Working Out Your Own Salvation

Working Out Your Own Salvation

Philippians 2:12-13; 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you 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 who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

What does it mean to “…work out your own salvation”?

Saying yes to Jesus, salvation doesn’t come with a sudden repulsion toward sin. Your heart says, “Yes, I need Him” but your flesh says, “but I still want to be fed.”

But as you invest in your relationship with Jesus, your spirit matures; your former master, the flesh, gradually loses dominance. It is still influential, but it is no longer boss. That is where His grace comes in. My decision and my desire is to live for My King; that is what I want to do. However, the old master doesn’t willingly let go.

The difference between sinning as a Christian and sinning as a non-Christian is that a Christian has a safety net. When a Christian sins or falls short, there is no longer a death sentence attached.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In my spirit, I don’t want to sin. I know sin is not good for me. It is harmful to me, to those around me, and to the ministry I was called to. Sin prohibits me from living the life God wants to bless me with; not because He is punishing me or withholding blessings from me until I get it all together, but because sin is not in the pathway that leads to the “…exceeding and abundant life…” that God desires to give me.

“Working out your own salvation…” is like putting a bicycle together (odd analogy I know, but stay with me). God gave me the bike. If I want the bike to look and work at maximum efficiency, I need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. In following the instructions, every part will be attached where it belongs, in the correct sequence achieving maximum efficiency in the shortest amount of time. But, if I ignore the manufacturer’s instructions, not only do I delay completion, but I also end up with a bike that does not operate with fluidity, nor does it look like it is put together correctly. I still have a bike, just not as good of a bike as I could have had had I built it according to the Maker’s manual.

I want to have a perfect looking and operational bike. But my flesh refuses to follow all the assembly instructions. My flesh says, “I want to do this my way.” When I said “yes” to Jesus, He gave me salvation (the bike) to own forever and said, “If you build your life this way and operate it this way and maintain it this way, it will look like, feel like, and operate like I intended. It is yours forever.”

God doesn’t take your bike (salvation) away when you don’t assemble it, maintain it, or operate it according to His recommended manufacturer’s instructions, His Word. You still own it. He gave it to you forever. But you determine how efficient you want it to operate and how good it looks by how well you follow His instructions. And how well you are able to navigate difficult terrain is dependent on how well the bike is put together according to the Maker’s manual.

Hope this helps. Jesus loves you!