You are stepping into a raft on the Cherry Creek before it runs into the Tuolumne (too-wahl-uh-mee) River. This torrent in California is said to be the most challenging white water in the United States. It features a high concentration of continuous Class V rapids. It is cold; it is very fast. It has taken more than its share of lives. As required, you have proven to your guide that you know how to swim. He has spent time describing all of your responsibilities; you are not just a passenger on this journey. You are decked out in a wet suit, with a helmet on your head and with a flotation device firmly strapped to your chest. When the moment arrives, your guide pushes the raft – and you – out into the current. You immediately begin to take everything in – the jagged rocks, the banks, the depth and speed of the water. In a sense, time slows down, but in another it speeds up. You know the history of this river – the injuries it has caused and even the lives it has claimed. But you also anticipate the joy that will be yours when you reach your destination on the calm waters at the bottom of the canyon. You are filled with fear, and you are visibly trembling. You are distrustful of your abilities, as you should be, but you are confident in your guide. Following his instructions, you are doing your part to keep that raft upright, rapidly moving down stream. You bounce off some rocks and you strictly avoid others. Sometimes your helmsman seems to deliberately move away from momentarily calm waters. Sometimes he seems to put you into more danger, but then he steers you out. He yells orders to you, and you dig your paddle into the water where he pointed. Together you steer around logs and submerged snags that could rip the bottom out of your raft. The minutes seem like hours, but eventually you are at your destination – safe and sound.
Leaning on your imaginations, I’d like you to think of our scripture in the light of that illustration. The calm water at the end of life’s canyon will be in the presence of our glorified Saviour. The journey to get there is your Christian life and it is characterized by what the Bible calls “salvation.” It is entirely in the hands of your divine guide and helmsman. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” But YOU have a roll to play – you must work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
This morning, I’d like you to consider three things: It is God which worketh in us. And IF God is working in us, then we need to work out what He has worked in. But some people see contradictions between these two things, so we need to work out a solution.
To understand these two verses there are a couple things to keep in mind:
First, Paul was not preaching a gospel message to an audience of sinners who were yearning to be saved. The letter begins: “Paul and Timotheus… to all the SAINTS in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi.” Then he refers to his readers here in verse 12 as “his beloved.” These are “beloved brethren” – closer to Paul’s heart than his own brothers, sisters and second cousins. They are already rafting down the river of salvation toward the eternal promised land.
The second essential prerequisite is this: Nowhere in the Bible do we read that sinners have a contributing roll to play in completing their salvation. For example, there is nothing we can do to be reconciled to the God who hates our sins. There must be a mediator; someone to accomplish that reconciliation. We can’t earn or demand forgiveness – we deserve eternal judgment, and there is nothing we can do. And then, obviously, while in our spiritual death, we somehow can’t self-generate spiritual life. God has never said to us, “If you do your part, I will do Mine, and if we both work hard enough, you will end up in Heaven.” God didn’t originate the insane idea: “I have voted for you, and Satan has voted against, but your vote will break the tie.” God has never repeated those words, and He has never blessed those who have. This means that to anyone who is not already resting in the finished work of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Paul’s exhortation is inapplicable. This is a message to Christians, rafting down the dangerous river toward their heavenly home.
If someone should quote this verse to explain his efforts in working his way to heaven, take him to the Bible. “By GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that NOT of YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8. “And if by GRACE, then is it NO MORE OF WORKS; otherwise grace is no more grace” – Romans 11:6. “Eternal life is the GIFT OF GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord” – Romans 6:23. “NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy (Christ) saved, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” – Titus 3:5. That is the first lesson; salvation is not of works, but of faith. When Paul speaks of “working out your salvation,” he is not talking about “working FOR salvation.” Salvation is the gift of the Saviour, received by us through faith. If there is no faith in Christ, or if it is the wrong kind of faith, then any good works before God are not only useless, they are sinful.
Good works are sinful? Then why does Paul say to Titus, “In all things showing thyself a PATTERN of GOOD WORKS…?” Why does he tell Timothy to teach God’s saints to “do good, that they may be RICH in GOOD WORKS..?” Peter tells his readers, “Having your conversation (your manner of life as good citizens) honest among the Gentiles; that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may BY YOUR GOOD WORKS, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” – the day of judgment. Why did the Lord Jesus say, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may SEE your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” How can our good works, our selfless service to others, be sinful in God’s sight in the light of these verses? Again, our service to God and to our fellow man becomes sinful when we try to use that service to buy our way into eternal fellowship with God.
Salvation from sin is something which the Saviour works in us, accomplishing His will and His glory. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” In a letter to his friends just down the road from Philippi, Paul wrote: “We are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because GOD hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – II Thessalonians 2:13-14. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Ephesians 1:7 – “In (Christ Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein (God) hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”
But if Paul’s command is given to Christians who believe that Christ has finished the work of salvation…
Then what work is yet to be worked out?
How does this harmonize with “Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but by His mercy He saved us?” The answer is found in another question: “What exactly is the salvation to which Paul refers?” Sometimes the word “salvation” refers to the whole subject – from the decree of God to save an individual to the day of that person’s glorification in Christ. But sometimes it speaks of the deliverance of that person from his guilt as a sinner – justification. And sometimes it speaks of deliverance from the power of sin our lives – sanctification. And sometimes it only speaks about the day we are translated from off this planet. So salvation in one aspect is a thing of the past, but in another it is something yet in the future. But Paul addresses that aspect of salvation which deals with the here and now. All three are one, yet each aspect can be separated, isolated and studied individually. It is sort of like the Trinity in that respect.
All three parts of salvation are anchored in Christ’s work on the cross. But what good was Jesus’ sacrifice, if it NOT be taken by faith on our part? And when God’s grace is initially received by faith, it doesn’t become a document to be filed away to be pulled out only on the day of our death. God’s salvation must be worked out in the daily practice of faithful obedience and Christian service. Maybe I should say, “It will be worked OUT in our lives,” because it has been worked INTO us by Christ. “Working” and “faith” are linked in our battle against sin in our lives. “Working” and “faith” are linked in our progress in becoming more like Christ in our daily lives. Elsewhere Paul says, “Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure.”
Charles Spurgeon once spoke of a man named William Wickam, who was appointed by King Edward to build a church. On one of the windows Wickham had inscribed, “This work made William Wickham.” On his inspection of the finished church, the King saw the inscription. He was furious, and charged the contractor with stealing the glory of the king. But Qickahm replied that we he wrote was, “This build made William Wickham.” It was not “William Wickam made this building.” He had been so poor and his credit so bad that he had been near bankruptcy before the work began. But with the commission of the King, and the completion of the project, he had been saved from ruin. “This building made William Wickam.” The statement, in fact, was honoring the king. Paul’s verse is not referring to our efforts as something in contrast to the Lord’s work of salvation. This is talking about our salvation through the Lord.
So God works in the saint, but the saint still has a work to do.
Bible salvation is not “asking Jesus to come into our heart,” and then living like the Devil for sixty years. Verse 12 is an exhortation, or to put it more bluntly, it is a COMMAND. Commands imply authority and power; they lead to duty, and with duty comes responsibility. To work out our salvation is not a choice that we get to make. So Paul doesn’t mince any words here. He says, “You have a responsibility to take God’s work and carry it forward until the day you die.” And what if the professing Christian does not do that? Then we need to wonder if God has actually begun a good work in him.
The apostle explicitly implies the SOVEREIGNTY of God’s work here. It is God that worketh in you, while you work out your salvation. This also implies an inward, practical, effectual operation of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not talking about God’s wishes for His children; but rather about His accomplishments in them. He not only wants our spiritual growth, but expects to see it, because those children draw on His strength. It is not that God gives us the power for spiritual growth, and then walks away to see what we do with it. He actually enables it.
The trip down the river, amidst the rapids, boulders and snags, is guaranteed to be successful. But our Saviour and Guide expects us to put our paddles into the water, obeying His commands. He has covered us with His own protective gear from head to toe. He has given us a paddle and taught us how to use it. He knows the river like the back of His hand. He has built us a mansion on the shore of the calm waters below. And He guarantees a successful journey. And yet He still leaves the impression that if we refuse to work, we will not survive the descent.
Verse 12 – “Wherefore, my beloved…”
In looking for a verse which paralleled Paul’s reference to “my beloved,” I ran across a scripture which parallels the whole thought. I Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye stead fast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Not only does this verse apply to the ministry – yours and mine – but it applies to the Christian life in general. Always abound in working out your salvation, knowing that your labour will not be wasted in Christ. It is guaranteed that your salvation will be completely fulfilled.
“Wherefore” – in the light all that the Lord has done for us and promised to us… “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.” In our journey down dangerous river of life, we may be surrounded by other rafters, but we are on our own. There is no group plan of salvation; there is no family plan; there is no entire church salvation. When the Saviour died on the cross it was with individuals in mind – many individuals, but as single souls.
As much as we might want to be the best Christians possible in order to be good examples to our children and to other believers, we must work out OUR salvation and they must work out theirs. And it doesn’t do any good to work out our salvation in order to please the pastor. That smacks of pride and perhaps even of idolatry. The Bible condemns “eye service” – serving in order to be seen. When Paul was in Philippi the believers there were diligent in living as Christians should live. Perhaps when he saw them slipping back into their previous pagan life-style or slavishly practicing their Jewish traditions, he pointed out their transgressions, and they drew back into the strait and narrow way. Once he was gone, moving down the road to Thessalonica, there was more potential for religious and moral failure. He was pleased to hear that generally speaking they were still obedient to the Lord even in his absence. Yet there was still a niggling worry at the back of his mind that they’d look at the boisterous waves and dangerous rocks and pull their paddles out of the water. That is what prompted this exhortation.
“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.” What is this fear and trembling? It has nothing to do with the possibility of the Lord’s failure. Salvation cannot be lost. Salvation is guaranteed in Christ. If the word “fear” wasn’t attached to “trembling” in this verse I might apply it to “the fear of the Lord.” And certainly no preacher could be faulted for using the word in that way. And we might have reason to fear a society that hates our Saviour and probably hates us as His servants. But I don’t think that explanation fits into the context very well. It makes more sense to think of it as a fear of coming short of pleasing the Saviour.
I have enjoyed being your pastor for the last thirty-five years. And I don’t want to do anything which would jeopardize our relationship. But if I kept myself from visiting the topless bars at Stateline out of the fear of losing my job, my motivation would be wrong. It is possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons, and the Lord knows the difference. If I refused to smoke weed or tobacco, because I know you could smell it on me, again my reason would be wrong. It is not what you think about blasphemy, which keeps me from cursing and swearing. The thing which makes me tremble is how easily I might offend our Saviour. My fear is that I might disappoint Him.
Conclusion:
I was about fifteen years of age, when I stepped off the rocky shore and into the raft of God’s salvation. I didn’t know very much about paddling. I didn’t know anything about leaning into turns or bracing myself against collisions with the world. But I knew Whom I had believed, and I was persuaded that he was able to keep that which I had committed to Him. I trusted Christ Jesus to successfully take me down the river of life to the destination He had provided. I’m not sure that I’ve learned how to follow His leadership very well. And I’m sure I’ve had my paddle on the wrong side of the raft a time or two. I didn’t always push off the rocks when I should have. Sometimes I’ve been too occupied with the danger or the descent to listen to His voice. And I still tremble, thinking that I might disappoint Him. But I’m still in the boat.
Years ago – centuries ago – God spoke to Noah, telling him that there was going to be water unlike anything he had ever seen. At God’s instructions Noah built a boat – an Ark. And at the Lord’s command, he stepped into it, just before God’s judgment began to destroy creation.
Noah was safe inside the Ark. And I can say that I am safe inside the little raft where the Lord is both guiding and resting. Are you? Ask yourself, “Am I saved?”