Now that you are saved, are you ‘doing’ anything with your new state? Do you see evidences in your life of a changed life? Do you see evidences that you are growing in the things of the Lord? Is it important to you? And please don’t read this as accusatory – I’m speaking as much to me as to you. We need to be acutely aware that we do model what we believe. We need to know the message we are providing.
Paul speaking in Philippians 2:12, the ending exhortation:
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,”
Do we really understand what ‘working out your salvation’ means? We aren’t our (or anyone else’s savior) so what are we suppose to be doing? Looking at the Amplified Bible will give us some important clues:
“…continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].”
The Message Bible states:
“…redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.”
Does this give an better perspective? I’ve underlined what I consider to be the significant words: cultivate, pursue, self-evaluation, redouble, energetic, reverent, sensitive. Are these the words that describe and define what we do about our salvation? Do we continue to become what the Lord purchased for us? Are we ‘working out’ our salvation? Is it in evidence?
Salvation is not a ‘condition’ to simply put on the shelf. My understanding is that it is to be active in our lives which, I suggest, does give the evidences. Who we are, what we do… does demonstrate that we are not only born again but continuing to mature as Christians and to act in the world we live in. I have trouble imagining that we should simply be grateful that our name is written in the Book of Life, but that we should be engaged with our living.
Actually… there will always be evidences. What is in evidence is our decision.
