Introduction
Matthew Henry - "The example of our Lord Jesus Christ is set before us. We must resemble Him in His life, if we would have the benefit of his death."
How do we do this? - there has long been a debate about the relationship between the power of God and the responsibility of the believer in living the Christian life.
Is the Christian life a matter of passive trust in God or of active obedience?
As we look at these verses, I think we will see that it is both - it is God who does the ultimate work according to His purposes, but we are the instruments He uses and we have to get up off the couch and take action
However, we do not have in these verses an explanation of the perfect harmonization of the two - for we know there are some mysteries of our Father that are incomprehensible
Deut 29:29 - "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this law."
The Believer's Responsibility
How do we know that there is an action for us to take?
Paul begins v. 12 with a "therefore"
We know from last week that Christ became man, lived, suffered, and was resurrected for our sake. This "therefore" links what he said in last week's verses with the directive given this week.
Because He did these things for us, we must obey.
"And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:9)
There is no doubt that we are called to obey
But, more than just sheer obedience from duty, we ought to obey out of love, for He first loved us.
"For He received honor and glory from God the Father, when was borne to Him a voice from the excellent glory, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (2 Peter 1:17)
1. What does it look like to "obey"?
We are told in v. 12 that we must "work out our salvation"
MacArthur points out that the Greek word "work out" used here means to "continually work to bring something to fulfillment or completion"
MacArthur is careful to point out that this does NOT refer to "salvation by works"
"But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, toward all and upon all those who believe. For there is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;" (Romans 3:21-24)
"For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
So what is being referred to here by "work out our salvation"?
The believer's responsibility to actively pursue obedience to Christ in the process of sanctification.
Do we stay healthy by sitting on the couch eating junk food and watching TV? - no, of course not! Our muscles go into atrophy and we will lose our strength.
In the same way, if we are not studying Scripture, worshipping, and engaging others for Christ, our faith will also go into atrophy.
"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men." (Matthew 5:13)
2. How do we "work" through this process of sanctification?
"with fear and trembling"; we are to have a "humble" (last week's directive) attitude in our pursuit - a healthy fear and reverence for God
Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
"cultivate" your salvation (MKJV); Webster - "to prepare the land in order to raise crops"; "to develop or improve by education or training"; "to devote oneself to" (love the imagery in these definitions)
Matthew Henry - "We must be diligent in the use of all the means which lead to our salvation, persevering therein to the end."
We have to intentional in our faith; this is easier said than done, especially when life gets hectic and/or we are going through tribulations.
God at Work
Though we are responsible for working on our faith, we know that God is omnipotent; it is He who saves
John 17:9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours."
While we work, it is the Lord who actually produces good works in us
John 15:5 "I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
He works through us by the in dwelling of His Spirit
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Galatians 3:5 "Then He supplying the Spirit to you and working powerful works in you, is it by works of the law, or by hearing of faith?"
So, where do we get off track?
On the one hand, we can stress God's role in sanctification to the point of the exclusion of any human effort (like we said before, we are called to act - i.e., the Great Commission)
On the other hand, we can emphasize self-effort at the expense of reliance on God's power of saving grace
How do we reconcile the two? - through love.
Mark 12:30 "and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."
When we approach life with Love in our heart for Christ and our fellow man, we can follow and obey Him while also realizing that He will accomplish His good works through us in His good timing
Conclusion
I love the story of Alvin York, a farmer from Fentress Co., TN
York was a heavy drinker and was a perpetual fighter, involved in multiple run ins with the law
On New Years Day, at age of 28, York became a Christian and dedicated his life to sobriety
In 1917, York was drafted into WWI and in 1918, the Battle for Argonne Forest began
York was part of a patrol sent to take out a German machine gun nest; York personally killed more than 20 Germans & took another 132 prisoner; York was heralded by General Pershing as the "greatest civilian soldier of the war."
The night after York's heroics at the Battle of Argonne, he wrote in his journal:
"So you can see here in this case of mine where God helped me out. I had bin living for God and working in the church some time before I came to the army. So I am witness to the fact that God did help me out of that hard battle; for the bushes were shot up all around me, and I never got a scratch."
York relied on God to work out His purposes, all while taking action. We are not all called to war, but we are in a spiritual battle that requires action on our part and reliance of God to accomplish His holy will.
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