"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12, 13.
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” What does this
mean? It means that every day you are to distrust your own human efforts and
wisdom. You are to fear to speak at random, fear to follow your own impulses,
fear that pride of heart and love of the world and lust of the flesh shall exclude
the precious grace the Lord Jesus is longing to bestow upon you.
Man’s working, as brought out in the text, is not an independent work he
performs without God. His whole dependence is upon the power and grace of
the Divine Worker. Many miss the mark here, and claim that man must work his
own individual self, free from divine power. This is not in accordance with the
text. Another argues that man is free from all obligation, because God does it all,
both the willing and the doing. The text means that the salvation of the human
soul requires the will power to be subjected to the divine will power.... And it
is the very hardest, sternest conflict which comes with the purpose and hour of
great resolve and decision of the human to incline the will and way to God’s will
and God’s way.
Man is allotted a part in this great struggle for everlasting life; he must
respond to the working of the Holy Spirit. It will require a struggle to break
through the powers of darkness, but the Spirit that works in him can and will
accomplish this. But man is no passive instrument to be saved in indolence. He
is called upon to strain every muscle in the struggle for immortality, yet it is God
that supplies the efficiency.
Here are man’s works, and here are God’s works.... With these two combined
powers, man will be victorious, and receive a crown of life at last.... He puts to the
stretch every spiritual nerve and muscle that he may be a successful overcomer
in this work, and that he may obtain the precious boon of eternal life."
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