June 21, 2023 WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION
Philippians 2:1-13, 3:13-14 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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.” “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Accepting Jesus as our Savior is a beginning of a life-long journey. Scripture instructs us not to remain ‘babes in Christ.’ We are saved by grace and not by anything we do; but once we are saved, there are things we are called to do; there is a maturing and growing process in the faith and we have a part to play in that process. In 2 Peter 1, we are told to ‘add’ certain things to our faith; we must guard against living on a spiritual plateau. Hebrews 2:3 is a sober warning to believers: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation”…. We are not to be fearful, but we are to be diligent in growing in the faith. God is in the process of transforming us into the image of Christ-and that means change and growth for us. Our motivation for growing in the faith should be based on our love for God and our desire to be conformed to His image. If the Apostle Paul did not consider himself to have laid hold of all God had for him, and he was pressing on toward to goal of what was ahead, so should we. Being joined to God and made a part of His family is no small deal; we are part of something much greater than natural life on earth; we have the Spirt of the Creator God living in us and we are His representatives and witnesses on earth, and there is no higher calling. Our priority should be to see the word of God as our ‘manual’ for life, embracing the truth and the commands that God has given. If we find that is some way we are not walking according to the ways of God, let us adjust our life and lay aside anything that is not pleasing to Him-we can do that by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us know that as we embrace the scriptures, we find life and we discover our true identity as children of God. Working out our salvation is an ongoing process, but this work has great rewards.
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Blessings, Buddy
Philippians 2:1-13, 3:13-14 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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.” “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Accepting Jesus as our Savior is a beginning of a life-long journey. Scripture instructs us not to remain ‘babes in Christ.’ We are saved by grace and not by anything we do; but once we are saved, there are things we are called to do; there is a maturing and growing process in the faith and we have a part to play in that process. In 2 Peter 1, we are told to ‘add’ certain things to our faith; we must guard against living on a spiritual plateau. Hebrews 2:3 is a sober warning to believers: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation”…. We are not to be fearful, but we are to be diligent in growing in the faith. God is in the process of transforming us into the image of Christ-and that means change and growth for us. Our motivation for growing in the faith should be based on our love for God and our desire to be conformed to His image. If the Apostle Paul did not consider himself to have laid hold of all God had for him, and he was pressing on toward to goal of what was ahead, so should we. Being joined to God and made a part of His family is no small deal; we are part of something much greater than natural life on earth; we have the Spirt of the Creator God living in us and we are His representatives and witnesses on earth, and there is no higher calling. Our priority should be to see the word of God as our ‘manual’ for life, embracing the truth and the commands that God has given. If we find that is some way we are not walking according to the ways of God, let us adjust our life and lay aside anything that is not pleasing to Him-we can do that by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us know that as we embrace the scriptures, we find life and we discover our true identity as children of God. Working out our salvation is an ongoing process, but this work has great rewards.
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Blessings, Buddy
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