Work out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling, Phil 2:12-13
5/27/07 P. Dixon
12 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,
Paul is concerned about the division in the church at Philippi. Two women who had labored with him in the beginning there at Philippi were at differences with each other and it threatened the life of the church. Divisions in general can cause hard feelings, disgruntlement, disillusionment and bitterness. On top of this, if left unchecked, it will rob them of the joy that is uniquely Christian.
What causes divisions in the church? Furthermore, what is the cure for it? James, another apostle, had something to say about the cause of divisions. He asks, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel (Js 4:1-2). Here in Philippians, in the immediately preceding context, Paul gives us in one verse both the cause and the solution for divisions. He says, do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus (2:4-5). The cause of divisions is rivalry and pride; and the solution is humility, whereby we regard others as more significant than ourselves. Calvin says this gives us a definition of true humility - “when every one esteems himself less than others.“ That is how Christ thought of himself in relation to His Father, and that is how we are to think of ourselves in relationship to one another.
Calvin asks the question, how is it “possible that one who is in reality distinguished above others can reckon those to be superior to him who he knows are greatly beneath him?” And answers, “this altogether depends on a right estimate of God’s gifts, and our own infirmities. For however any one may be distinguished by illustrious endowments he ought to consider with himself that they have not been conferred upon him that he might be self-complacent, that he might exalt himself, or even that he might hold himself in esteem. Let him, instead of this, employ himself in correcting and detecting his faults, and he will have abundant occasion for humility. In others, on the other hand, he will regard with honour whatever there is of excellences, and will … by means of love bury their faults. The man who will observe this rule, will feel no difficulty in preferring others before himself.” (Calvin’s commentary, p. 53).
This is the background for the imperative, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is given in the context of acquiring or working on a mindset of humility towards your brother or sister in Christ. Notice he does not say, work for your salvation. No, this is not a works salvation he is talking about. Rather, he says work out your salvation. Their salvation is assumed. Now he wants them to put their salvation to work. They are saved by grace through faith alone, but they are now responsible to put that salvation to work.
If you are in Christ, then you have the moral obligation to work out your salvation. The word he uses for “work” is the strongest he could get. The Greek word has a duplicating prefix on it suggesting this is hard work. It requires diligent effort on our part. In the next verse he will show that this is done only by God’s sovereign grace from beginning to end, but this does not suggest that the believer should take a passive part in the process, sit back and twiddle his thumbs.
Indeed, these two verses taken together give us a comprehensive view of the sanctification process. Verse 12 it describes man’s part, and verse 13 describes God’s part. This is what the WCF says about sanctification:
1. They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them, the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
2. This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
3. In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so, the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Did you notice the Confession called the sanctification process a “war”? It involves an ongoing struggle between the spirit and the flesh. We are in a great spiritual conflict for the souls of men and for their growth in practical holiness. Generally, the sanctification process views the growth in practical Christ-likeness and holiness, as we see in the beatitudes. In this context, however, the stress is particularly on the development of humility. This particular grace is undoubtedly the most difficult. Calvin said regarding humility, “if anything in our whole life is difficult, this above everything else is so,“ adding, “everyone has in himself the mind of a king.“
So, the believer is to work hard at sanctification, particularly at the development of a spirit of humility. But, how is this to be done? Paul tells us. He says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Doing it requires a spirit of fear and trembling. How does a spirit of fear and trembling come about? When are you the most terrified and fearful? Well, some people have an intense fear of flying. Jackie Jensen of the Boston Red Sox was an outstanding baseball player. He even won the triple crown in 1955, you know, taking top honors in 3 categories: home runs, runs batted in, and highest batting average. But, he was so fearful of flying that he retired from baseball way before most players retire. Flying in an airplane would make him tremble with fear. But, while most of us do not have such a fear, we would tremble with fear if the plane we were flying in suddenly took a nose dive for the ground. Why so? Because we become acutely aware of imminent danger to our lives. And, that is how a working out of our salvation takes place.
This phrase is used three times in the New Testament and its occurrences are very instructive. Let’s look at them. First, it is used of Paul’s attitude himself in 1 Cor 2:3. He had just come from his reasoning with the learned Greeks on Mar’s Hill. There he must have succumbed to the temptation to show off his great reasoning ability, as he reasoned with them on their philosophical level so that they might turn to Christ. All this sounds good, but when he comes to Corinth listen to what he says to them:
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that you faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Cor 2:1-5).
When Paul came to the Corinthians, after Mars Hill, he had a different attitude and spirit. He came in weakness and in fear and much trembling. He had been humbled and made to realize the futility of trusting in one’s words and wisdom. He resisted the temptation to wow them with his wisdom and flowery speech. He didn’t want it to be his agenda, but the Lord’s and this required a self-effacing and humble spirit on Paul’s part. Dearly beloved, when God calls us to minister or to do some service for the Lord, may we approach it with a similar mindset of fear and trembling, lest we take confidence in the flesh and not in the power of God. It is not about us. It is about the Lord. So, there is the imminent danger of taking confidence in the flesh, rather than in the Spirit of God which should move us to fear and trembling.
Secondly, there is the imminent danger of a flippant disregard and disobedience to the God-appointed authorities over us. The phrase is used in Eph 6:5 in this regard. Paul says:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not with eye-service, as pleasers of men, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man.
In regard to those in authority we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling by recognizing that our obedience and service to such is really an obedience and service to the Lord. That is an awe-inspiring reality. In Numbers 16 when the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron , the Lord sent a plague and 14,700 people died from the plague, until Aaron interceded on their behalf and the plague was stopped. You see, grumbling and complaining against God-appointed leaders was a serious matter, often resulting in severe judgment and destruction by the Almighty. With respect to our leaders we should submit to them with fear and trembling, as unto the Lord Himself.
Thirdly, the phrase is used to describe how the Word of God should be received by men. In 2 Corinthians Paul describes how the Corinthians had received Titus. He says of Titus, he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling (2 Cor 7:15). This occurrence is significant because it showed how the Corinthian’s reception of Titus translated into obedience to what he taught. That is the way the preaching and teaching of the Word of God is to be received, with fear and trembling, because it is the Word of God.
Finally, with respect to the day of judgment we should be living in a spirit of holy fear and trembling. Paul says in 2 Cor 5:10-11, We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known by God.
In all these occurrences of the phrase, with fear and trembling, what stands out is such a spirit is caused by an awareness of God’s presence and working. And, that is exactly the point of the next verse in Philippians. Paul says:
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, he responded with these words: woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! (Isa 6:5). The reason we do not have such a spirit of fear and trembling is because we forget or are not consciously mindful of the fact that God is in us and that He is sovereignty working within us to accomplish His every good pleasure.
Notice what Paul says. God is working to do it all, to affect our will so that we will want to obey Him and then literally to energize us so we are empowered to do works of obedience. Let’s consider man’s will. Is it really free? The WCF says:
3. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
4. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin; and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so, that by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.
5. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to do good alone in the state of glory only.
When Adam sinned all men sinned and lost the ability of willing any spiritual good accompanying salvation. Man is dead in his trespasses and sins. A dead man is not free either to will or to do any good thing. The Bible says, there is none who is righteous; no not one; there is no one who seeks after God. But, When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He frees him from his natural bondage to sin; and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good. As Augustine point it: before Christ we are not free not to sin; after Christ we are free not to sin. We really ought to remember that every time we want to do good, it is because of God’s grace working within us, so that we desire to do good. Every time we hear a sermon, or read the Bible and are convicted of doing something we should not be doing, or of not doing something we should we doing, it is because of the Spirit of God working in us to effect our will, so that we want to do what is right. We thank God for His work in us in this way.
Secondly, God not only affects our will to make us willing to obey Him, but He also gives us the power and the ability to do what is right. It is not as though the Lord convicts us and makes us willing, but then leaves us on our own to see if we can do what we say we want to do. If He did, then we would truly be in trouble, for we do not have the power to do right, apart from His enabling grace. Rather, His grace extends to the giving us the ability to do it. The flip side of this doctrine is that God does not allow any of us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist, but will with the temptation provide a way of escape, so that we may be able to endure (1 Cor 10: 13). That is God’s efficacious and enabling grace for His people.
The Westminster Confession says on sanctification: Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, beside the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will, and to do, of His good pleasure: yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.
Dearly beloved, this precious doctrine of sanctification and particularly its leading ingredient, humility, are to be worked out diligently in God‘s children. It is done with fear and trembling, as we take no confidence in the flesh and as we recognize God’s sovereign grace is at work in us to this end. To God be the glory. Amen.
