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. Philippians 2:12
“God decrees salvation in a way of working. One of the Fathers, when disputing with another on fate and destiny, thus
argues: One gave counsel to his friend, who was sick, not to send for a physician, because, said he, it is appointed by destiny whether thou shalt recover or not : if it be thy destiny to recover, thou needest not the physician; if it be not thy destiny, he will do thee no good.”
This is an argument fetched out of the devil’s tactics; because God decrees the end in the use of means. God decreed that Hezekiah should recover out of his sickness; but then he was to lay a fig to his boil. Although it is “the blessing of the Lord which maketh rich,” yet it is also true that the hand of the diligent maketh rich. God’s decreeing is carried on by our
working.”
Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 39.
Whether Paul was with the Philippians or not, he wanted them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. In plain terms, they would figure it out as they worked it out with humility, diligence, and obedience.
I feel like the Paul, the traveling apostle with his comment “not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence.” Likewise, whether I am with you in the USA or absent from you, I hope you do the same thing.
I am safely in Pakistan. See the view of Margalla Hills from my hotel room in Islamabad.
And one of the blessings that happens with faithful service and hard work is material wealth. “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4
But wealth can lead us to the opposite of humility, diligence, and obedience. It tempts us toward pride, laziness, and disobedience. How do we avoid this? As God blesses us, we grow our generosity.
And notice that God’s decreeing is carried on by our working. Another way to say this would be God’s ways like today’s Scripture or the the proverb above are proved true by our working (or lack of work).
In a sense, our work “saves us” from ourselves and from our human, sinful ways. This is not about earning eternal life. It’s about understanding that people with authentic faith work. And God blesses them to bless others.
So, get to work and give generously. In so doing, you work out your salvation.