Working Out Our Salvation

The verse Philippians 2:12 always had me confused about my salvation. I knew that works didn’t buy you salvation and that salvation is a gift from God that whoever believes in Him will be saved. But when Philippians 2:12 said "work out our salvation" with fear and trembling I didn’t understand this scripture.


In further study I found out that by being a Christian and obeying God’s Word we were saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8. In Ephesians 2:9 it says that by being saved by grace so that no man can boast, Jesus gave us salvation as a free gift by his life, death, and resurrection so whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. This is from God and God alone who worked this out through Jesus at Calvary. The old covenant, the law was fulfilled and the new covenant that says we are saved by grace through faith was the new covenant.

We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out, that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8,9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith.

Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that "I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18). Good works, consisting of a righteous and gracious life-style, considerate of others and obedient to Christ's commands are the visible evidences of salvation. We have been "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

On the basis of Christ's sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11) “it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. God is thereby enabling us to "work out" our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.

It is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life. We do need to "examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith" (II Corinthians 13:5), and we are admonished that "we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (I John 2:3).

Understanding this now helps me to know that when we “work out our salvation”, we do so to please our heavenly Father and to obey Him and keep His commandments. Good works are the fruits of our salvation that God honors us for. So when I talk with Jehovah witnesses who come to my door, I make my statement that it is not through works that we are saved it is grace through faith that we are saved. It is a free gift from God. They don’t seem to understand this and I think that Philippians 2:12 trips them up by thinking that the way to salvation is by the work they do. They think they have to earn their salvation and don’t understand the reason why Jesus came to this earth to do away with the law and give believers salvation through grace by faith.

Thank you Jesus for doing away with the law. No man could have been saved through the law because no one could keep the law. The law was to show sinners what sin was and wasn’t meant to save anyone.

If you too are confused about Philippians 2:12 then please visit my website at: http://www.truelifelivingbooks.com and you will find a couple books that can explain Philippians 2:12 so you aren’t left wondering and asking yourself questions about grace and works and what “working out your salvation” really means. These books are: The Gospel According to the Apostles by John McArthur, and Saved Without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation by John McArthur and many more books.

Thank you and God Bless…