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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Work
Out Your Salvation Read Philippians 2:12 "Therefore, my dear
friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much
more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling," Over the decades I've
heard this verse quoted from the King James Bible where it says "work
out your own salvation." The
word "own" in the KJV, suggesting an individual process is not
found in the above NIV or in the Greek text.
I don't think this individualistic approach to working out our salvation all by ourselves is what Paul
had in mind. It's not "Leave me alone.
God and I will work out my salvation, not you."
The West's over-emphasis
on individual rights does a disservice to how we interpret the Bible and
our view of church. Church is
not a bunch of isolated individuals meeting together each Sunday.
Church is a community of Christians who have been immersed into
each other's lives (1 Corinthians 12:13) that form supportive and
functional relationships. This
is the context of the above verse where individuals consider others over
themselves (verses 1 - 5) following Jesus' example of considering us over
Himself (verses 6 - 11). This
context is central to how we work out our salvation.
Paul noted that the
Philippians obeyed him, both in his presence and absence.
He then told them to continue this process by working out their
salvation, as if to say, "I've helped you, now you help each
other." Jesus told His
disciples the same thing when He washed their feet (John 13). In John 13:10 we read
Jesus saying "those who have had a bath need
only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are
clean," meaning you are saved. He
then said that "now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's
feet" (verse 14). Even
though the disciples had been washed or saved, their metaphoric feet,
dirtied by their surrounding culture, needed to be cleaned from time to
time, something they would help each other with.
In other words, they'd help each other work out their salvation.
As
our Lord humbled Himself in a spirit of servitude by washing the
disciple's feet, so we are to follow His example of humble servitude.
We wash each others' metaphoric feet.
We help each other work out our salvation.
It's not a matter of us dictating to each other.
It's a matter of humbly serving each other, and as Paul wrote, we
do so in fear and trembling. I
suggest the verb "work out" in "work out your
salvation" being a middle voice Greek verb confirms my thinking that
working out our salvation is a process of needing help from others.
Despite being saved, salvation is an ongoing practical process being worked out in my daily life, and that with the help of my brothers and sisters in Jesus. It's not me dictating to them or them dictating to me. It's a serious matter that is realized as I continue to enhance my personal and supportive relationships with them.
To
the degree we can work out our salvation in fear and trembling with those
Jesus has placed us alongside in church will be the degree we will be the
Christians and the church Jesus has called us to be.
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