Defiant Joy: A Study On PhilippiansSample

DAY 5: JOY THAT DEFIES GIVING UP 

“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” 

Philippians 2:12 is probably one of the most misunderstood verses in this entire letter. This verse seems to suggest that salvation is something we earn. It also seems to suggest salvation is something we can lose at any moment.—so what if you “prayed the prayer”? Is your salvation in jeopardy if you don’t “live the life”? 

Thankfully, the answer to those questions is a definitive “no.” If you have placed your faith in Christ, your salvation is sealed by the Holy Spirit, which means Paul has something else in mind here. 

What Paul is doing is challenging the Philippians to persevere, to finish the race. THAT is what he means by “working out your salvation.” 

Persevere Well

In this passage, Paul is drawing a comparison between the Christian journey of faith, and the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. Like the Israelites in Exodus, the Philippians have a journey ahead of them, one that will test their faithfulness and their trust in God. 

Rather than imitate the Israelites’ “grumbling and arguing” (v. 14), he encourages them to stay the course, “hold firmly to the word of life,” (v. 16) and remain “blameless and pure” (v. 14).  

What Paul is saying here is important, because Christians often view salvation as a one-time event. We pray the prayer; we’re saved; it’s done. But Paul reminds us that salvation isn’t just a single event; it’s also a reality we live into. 

Another way to think about it, is that salvation is a lot like marriage. On a wedding day, a husband and wife become one. Their unity is an immediate, spiritual reality. But any married couple will tell you this unity also takes time. In fact, you spend the rest of your lives living into it. The unity is both immediate, and ongoing.

Salvation is like that. It’s immediate, but it’s also a lifelong journey, which is why Paul is calling the Philippians to persevere in their salvation. In a sense, he is inviting them to become more and more “saved,” not in the sense that they are more acceptable to God, but in the sense of living out their salvation more fully. Every day, we are to live out the freedom we have in Christ to a greater and greater degree.

That is what it means to “work out your salvation.” It is not a relentless burden, but a promise of ever-increasing joy for those who don’t quit, but press on.