Greetings in Jesus’ Most Holy Name!
Through His sacrificial death on the Cross, Jesus Christ purchased salvation for each one of us who believes in Him, yet why does St. Paul in the above Bible verse exhort us to work out our own salvation? We are to ‘work OUT our salvation’, not ‘work FOR our salvation’. If we had the ability to work FOR our salvation, then Jesus Christ died in vain! His painful sacrificial death on the Cross would be meaningless if we could save ourselves! God our Father views all our human works as filthy rags – Isaiah 64:6. He offers us a free gift of salvation by trusting in His Son’s death, burial and resurrection as being sufficient for our eternal security.
We are to ‘work OUT our salvation’, not ‘work FOR our salvation’.
How are we to work out our salvation? The Word of God says with ‘fear and trembling’, but fear of what or whom? Is St. Paul asking us to fear God? If we are performing good works through obedience and gratitude towards God for the irrevocable past gift of salvation, then why should we be scared and trembling? In the analogy of a child who wants to please his parents by doing the daily household chores in fear and trembling, because he or she fears being punished or displeasing the parents, rather than performing those tasks because he loves them. If our perspective of God is of One who punishes, then we will fear Him rather than love Him. God is Love. His steadfast love never ceases and His mercies never come to an end. Infact, they are new EVERY morning – Lamentations 3:22-23.
Fear and trembling in the above Bible verse then, can best be described as a reverential awe towards God; the knowledge of His grace which is sufficient for us. St. Paul is exhorting us to be vigilant to remain in a state of grace and holiness with God, lest we fall out of it. And as sinners, we will fall if we take His love and mercy for granted. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom - Proverbs 1:7; 9:10.
Are we working FOR God or WITH God?
Hence, we are to work out our salvation by obedience, because God is at work in us. In other words, we are to manifest the anointing, gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit within us with great respect and care because the power of God is involved with whatever we are doing. Led and guided by the Holy Spirit, we need to discern God’s will and the action to be taken. Here, we can also ask ourselves this question – Are we working FOR God or WITH God? Many of us want to work for God and do good works, but few work with Him. When we work with God, He leads guides and directs our paths through the power of His Spirit and all He asks is our humble obedience to His promptings! St. Paul himself manifested the power of God with fear and trembling. We read about this in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 – “And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”
The best example in the Bible of one who worked out his salvation is Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10. He was seeking to see who Jesus was. When he heard that Jesus was coming to Jericho, he climbed a tree in order to be able to see Him. Zaccheus had a reputation of being an extortioner and a sinner. What must have been going through his mind as he sat on that sycomore tree and waited to see Jesus? I believe that Zacchaeus was WORKING OUT HIS SALVATION AS HE SAT ON TOP OF HIS SINS on that tree! He surely must have acknowledged his sinful life right there on that tree and repented for all his wrongs with a firm determination of repaying evil with good. Even with the crowd surrounding that place, Zacchaeus was connected with the heart of Jesus because we read in Luke 19:5 – when Jesus came to the place, even in that crowd of people, He looked up and addressed Zacchaeus by name! Jesus knew that deep in his heart, Zacchaeus was not all that bad. Even if he had dirtied his hands in immoral deeds, he had not lost his sense of what was good as evidenced by his eagerness to see Jesus even to the extent of humbling himself by climbing up a tree. And we know that Jesus did not disappoint this effort of Zacchaeus. He received Jesus joyfully into his home; a genuine joy that reflected the transformation effected in him when he saw Jesus. Zacchaeus the outcast sinner had never felt more accepted for what he was than at that very moment in the presence of Jesus. His conversion was apparent in his speech and decision to rectify his evil deeds. When God deals with sinners, He overlooks the sins of men that they may repent – Wisdom 11: 23-24. God first overlooks sin; then repentance follows. As humans, we demand repentance first, then we overlook the wrongs and sins of others. This highlights the difference between the way God and we forgive.
We are all sinners and therefore in need of salvation. Like Zacchaeus, let us begin by seeking to see who Jesus was. To see and know Jesus, we must make efforts to spend time in His presence. We too will be given opportunities for repentance in an atmosphere of acceptance, because Jesus’ mission is to save what was lost. When we respond to Jesus’ call or his knock on the door of our hearts, our transformation may be considered suspect especially by those who have already pre-judged us as sinners. But let us not allow that to bother us as Zacchaeus did not and worked out his salvation. After responding to Jesus’ desire to stay in our hearts, may we too like Zacchaeus, hear His same words – “Today, salvation has come to this house.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the free gift of salvation and grace. May we always honor the painful price that You paid to redeem each one of us from death and sin through Your sacrificial death on the Cross.
Blessings,
Monisha Rebello
You may submit your prayer requests, which will be treated with absolute confidence. Remember to glorify our Lord as soon as He blesses you. You can email your testimonies with permission to publish them online at www.heavensmission.witnesstoday.org
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