So that, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Paul has just shown the Philippians the mind of Christ, who humbled Himself and obeyed all the way to death. Now, writing from prison, he tells them to "work out your own salvation" — which raises three questions: what salvation, why fear, and how does grace fit?
The word "therefore" ties the command back to the pattern just described. One writer ties their obedience to Christ's own, and names the salvation this letter speaks of:
If "as you have always obeyed" was the condition of their deliverance from all the present power of the enemy — whether under apostolic care, as when Paul was with them, or now much more in his absence — then the mind of obedience, along with self-emptiness, was expressed in Him. Being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (verses 5-8). Here was the wonderful pattern for the saints. The enemy works by tricks; it is good not to be ignorant of his devices. Fear and trembling have their healthy place if we have learned to distrust ourselves. But we only have to be busy carrying out God's will in obedience, and we are carried safely through it all to the heavenly glory of Christ. That glory is the salvation of this letter.
Many read the verse as though our effort stands against God's power. One writer says the real contrast lies elsewhere:
The mistake people make is putting God's working and our working in contrast. It is not so. The contrast is between Paul and themselves. In losing Paul they had not lost God, who was working. He says, Do it now, for yourselves, since I am absent. Paul had been doing it for them. He had met the tricks of Satan for them in apostolic blessing; his spirit of wisdom had told them what to do. Now he says, My absence does not change the present power of grace; God works in you Himself.
In its setting, the verse deals with the dangers pressing on believers who already belong to Christ:
In effect he says, "Christ Jesus is your great Example. You are conscious of your own weakness, with the flesh within. So with fear and trembling, work out your own salvation from the various forms of evil that threaten you." And so that they would not think for a moment of their own abilities, he adds, "for it is God who works in you." By His Spirit He works in, and we work out.
This fits how the New Testament uses the word "salvation" elsewhere:
If you try to make out that salvation has only one meaning in the New Testament, you are in real difficulty. You will find no way of making the passages fit. Nothing is more certain, or easier to check, than this: the New Testament speaks of salvation more often as a process that is not yet complete, an unfinished thing, than as a completed end.
The command speaks to people who already have salvation in hand:
If you are saved, you will seek to walk through this world glorifying God every day... That is working out your salvation, because at long last you will get to the end of your journey; you will reach the glory. Salvation is a God-given thing. But you must have it before you can work it out.
The fear here is not the dread of being lost. Writers describe it as seriousness about the task and distrust of self:
He urges them to fear and tremble. The fear is not that they might fall and be lost. It is that they might dishonour God by any lack of zeal, diligence, earnestness or faithfulness in the day of trial.
The image of tending a valuable crop draws out how careful such work has to be:
It is no light matter we have in hand, and the deeper we know ourselves, the more we will fear as we take up such a task... it is the sense of our need to be more prayerful and more careful than ever, feeling that it is a bitter, painful thing to compromise God in any way by a lack of watchful self-judgment in our walk — fear and trembling because of the seriousness of the conflict.
Paul's "much more in my absence" has a further edge for readers today:
You know how it is with someone you dearly love. If they are away, you will be even more careful to do what you know would please them than if they were there. So it was with the Philippian saints and the apostle they loved so well. May it be so with us and our absent, rejected Lord!
- Gift first. Salvation is God-given; you must have it before you can work it out — the verse speaks to Christians, not to seekers.
- Work out, not work for. God works in by His Spirit; we work out — the deliverance from the evils and enemies that threaten our path.
- The real contrast. Paul is absent, not God. Losing the apostle's help changed nothing about the power at work in them.
- Obedience is the method. Christ's obedience to death is the pattern. Walking in obedience is how salvation gets worked out.
- Fear that honours. The trembling is not doubt about being lost. It is care not to dishonour God, joined to a healthy distrust of self, and it runs on to the glory at the journey's end.
for it is God who works in you both the willing and the working according to [his] good pleasure.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.