighten others, and direct their way to Christ and holiness, even as the light-house warns mariners to avoid
rocks, and directs their course into the harbour. Let us try thus to shine. The gospel is the word of life, it makes known to us eternal life through Jesus Christ. Running, denotes earnestness and vigour, continual pressing forward; labouring, denotes constancy, and close application. It is the will of God that believers should be much in rejoicing; and those who are so happy as to have good ministers, have great reason to rejoice with them.
Paul now brings everything back to practical living. After showing us Christ’s humility and exaltation, he calls the believer to obedience. This church had a track record of obedience-they had lived under the Lordship of Christ daily. But this obedience was not just eye service. It wasn’t about appearance or impressing others.
Paul emphasizes that their obedience was not only in his presence, but even more in his absence. The Christian life is lived for the audience of One. It is not about living right when the pastor is watching, or when others are around-it is about living in the awareness that “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13). God sees everything, and He is the one we must please.
When Paul says, “work out your own salvation,” he is not teaching a works-based salvation. This is not working for salvation-it is allowing salvation to be lived out. In the context of conflict and relationships, this means letting salvation affect every part of life. Salvation includes justification, sanctification, and glorification-but here the focus is sanctification: daily obedience and growth in becoming like Christ.
To “work out” salvation means to let what God has done inside show on the outside. It affects our relationships, our responses, and our actions. As Philippians 1:27 teaches, our lives should be worthy of the gospel. A Christian is one who lives like Christ (Acts 11:26).
The phrase “fear and trembling” speaks of a deep desire to please the Lord. It is a seriousness about living right. As Lightfoot described it, it is “a nervous and trembling anxiety to do right.” This is not fear of losing salvation-it is a heart that wants to honour God.
We must be diligent in the use of all the means which lead to our salvation, persevering therein to the end. With great care, lest, with all our advantages, we should come short. Work out your salvation, for it is God who worketh in you. This encourages us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain: we must still depend on the grace of God. The working of God's grace in us, is to quicken and engage our endeavours. God's good-will to us, is the cause of his good work in
us. Do your duty without murmurings. Do it, and do not find fault with it. Mind your work, and do not quarrel with it. By peaceableness; give no just occasion of offence. The children of God should differ from the sons of men. The more perverse others are, the more careful we should be to keep ourselves blameless and harmless. The doctrine and example of consistent believers will enlighten others, and direct their way to Christ and holiness, even as the light-house warns mariners to avoid
rocks, and directs their course into the harbour. Let us try thus to shine. The gospel is the word of life, it makes known to us eternal life through Jesus Christ. Running, denotes earnestness and vigour, continual pressing forward; labouring, denotes constancy, and close application. It is the will of God that believers should be much in rejoicing; and those who are so happy as to have good ministers, have great reason to rejoice with them.