When you hear “work out,” several images might pop into your head. Maybe marathon runners trotting through the city or weightlifters dropping heavy iron dumbbells with a bang. Whatever the image, “work out” implies effort.
Naturally, then, we might feel uneasy when Paul uses this phrase in Philippians 2:12—“work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Isn’t salvation by grace alone through faith? Is Paul saying I can achieve my own salvation? Are we to constantly “fear” for our salvation?
Not at all!
Sanctification
Philippians 2:12–13 (NIV) reads: “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, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Rather than describing how one can earn their salvation—which is impossible—Paul is describing what Christians come to refer to as “sanctification”; that is, actively participating with God as He transforms you to become more and more Christlike.
The order in which Paul writes Philippians 2:12–13 makes this clear: First, he commends the Philippians for obeying. Second, he urges them to “continue” on. Then, third, he explains how “it is God who works in you…to fulfill his good purpose.”
It’s like Paul is telling the Philippians (and us by extension):
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You’re doing great!
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Now keep going,
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Because God is doing it!
So then, to “work out your salvation” refers to our active striving toward holiness. And Verse 13 helpfully clarifies matters, describing how this very striving is empowered by God—“for it is God who works in you.” In fact, Paul describes sanctification similarly in Philippians 1:6–11. There, Paul claims that God “started a good work in you [and] will carry it on to completion” (verse 6) before praying that the Philippians would “approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness through Christ” (verses 10-11). Again, Paul combines human participation and God’s power: ‘Because God is doing it, keep doing it!’
Going a Little Deeper
Pressing deeper, the word “therefore” in verse 12 indicates that Paul’s instructions to “work out your salvation” depend upon what he wrote earlier in the letter. Since 2:1, Paul has been emphasizing humility. He calls Christians to “adopt the same attitude as…Christ Jesus” (verse 5) before exploring Christ’s humble attitude in detail (verses 6–11). Ultimately, Christ’s humble submission to the Father leads to His exaltation, and that is the type of life that sanctification produces.
So, in context, Paul’s charge to “work out your salvation” means humbly submitting to God (verse 8) and humbly denying ourselves for the sake of others (verses 2–4). But again, this submission, this radical obedience, is only possible through God Himself (verse 13).
In fact, in Philippians 3:12–14, Paul describes his own sanctification in terms now familiar to us. I have bolded Paul’s descriptions of his own effort and italicized His description of God’s power: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
“Fear and Trembling”?
Now, if “working out your salvation” (verse 12) means relying on God’s power (verse 13) to transform you into someone more like Christ (verse 5), what’s up with the “fear and trembling” bit?
Although it may carry a negative connotation in English, the phrase “fear and trembling,” refers to a proper reverence toward God (Genesis 22:12; Proverbs 28:14). Given the context, Paul is likely thinking of Psalm 2, where the nations are called to honor God and “His Anointed,” a reference to the future Messiah, Jesus Christ. Psalm 2:11 specifically calls the nations to “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (ESV, emphasis added)—our two keywords. But notice how Psalm 2:11 describes how a proper orientation toward God is marked by fear and trembling alongside service and rejoicing—these are positive words! Consider Isaiah 66:2, which captures a similar idea: “I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.”
Therefore, “fear and trembling” has little to do with worrying about one’s salvation. Rather, the phrase refers to an ideal response to God, a “reverential awe” that includes rejoicing (Psalm 2:11 CSB).
So, let’s summarize.
In Philippians 2:12–13, Paul describes what modern Christians refer to as sanctification, the process of becoming more Christlike. More specifically, “to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” in context means to emulate Christ’s humble but active submission to the Father (verses 5–11). Immediately, however, Paul encourages the Philippians by telling them this radical obedience is only possible because “it is God who is working in you” (verse 13).
“To work out your salvation,” then, shouldn’t provoke fear over somehow earning your salvation. Rather, “to work out” means that we—like Paul and the Philippians—are to emulate Christ by relying on His power to transform us from the inside out.
Additional Resources for Understanding Sanctification:
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A Year in the Bible | 4 Volume Bundle |
Good Christian Girl | Hope in Christ When You Feel Like You Don't Measure Up |
Awakening Wonder | Advent Bible Study |
I Keep Messing Up, Will God Keep Forgiving Me - The Daily Grace Co. Blog |
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