Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

 

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil. 2:11-13

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23New King James Version (NKJV)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10King James Version (KJV)

In my book Saints Made Merchandise: An Analysis of Tithes, Alms & Offerings I write, “When Paul points out in Ephesians 2 verses 8 to 10 that although works did not save us but that we are saved by grace through faith, that we were elected before the creation of the world to do good works for which we are called, the message becomes clearer. So when we walk by this faith we will naturally perform good works of which alms are a part. Interestingly, Ephesians 2 verses 8 to 10 makes a thought-provoking strong link between salvation by faith and God ordained works. John the Baptist once said to people who had just repented, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit worthy of repentance.  9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  10The ax lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

These scriptures pass an interesting message. There is a serious misconception within the Christian community that since salvation is by grace through faith, actions or any form of deeds are of no consequence in the equation of salvation. What we seem not to realise is that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34) Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. Paul once wrote, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:18-25.

Christ came to deliver us from the bondage of sin which is responsible for our failure to do that which pleases God. It is not true that God is not interested in our deeds. God is actually interested in our works. The apostle John once wrote, "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  10By this the children of God and the children of the devil can be distinguished: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God" (1 John 3:8-10) Many fool ourselves by claiming that all you need is to believe in Christ and once you do so you remain saved. We call it once saved always saved; all our sins, past present and future are forgiven. This assumption is blatantly incorrect and an absolute abomination to the Lord.

Paul, the man who never believed in salvation through works once wrote, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-22) To buttress this the Lord said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

 when we talk of salvation not being of works all we mean is that our works do not in any way bring to us salvation all have sinned and since we are all under the bondage of we can not do that which is good no matter how much we try. We will only be able to do good when we get delivered from sin and Christ begins to live in us. therefore one evidence that we have been saved when we start to live righteously in this present life.

 
On the other hand the Old Testament, prophet Ezekiel, addresses the subject in this manner. “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: In his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. . . . When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die” (Ezekiel 18:24, 26). As if he was addressing the same topic, the apostle Paul wrote, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and
envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-22).
The writer of the book of Hebrews weighs in by saying, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:1-11) This is the same thought that Paul brings in the epistle to the Philipians when he writes, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:11-13) When we go back to the Old Testament, Ezekiel repeats his teaching by saying, "When I [the Lord] shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and committeth iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it...... “When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby” (Ezekiel 33:13,18).

What comes out clear here is that when one abandons his rigteusness he also loses the benefits thereon. This is the very reason Paul wrote, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Whilst warning about worldly lusts, Paul says, " But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.  I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." 1 Tim 6:11-19