In Philippians 2:12, Paul wrote to the saints at Philippi, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Maybe these words sound strange in your ears. But these words of Paul still apply to the saints in Christ Jesus. Although people are saved by Jesus Christ, it’s up to the people to stay saved. Every Christian should work out his own salvation. No one can do that for the other. But how do you work out your own salvation?
Does the church doctrine correspond with the truth of God?
People think so easily about salvation in the Christian faith. This is mainly because many churches mixed the words of God with the words of man. They created doctrines that deviate from the truth of God and His Word.
Because of wrong doctrines, many Christians have created a wrong image of the gospel and adhered to a false faith.
They think that by reciting a few words (confession) and by doing an act (baptism), you will be saved once and for all, despite the way you live.
But does the Bible confirm this doctrine? (Read also: Is once saved always saved Biblical?)
If it was that easy and it wouldn’t matter how you live and what you do and you can’t fall from your faith and lose your salvation, then why did the apostles warn the saints in Christ Jesus for apostasy?
Why did they speak about running the race of life, holding fast to the faithful word and the faith, apostasy, preventing an evil heart of unbelief, working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, resisting sin, enduring temptation, and persevering and keeping the faith until the end? (a.o. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 10:12, Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:23-31, 2 Peter 2:20-22)
Why did they speak about all these things, if it wouldn’t matter anyway?
God gave power to become the sons of God
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:10-13)
It is the grace of God, that God gave the ability to every human to be saved and become sons of God (this applies to both males and females. (Read also: What does it mean the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ?)).
You are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. By faith, you received the Holy Spirit. God gave this freely to you, by faith and not by works.
You are not saved by following a set of rules, rituals, regulations, and laws (which are written in the law of Moses or are set in a church), or humanistic works. But you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, by His work.
If you are saved and born of God and are a son of God (this applies to both males and females), you shall live as a son of God.
The life of a son of God
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:22-23)
As a son of God, you shall live in submission to God in obedience to His Word in the Light. This means, you shall no longer live as a son of the devil in rebellion towards God in disobedience to His Word in darkness. (a.o. John 8:12).
You have been made righteous and made free from sin. Therefore, you shall no longer walk in sin, but you shall walk in righteousness. (Read also: Do you always remain a sinner?).
You are cleansed and sanctified in Jesus Christ; the Word. And by faith in Him and obedience to His words, you shall stay sanctified in the truth of the Word (John 17:14-21).
Every person has been given the ability and the power of God to become a son of God and remain a son of God or to return to the world and pick up his old life.
Someone can leave Jesus and the faith in Him and return to the world and live like the world under the influence of worldly spirits at any time.
God doesn’t force anyone! God has given every person a free will and the freedom to make his own choices in life. But every choice has consequences (Read also: What you sow, you will reap)
Be holy, for God is holy
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:13-16)
Many Christians have a carnal mind and created a god in their minds after their own image. They believe that God adjusts His will and words to the time we live in and to the will, lust, and desires of the flesh.
Because of this, many churches have become world-like and have approved and accepted the works of the flesh.
They say, that you can keep walking after the flesh, living like the world in sin, and inherit eternal life.
But again, the Bible doesn’t confirm this doctrine but says something else.
God is not created by (the will of) man (from his carnal mind) after the image of man. God is also not created for man, to submit to the will of man and obey and serve man.
But man is created by (the will of) God after His image. Man is created for God, and to submit to God and obey and serve God.
It is not God, who must give account to man for His words and works on the Day of Judgment. But it is man, who must give account to God for his words and works on the Day of Judgment.
The restoration in Christ
The (new) man is restored (healed) in Christ from his fallen state and reconciled with God. The new man should be renewed and changed into the image of God. This happens by the renewing of the mind with the Word, by putting off the old man, putting on the new man, living in submission to Jesus Christ, and walking after the Spirit in obedience to God in the truth.
It is a lie, that the works of the flesh lead to eternal life. Because the Word says, that the works of the flesh lead to death.
Therefore faith in Jesus Christ, regeneration in Him, and the process of sanctification are essential for every human being.
You are sanctified in Christ and through obedience to Him you stay sanctified
Christians should realize that Jesus has given His life for this! Every person, who has been born again in Christ has been made free from sin and death. The person has been given power to become a son of God and live as a son of God.
You live as a son of God by living in obedience to the Father and His Word and doing what Jesus has said and commanded you to do.
You have been sanctified in Christ. Through obedience to the Word; the Truth, you remain sanctified.
However, obedience to the Truth of God’s Word has consequences for your life on earth. (Read also: What does it mean to count the cost?)
A son of God has become an enemy of the world
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works (Matthew 16:24-27)
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4)
Another lie that is preached is, that a son of God is a friend of the world and that you be loved by the world.
Because the Word says, that although you live in the world, you don’t belong to the world anymore, but you belong to God.
You belong to God and bear the Name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the world hates you. (Read also: Why the world hates Christians?).
Through regeneration, you don’t belong to the world anymore, but you become an enemy of the world.
Instead of saying and doing what the world says and does, and being led by your will, feelings, and emotions, you shall obey, speak, and do the words of God
“The world can’t hate, but Me it hates”
The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil (John 7:7)
If the world hated and persecuted Jesus, because Jesus spoke the words of God; the truth of God, and did the works of God, then those, who are a new creation and belong to Christ and follow Him and speak His words and obey His commandments and do His works, shall also be hated and persecuted by the world.
The One, who abides in you disapproves of the works of the flesh
The One, who abides in you does not approve the works of the flesh. But He convicts the world of sin, of judgment, and righteousness (John 16:8-12).
By walking after the Spirit in obedience to the Word, you shall no longer be loved by the world. You shall be hated, just like Jesus. Because by your words and speaking the truth of God and doing righteous works, you testify that the words of the world are lies and the works of the flesh are evil and lead to (eternal) death.
Jesus spoke the words of the Father, whereby Jesus revealed the truth of God to the house of Israel. However, the truth was not always appreciated. Since the truth of God opposes the will of the flesh. The truth of God means death for the works of the flesh. (Read also: What does the Bible say about the old man?)
But Jesus was not intimidated or influenced by the people. Jesus held fast to the truth of God and kept speaking the truth of God, whereby Jesus was hated and experienced persecution, in His life, which eventually led to His death (Read also: The suffering and mockery of Jesus Christ).
The sons of God are hated and persecuted by the world
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My Name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me (John 15:18-21)
I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (John 17:14-16)
The people hated the disciples of Jesus and persecuted them, due to their obedience to Jesus; the Word.
The disciples obeyed the words of God. They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of God and stood in the faith, despite the consequences.
They knew they had become an enemy of the world and they hated them. Because they testified of their evil works. Just like their Saviour, Master, and Lord. However, they were not intimidated or influenced by the people.
They remained faithful to Jesus and the Father and His words and commandments and were led by the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were spiritually awake and watchful. The apostles and shepherds of the churches didn’t allow anything or anyone to come in their way.
The disciples stayed awake and watchful and worked out their salvation with fear and trembling
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error (1 John 4:4-6)
They protected the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of God and warned each other of false teachers.
As soon as a false teacher arose from among the believers in the church or a false teacher entered from outside and became a threat to the church, they warned the churches.
If there was a spiritual danger and someone went in the wrong direction, which led to apostasy, and the behavior of the person defiled the holiness of the church, they confronted, chastised, and corrected the person, and called the person to repentance.
And so they warned each other and kept each other awake. They remained spiritually watchful and worked out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Because they knew, what the new life as a son of God contained.
They knew their adversary and the spiritual dangers, but they guarded the gates of the church.
Their love for Jesus and the fear of God was so big that it overwhelmed their earthly life. They didn’t love their own lives, they loved Jesus and lived for Him.
This attitude must return to the Body of Christ; the Church. So that the Church of Christ becomes a power of God again instead of a social institution. (Read also: Is the church a social institution or a power of God?)
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
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. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain (Philippians 2:12-16)
The faith has become your new life instead of an addition to your old life.
Some Christians talk and act piously when they go to church and/or when they are in the presence of fellow Christians, but as soon as they are home, alone or in the company of unbelievers, they speak and act like the world and do things that oppose the will of God. Through their lives, they deny the Word and live in rebellion and disobedience to the Word.
Many Christians don’t resist sin and don’t endure temptation. But they give in to the temptation.
They believe that by that one choice they made, they are saved forever. No matter what they do. They believe that sin won’t harm them. (Read also: Can you use a broken world as an excuse?)
But it does matter, if you know His will and you know that something isn’t good to do and you do it anyway.
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering“
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries (Hebrews 10:23-27).
If the Holy Spirit, Whom you have received from the Father, dwells in you and you obey Him and do what He says, you will be led by the Holy Spirit.
You shall no longer live, as you lived before in ignorance of the truth in disobedience to God and His word. You shall no longer do the works of the flesh and give into sin. But you shall resist sin and endure in temptation. (Read also: Can you resist the temptation?)
You shall obey Him and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God, Who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
The sons of God are blameless, harmless, without rebuke, holding forth the word of life
You shall do all things without murmurings and disputings. Because following Jesus is not always easy. You shall experience setbacks, resistance, and persecution from the people around you. However, if you love Him you stay obedient to Him and keep His commandment.
You do everything while being grateful to Him. So that you shall be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.
Therefore put your trust in God and hold forth His words and don’t let them slip. Let not (the words and works of) those, who are the old creation and belong to the crooked and perverse generation and the ruler of this world and serve him, influence you.
You are responsible for your own salvation. Therefore, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Standfast in the faith and obey the words of God, and walk in His truth, until the end.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
