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By: Michael Tao
Philippians 2:12,13 says, "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."
When Paul instructed the Philippian church to "work out" their own salvation, did he meant that Christians have to work to preserve their salvation?
According to Wuest's "Word Studies in the Greek New Testament": the words "work out" in Philippians 2:12 are the translation of a Greek word which means "to carry out to the goal, to carry to its ultimate conclusion". The Philippians are exhorted to carry their salvation to its ultimate conclusion, namely Christlikeness. This is not a slavish terror, but a wholesome caution. It is taking heed, lest we fall; it is a constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart, and of the insidiousness and power of inward corruption. This is human responsibility-when God's salvation works in us.
Also, according to the same reference: the word "worketh" in Philippians 2:13 in the Greek means "to energize, to work effectively". It is God who energizes the saint, making him not only willing, but actively desirous of doing God's sweet will. But God does not merely leave the saint with the desire to do his will, God provides the necessary power to do it, this we have in the words "to do". The Greek construction implies habit, the habitual doing of God's will.
In verse 12, we have human responsibility; and in verse 13, we have divine enablement, a perfect balance which must be kept if the Christian life is to be lived at its best.
As a conclusion, we can see the Bible teaches that Christians will never lose our salvation, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and grieved (Ephesians 4:30), yet he never leaves the Christians. The function of the Comforter is to convict sinners, and not to leave them in their sin pits.
