One of my favorite scenes in the movie, Fireproof,[1] is when two firemen are eating lunch and talking about marriage. One fireman takes a saltshaker, puts some super glue on the side of it, then adheres it to the peppershaker. The purpose of that scene was to describe God’s view of marriage—two people joined inseparably together—but it describes our relationship between salvation and works as Christians too!
Paul writes to the believers in the city of Philippi, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12, NASB).[2] That statement “work out your salvation” can be perplexing for us protestant evangelical Christians because we’re taught we’re saved by faith, not by works. And that is true! Salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone.
However, that salvation leads to work. The study Bible that I use has a note that explains that the Philippians were told, “Not work for it [salvation], but work it out in the personal and church problems at Philippi.”[3] Those problems in the church are described throughout the letter. They were struggling with rivalries and personal ambition (Phil 2:3–4; 4:2), the doctrine of the legalistic teachers (Phil 3:1–3), perfectionism (Phil 3:12–14), and the influence of people that said sinning was okay (Phil 3:18–19). They were working out the issues in the church.
The phrase, “work out” means to do something as a result of what was done. We do our work from a state of possession. In other words, “we have it, so this is what we do because of it.” That’s what “work out” means here in this context because we know these people Paul writes to are saved. Paul addresses his readers this way, “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons” (Phil 1:1, emphasis added). In Philippians 2:12 Paul says salvation and good works go together.
We need to address this “fear and trembling” phrase too. These words are not meant to scare us. They are meant to remind us how awesome God is and that we are privileged to be called his sons and daughters. Another way to translate it would be to work out our salvation with “awe and reverence.”[4] In light of that, we are to work out our salvation. The fear and trembling are because of how awesome he is.
God doesn’t want us to do things with fear in order to get saved. Instead, we work because he has saved us.
[1] “Fireman Lunchroom,” Fireproof, directed by Alex Kendrick (Albany, GA: Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2008), DVD.
[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[3] Charles Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, expanded ed. (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1995), 1470.
[4] Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition (Biblical Studies Press, 2005).