Work It Out

"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 own 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

I think in all my life as a teacher of the Word, I have had more questions about the meaning of "work out your own salvation" than any other passage. Since we are saved by grace through faith - not of our own doing, (Ephesians 2:8) what in the world is this "work" about?

When we accept the Lord and He lives in us by the Holy Spirit, then we are saved by this marvelous grace activated by faith. We have trusted and are trusting Him, so we belong to Him. Therefore, salvation is ours. However, it is intended to do a work in us and through us that will be seen and known outwardly. This is up to each one of us. The Lord honors our choices, so as we choose to allow Him Lordship in every area of our lives, we discover that we have been given the "will" to live our lives in demonstration of the relationship of love we have in our Lord. In that "want-to," we have the power of God to do both the inward work with Him and to effectively change our outward expression of life.

The inward must find outward expression, not through some sort of flesh effort, but by and in the power of relationship in Him. He is the "want-to" in us and the power to have it real. This will never be done through a "discipline" adjustment, nor will it be done by a system of "how-to." It is only done in and through a relationship.

Relationship is never easy on us. It seems so in its beginning stages, but it always calls us to heights of sharing that we really never intended to experience. However, in love we do learn to share ourselves in ways of fruitfulness. This is in the natural - it is just a tough thing on us. In the Spirit, it mirrors this to some degree. Our initial euphoria about becoming one with Jesus, gets a bit diminished by the realities of sharing our lives with Him. We bump into needed changes all the time to learn His ways, His thoughts and His intentions. We struggle with relationship. However in Jesus, if we will spend time with Him alone, through His Word and in listening, we will discover a love and a power so wonderful that it empowers us to live in His expressions of life and love. It is the bending and the sharing that is the work. Such is our calling and such is the truth of this passage.