Working Out Salvation

God gave the Law to regulate life, not for salvation from sin. The Law itself is neither the cause of sin nor death. However, a Law which has no power to condemn or punish is no Law. A wrong relation to the Law issues in either sin or death, and sometimes both if “physical” death is the subject. John said, “If any one sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (I John 5:16 NASB). Here are some additional Scriptures to be studied: (1) Deuteronomy 32:48-52—Moses committed the sin unto physical death. As great as Moses was, he was not allowed to enter into the land of Canaan because he disobeyed God. God told him to speak to the rock, but he struck the rock. He destroyed a great type of the finished work of Christ by doing that. He committed that sin as a man of God. (2) I Corinthians 10:5—Many of the children of Israel died because they committed a sin unto physical death. (3) Acts 5:1-11—Ananias lied, and as a result of his lie, God killed him. We are talking about physical death, not about going to hell. He was a disobedient person and paid the ultimate price—physical death. (4) I Corinthians 11:30—The Corinthians were not discerning the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper and some other things. They committed a sin unto physical death. (5) Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14—God told Jeremiah not to pray for these religious Jews. They had sinned in such a manner as was displeasing to God.

Sin is the transgression of the Law. John said, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4 NASB). The holy Law of God irritates sin. The Law, merely as Law, cannot restrain sin. The more Law that is registered on the consciousness of man, the more sin is excited into action. This is true whether it be the “sinner” or “indwelling sin in the believer.” The Law, merely as Law, cannot exercise any remedial effect when sin is aroused in either a sinner or a saint. The arousal of sin to activity takes place in both the non-Christian and the Christian, but the difference in the Christian over the non-Christian is the presence of God’s grace. Thus, what the Law cannot do because of the weakness of the flesh, the grace of Christ can and does do. The Law is to regulate and promote life. It was ordained to guide in the possession of all our privileges and to the enjoyment of all our blessings.

There are some self-evident things that must not be overlooked. Chapters 6 and 7 of Romans constitute the portion of the Epistle in which Paul is explaining the working out of one’s salvation. Paul told the Philippians, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but how much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain” (Phil. 2:12-16 NASB). Was Paul hyper-critical in his final days? (See Acts 20:17-38; II Tim. 4.)

Under the combined drawing power of the centrifugal and centripetal forces, the planets move on in their appointed paths. Although the centrifugal pull of the principle of sin exists in the person who has been born of the Spirit, he also has the centripetal pull of the principle of life within that keeps the believer in the path of the Christian life. It is the path that Christ referred to as narrow, “…and few are those who find it” (Matt. 7:14 NASB). Timothy was the only one Paul could trust with such an important mission.

First, what a task for a young man! Paul said to him, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (I Tim. 4:12-16 NASB).

Secondly, what a work for such a physically weak person! This was Paul’s advice to Timothy: “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (I Tim. 5:23 NASB). By what authority did Paul, a minister of spiritual things, have the specialized skill to recommend wine for a medical problem? I suppose the correct answer would be, Paul had the same right to quote Dr. Luke as Dr. Luke had to quote Paul. Paul carefully chose his words, “use a little wine.” Therefore, we must be careful how we use the Scriptures.

Thirdly, what a task for a fearful young man to fulfill! Paul said to the Corinthians: “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid; for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am. Let no one therefore despise him. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren. But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity. Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (I Cor. 16:10-14 NASB).

The true believer works out what has been worked in his heart by regeneration. For one to work out his salvation (not regeneration), he escapes corruption by subduing his own desires. Working out salvation is not easy, because it requires great effort. Salvation is a process, unlike regeneration, which is compared to the wind that “blows where it wishes” (John 3:8). Regeneration is an act. God commands us to work out what He has worked in us. An unregenerate person cannot work out something that has never been worked in him. Grace is given to the elect in order that they shall, with God operating in them, fulfill God’s appointed purpose in their lives.

Faith is a part of God’s salvation; therefore, we cannot be said to have faith through faith. A person does not first believe and then is born again. One is born again before he believes. John said, “WHOEVER believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him” (I John 5:1 NASB). One is born again before he believes. A person does not see before he has sight. Sight is by grace, not by seeing. Life precedes faith.

It is through grace that we believe (Acts 18:27). Hence, grace is the efficient cause of our believing. Faith is not the efficient cause of faith. Both grace and faith are God’s gifts. What about “grace is God’s part, and faith is man’s part”? Does this mean that God and man become partners in salvation? That is ridiculous. That is heresy, not the teaching of the Scriptures.

Reformers of the past turned from the basic teachings of Rome. They denounced extra-Biblical practices, such as confession, penance, prayers to Mary, purgatory, infallibility of the pope, etc. However, modern reformers are smuggling in extra-Biblical teachings in a more subtle form. While Rome openly admits her adopted customs and extra-Biblical teachings, modern-day reformers insist that their teachings are Biblical. With their “and” and “but” added to God’s grace, they make man the prime mover in his new birth since “God has done His part.” That is heresy. According to them, man must be the final or ultimate actor in his deliverance from sin. At 92 years of age, Norman Vincent Peale said, “You believe in yourself. Believe in God and believe in Jesus and follow him, and I say to you, you can do anything.”—(Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1990) Could this be God-given faith? No.

Humanism of the twenty-first century is nothing new. Isaiah said, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Is. 53:6 NASB). As grace is from God, inability is from man. God is capable; man is incapable. Any self-effort scorns grace, ignores God’s choice, and hates the work of Christ. Scripture never asks the unregenerate to open his heart, but the sinner is commanded to repent and believe. Grace is never offered; it is given. God descends to man; man cannot ascend to God because of spiritual inability. Man cannot give birth to himself. Free will dethrones God and enthrones man. There is something about size and power that deceives people. How can so many people be wrong? This is true with religion, science, and society which includes politics.

People are being deceived by “word engineering,” the science of making practical application of words. For example, medical science has gone from such terms as murder, abortion, and suicide, to aborting a fetus, brain dead, and non-person for body parts. The Hippocratic Oath means no more to some doctors, than the doctrines of free grace and impeccability do to some preachers. The doctor is not expected to believe everything the preacher says just because he has made some study of theology. The same is true with the preacher concerning the doctor. All doctors and preachers are not expected to be reliable. That is just the way things are among depraved humans.

“Work out your own salvation” is a corporate rather than an individual statement. The obedience of the assembly must be motivated by the Philippian saints as a whole body, not a few members within the assembly. Therefore, a “social” interpretation is formed by the indictment of Philippians 2:14—“Do all things without grumbling or disputing” (NASB). This is different from Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:19-20—“For I know [perfect active indicative of oida, meaning to know, understand, or perceive] that this shall turn out [future middle indicative of apobaino, meaning turn out or lead to] for my deliverance [noun, accusative feminine singular of soteria, meaning for my salvation or deliverance] though your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (NASB).

True motivation must come from the Lord, not from Paul or any servant that has followed Christ. Having been saved by God’s grace, there must be a continuous effort to work out our deliverance which is a continuous process.

Paul first counted all things but loss for Christ, and then actually suffered the loss of all things for Christ (Phil. 3:7-18). In chapter one, Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21 NASB). In chapter two, he said, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5 NASB). In chapter three, the apostle said, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14 NASB). Finally, in chapter four, Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NASB). Only through Christ can saints work out their salvation. Read II Peter 1:2-15, especially verses 5-15, and note what Peter adds to what Paul has already given on working out our salvation.