Are we supposed to let go and let God?

Which, then, we ask, is the true attitude for the believer to take — to act for himself without Scripture warrant, or to refrain from acting at all because he has no Scripture warrant? When Israel stood on the borders of the Red Sea, the waters in front and the Egyptians behind, God's word was — "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (Ex. 14:13). Man's restless unbelief wanted to do something; God bids him do nothing, but wait for His word and work. So, in the wilderness, "at the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched; as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle, they rested in their tents" (Num. 9:18). However trying it might seem to linger month after month, and year after year, in the same place, however slow their progress might appear, however much fleshly energy might prompt them to press forward, until God's express sanction was given, "they rested in their tents." Man might scoff at their inaction and call it foolishness; man might censure their long delays and ascribe them to weakness. But "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." The Lord led them into the land in His own time and in His own way; whereas, when on one occasion "they presumed to go up unto the hill top" in their own strength and without the Lord, "the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah" (Num. 14:44-45).

I was not surprised at the breaking up of -, nor am I at their seeking some human resting-place now, for it was begun in self-will, and not with God. Often what we have to do is to leave things with God. He will not always use us in everything, but He will always do His own work, and we can or ought to trust Him for it. There are many things where I have had to leave all to Him, trusting Him fully, but feeling my path was to be still and do nothing - some through my own fault, where I had to cast myself specially on Him, some through the fault of others; but He will always do what is right. …

We also spoke a little of the tremendously important fact that it is GOD which worketh in you. In the Authorized Version it adds, "both to will and to do of His good pleasure." But in the Greek New Testament the words translated "worketh" and "to do," are the same. But it is quite a different word in Verse 12, that has been translated "work out." So I think it is, perhaps, clearer if we translate as we did in our last chapter: "Cultivate your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is the (One) working in you both the willing and the working for the sake of His good pleasure." The word here translated "working", means the "internal operation of power, though seen in results." (J.N.D.). In verses 14 to 16 we will see the results: but let us never forget that it is GOD, not us, Who works out these results in us. Perhaps all my readers know in their intellect that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer. (John 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:19, etc.); but do we not often seem to forget that He actually is in us? Do we not often seek to do the work ourselves? And is not this the reason we so often fail? You remember in Gal. 2:20, we read: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." As we are about to ponder the "results" we have just spoken of, we would be utterly hopeless and discouraged if we had to trust our own efforts to produce them: but let us never, never forget that "It is GOD which worketh in you." It may seem strange to think that GOD must work even "the willing." We are slow to believe that we are so bad by nature that we are not even willing, of ourselves, to produce these results. It must be GOD who works the willing, as well as the working. And both the willing and the working are for the sake of His good pleasure. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 5:9: "We are ambitious … to be well-pleasing to Him." (Literal translation). But God must work even this ambition in us. THOU sayest, "Fit me, fashion me for Thee." Stretch forth thine empty hands, and be thou still; O restless soul, thou dost but hinder Me By valiant purpose and by steadfast will. Behold the summer flowers beneath the sun, In stillness his great glory they behold; And sweetly thus his mighty work is done, And resting in his gladness they unfold. So are the sweetness and the joy divine Thine, O Beloved, and the work is Mine. (Gerhardt Ter Steegen)

The work, even in our hearts and lives as believers, is all God's work, yet we must not because of that drop into a kind of fatalism as though there were nothing for us to do. We must rather remember that it pleases God to use human means in connection with much of His working, and that He has ordained that the way to spiritual prosperity for each individual believer should be by means of that believer's own spiritual diligence. This is not surprising for it is quite in accord with what we see in natural things. In the book of Proverbs we have divine wisdom applied to natural things and there we read, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." (Proverbs 22:29).

We will take the loom for an illustration of the Christian in this respect, and observe that no loom can produce cloth by its own effort or from within itself. It must be in contact, first of all, with the power-house; then is it prepared to receive the warp and woof from the weaver's hand, and as he works these into it, it works out the finished material. Now it is just this that the Scripture says of the Christians: "Work out your own salvation … for it is God that works in you." What a thought for us is this! We are not only God's workmanship, He Himself has prepared the loom; but such is His desire that we should produce the works for which He has prepared us that He stands over us as the watchful weaver, working in us all that is needful, so that we may be neither idle nor unfruitful.

On our part obedience is necessary, and fear and trembling. The loom of our illustration cannot hinder the purpose of its maker, though often, through the carelessness of the weaver, the work is marred, and much time is lost. In our case, however, there is no failure on God's part, the failure, shame to us, is on our part; by our insubjection and self-confidence we often stand in His way, and so waste the precious moments and spoil the work.

We will take the loom for an illustration of the Christian in this respect, and observe that no loom can produce cloth by its own effort or from within itself. It must be in contact, first of all, with the power-house; then is it prepared to receive the warp and woof from the weaver's hand, and as he works these into it, it works out the finished material. Now it is just this that the Scripture says of the Christians: "Work out your own salvation... for it is God that worketh in you.” What a thought for us is this! We are not only God's workmanship, He Himself has prepared the loom; but such is His desire that we should produce the works for which He has prepared us that He stands over us as the watchful weaver, working in us all that is needful, so that we may be neither idle nor unfruitful.

On our part obedience is necessary, and fear and trembling. The loom of our illustration cannot hinder the purpose of its maker, though often, through the carelessness of the weaver, the work is marred, and much time is lost. In our case, however, there is no failure on God's part, the failure, shame to us, is on our part; by our insubjection and self-confidence we often stand in His way, and so waste the precious moments and spoil the work.

Will this not have results far beyond all that our own energy, determination, or will power could even hope to attain? Indeed yes; for the resulting work will be God's work, not ours. Our hands, our feet, our lips will respond gladly to His sovereign work within us. Activity, diligence, labor for His sake will not be lacking, nor will it be mere fleshly activity. For the heart will be found delighting in the sublimely glorious truth, “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

Thus the saints are to "work out" in result "their own salvation." But it must be well remembered that "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." The internal work is certainly by far the more important, but we are responsible to respond to this in a spirit of thorough obedience. God is sovereign, and we therefore are responsible to be subject.

Then when the work is done, God rejoices in it. And surely it is no small matter to us, that the mortifying of the flesh is not the produce of our mind — no monkish effort — but so in accord with the mind of God that He, as it were, identifies Himself with us in it, and says, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you" — I, not you. His is the power, His be the praise. So the apostle, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." What a marvellous blending of the saints' responsibility with the sovereign power of grace!

In verse 12 the Apostle leaves this delightful theme and returns to his exhortation, which began with Phil. 1:27. He longed that their manner of life might be in everything in keeping with the Gospel, that they might be marked by earnest labour for the Gospel with oneness of mind, and courage in the presence of opposition. In the past, when Paul had been in and out amongst them, they had been marked by obedience to what was enjoined. Now, let them be, if possible, even more obedient to his word since they were bereft of his personal help. Dangers threatened them from without, and there was this subtle danger threatening from dissension within, let them then with redoubled energy seek to have and manifest the mind that was in Christ Jesus. Thus would they be working out their own salvation from all that threatened. Let them do it with fear and trembling, remembering their own weakness. Once Peter thought he could work out his own salvation without fear or trembling, and we know what came of that.