What does Philippians 2:12 mean when it says, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling"?
Ephesians 2:8–9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Now get Titus 2:11:
Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Verse 12: Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."
What Ephesians 2:8–9 and Titus 2 teach is that we're saved by grace—completely apart from works. It clearly says, "not of works."
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
So two things are true:
What some people sometimes say is that when you speak of grace, you’re saying people can live any way they want—that it doesn’t matter what they do because they’re saved by grace. So, they say, you can live like the devil, and so your bad works won’t send you to hell. You'll give account for them at the Judgment Seat of Christ. No sound grace preacher would ever say that your life, as a saved person, doesn’t matter. Of course it matters.
The grace of God teaches you to live soberly, righteously, and godly. It matters how you live.
So now, with that as context, look at Philippians 2:12:
Philippians 2:12: "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.
Verse 13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:12 does not say to work for your salvation. It says to work out your salvation. In other words, when you get saved, you're saved in a moment of time. You are a lost person—dead in your sins. The moment you believe the gospel, that very instant, what does God do? He justifies you. He declares you righteous. In that moment, you're eternally saved.
But at that instant, did all of your character flaws disappear? They didn’t, did they?
So, what Philippians 2:12 is about is this: Work out your salvation. That means to take the truth of your salvation and make it an experiential reality in your life. A saved person should live differently from a lost person. They should take their salvation and make it real—in how they speak to one another, in how they live, in how they act. That’s the idea behind Philippians 2:12.
Now look at Philippians 3:13:
Philippians 3:13: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Verse 14: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Verse 13, when it says, “forgetting those things which are behind,” as a saved person, are there memories you have of things in life that, if you could redo them, you would handle differently? The answer is yes. Do people have regrets and guilt about things in life? They do.
The healthy way to deal with those things is this: You have to forget those things which are behind. It is not spiritually productive to dwell on every past fault. The way God looks at it is it’s forgiven. He views it as resolved—and we need to view it as resolved.
So the way to think about past sins is, forget those things which are behind. Then, as verse 14 says, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That involves actively walking in the right direction—walking after the Spirit, not after the flesh.
So, that’s how to understand Philippians 2:12 when it says, “Work out your own salvation.” It means to take the fact of your salvation and make it real in your life. It is not saying to work for your salvation.
BTW
Ephesians 2:8–9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Now get Titus 2:11:
Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Verse 12: Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."
What Ephesians 2:8–9 and Titus 2 teach is that we're saved by grace—completely apart from works. It clearly says, "not of works."
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
So two things are true:
- You are saved by grace through faith, apart from works. Works play no role in your salvation.
- Once you're saved, what did God create you to do? To walk in good works.
What some people sometimes say is that when you speak of grace, you’re saying people can live any way they want—that it doesn’t matter what they do because they’re saved by grace. So, they say, you can live like the devil, and so your bad works won’t send you to hell. You'll give account for them at the Judgment Seat of Christ. No sound grace preacher would ever say that your life, as a saved person, doesn’t matter. Of course it matters.
The grace of God teaches you to live soberly, righteously, and godly. It matters how you live.
So now, with that as context, look at Philippians 2:12:
Philippians 2:12: "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.
Verse 13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:12 does not say to work for your salvation. It says to work out your salvation. In other words, when you get saved, you're saved in a moment of time. You are a lost person—dead in your sins. The moment you believe the gospel, that very instant, what does God do? He justifies you. He declares you righteous. In that moment, you're eternally saved.
But at that instant, did all of your character flaws disappear? They didn’t, did they?
So, what Philippians 2:12 is about is this: Work out your salvation. That means to take the truth of your salvation and make it an experiential reality in your life. A saved person should live differently from a lost person. They should take their salvation and make it real—in how they speak to one another, in how they live, in how they act. That’s the idea behind Philippians 2:12.
Now look at Philippians 3:13:
Philippians 3:13: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Verse 14: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Verse 13, when it says, “forgetting those things which are behind,” as a saved person, are there memories you have of things in life that, if you could redo them, you would handle differently? The answer is yes. Do people have regrets and guilt about things in life? They do.
The healthy way to deal with those things is this: You have to forget those things which are behind. It is not spiritually productive to dwell on every past fault. The way God looks at it is it’s forgiven. He views it as resolved—and we need to view it as resolved.
So the way to think about past sins is, forget those things which are behind. Then, as verse 14 says, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That involves actively walking in the right direction—walking after the Spirit, not after the flesh.
So, that’s how to understand Philippians 2:12 when it says, “Work out your own salvation.” It means to take the fact of your salvation and make it real in your life. It is not saying to work for your salvation.
BTW
