Work Matters (4)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2.12, 13
Work out your salvation!
Growing in the Lord Jesus is not an option for the follower of Christ.
Peter commands it (2 Pet. 3.18). Paul chided the Corinthians because they were not growing (1 Cor. 3.1-3). And the writer of Hebrews stung his readers with the charge that they were mere infants when, in fact, they should have been teaching others the things of Christ (Heb. 5.12-14).
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then you will be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, working out your salvation in fear and trembling. Growing in the Lord is hard work, indeed. But that must not deter us. We will not make progress in the Lord and in the joy of our great salvation unless we devote Kingdom time to working at becoming more like Jesus (1 Tim. 4.7; 2 Cor. 7.1).
Growth in the Lord can only occur in Kingdom time, which is all the time of our lives; but it will not occur unless we devote some of that time to working at becoming new people in Christ. He has redeemed us and is calling us to His Kingdom and glory. What we learn of this in the time we devote to growing in the Lord, we must work out in the remainder of our time day by day.
Paul is exactly right in saying that we must work at this salvation, because it doesn’t come automatically or easily. The law of sin within us operates to keep us distracted from and indifferent to growing in the Lord (Rom. 7.21-23). The world is filled with temptations and distractions that can gobble up our interest, devotion, time, and strength (Jms. 4.4). And the devil himself is working overtime to lead us to find “better” things to do with our time than to work at and work out our salvation (Eph. 6.10-20).
The work of working out our salvation
Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ is all of grace; no work that we might do can make us acceptable to the Lord. The same is true of our sanctification, which is the formal theological term that describes the process of Christian growth. Sanctification—becoming more like Jesus— is by grace through faith, as the Spirit of God works within us to make us willing and able to do whatever lines up with God’s pleasure.
Thus we do not work for our salvation, and we do not work for our sanctification, as though it were some reward for good behavior. But work at and work out our salvation we must, or else admit to the Lord, ourselves, and one another that we are rebellious, disobedient children.
God has given us His Spirit to dwell within us. He has exceedingly abundant power to bring to bear on the task of helping us grow in the Lord (Eph. 3.20). God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, has also provided all the means we need for working out our salvation: the Word of God, prayer, worship, the fellowship of other believers, opportunities for study and growth, good books and courses taught by competent writers and instructors. There is no shortage of resources, at least for most of us. And where such resources are scant, we can always avail ourselves of prayer, the Word, and Christian friends.
Our first and most important work
But we must take up the work of growing in the Lord—the work of sanctification—if we would know real progress in Him. Growing in Jesus is the first and most important aspect of the work we’ve been given to do. Unless we work hard at this, we shall not be able to fulfill God’s purposes for any of our work.
And here is yet another of the many secrets of the Kingdom: Sanctification is a source of great satisfaction, abundant spiritual energy, seasons of holy spiritual excitement, and unceasing joy. It is hard work, to be sure, but it is worth all the effort we put into it.
Thus, we need to seize the time necessary for the practice of those disciplines which can help us grow. We will have to take some of our time back from frivolous diversions, mere recreation, and even sleep so that we can read and meditate in God’s Word and devote ourselves to prayer.
Studying the Bible and improving our prayer life can lead to real, albeit gradual, transformation. We will be helped in this work by having the kind of Christian friends who will encourage and sharpen us, like iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27.17). This work will require constant thoroughness, diligence, and vigilance on our parts (Prov. 4.20-27; Eph. 5.15-17), and, when necessary, practicing repentance from all known sin. The work of sanctification is nothing other than taking up the life of holiness and doing good works of love for others (Eph. 2.8-10; Gal. 6.10).
This much is certain: We will not be able to do any of our other work as unto the Lord unless we are daily working to improve in our walk with Him. This makes the work of sanctification supremely important.
The harder we work and the more conscientious we are about working out our salvation, the more consistently will we know His Presence with us and bring honor and glory to Him in all the work we’ve been given to do (Jn. 17.4). Growing in grace is the driving force for using the time of our lives in a manner that contributes to the progress of the Kingdom economy.
For reflection
1. Why do you suppose so many Christians find the work of sanctification not to their liking? Why is it so hard for people to make the time for studying Scripture, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines?
2. We need to make time to work out our salvation; however, all the time of our lives should find us involved in this effort. Explain.
3. How can Christians help one another to work hard at the work of sanctification? What would be most helpful to you?
Next steps—Transformation: If you could make one improvement to enhance your work of sanctification, what would it be? What steps can you take today to implement that improvement? Begin doing this today!
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men’s Reading and Study Groups. This fall we are offering seven free online reading and study groups for men. Click here for more information.
Other columns of interest this week: This week in our Read Moore we begin selections from our book, Understanding the Times. This book will be a valuable companion to our study of “The Kingdom Economy.” In our Crosfigell column we’re following Brendan, a 6th century Irish saint, as he pursues the Kingdom economy in his extraordinary adventures. On Monday our daily Scriptorium column begins a new series on the book of Ephesians. Click The Scriptorium tab to read the first installment on Monday. Use the subscription panel at the bottom of the home page to update your subscriptions.
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
