Working Out Salvation
One of my favorite scriptures comes from Philippians, and I think it has a lot of implications about salvation and interpersonal relationships between Christians. Philippians 2:12-13 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. As a note, I have formatted the bold text above to call out the abbreviation that I normally quote. The full two verses are included for context, but even just that short phrase is full of ideas to unpack. From the top, the exact phrasing is “work out.” Salvation isn’t something to take trivially. You need to deliberate on it. This is a matter of life and death, with eternal consequences. We cannot afford to be cavalier about salvation. If you aren’t comfortable really digging in and working out where you stand with God, you’re going to have a hard ti...