Philippians 2:12
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul urges the obedient Philippians to work out their salvation with reverent seriousness.
What Does Philippians 2:12 Mean?
Having set the example of Christ before them, Paul applies it. Just as the Philippians have always obeyed, he urges them, now in his absence even more than when he was present, to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
To work out one's salvation is not to earn it but to live it out, to bring it to full expression in daily conduct, as one works out the implications of a gift already received. The fear and trembling is not terror but a reverent seriousness, a sense of how weighty this calling is. Paul wants their obedience to be their own, not dependent on his presence to prop it up. The salvation God has given is to take visible shape in how they live, and that is a matter to be pursued with humble, wholehearted care. The next verse reveals who supplies the power.