Philippians 2:12-13 - Divine Energeō

Chad Werkhoven
Aug 12
3 min read

Work out your salvation, for God is at work in you.

Philippians 2:12–13 (NIV)

¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Point 4 - Irresistible Grace

Article 10: Conversion as the Work of God

The fact that those who are called through the ministry of the gospel come to Christ and are brought to conversion
1. must not be credited to human effort,
  1. as though one distinguishes oneself
    1. by free choice
    2. from others who are furnished with equal or sufficient grace for faith and conversion
  2. (as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains).
2. No, it must be credited to God:
  1. just as from eternity God chose his own in Christ,
  2. so within time God effectively
    1. calls them, grants them faith and repentance,
    2. and,
      1. having rescued them from the dominion of darkness,
      2. brings them into the kingdom of his Son,
3. in order that they
  1. may declare the wonderful deeds of the One
    1. who called them out of darkness
    2. into this marvelous light,
  2. and may boast not in themselves,
    1. but in the Lord,
    2. as apostolic words frequently testify in Scripture.

Summary

Today's passage is another good example of tensegrity - the principle that refers to the integrity achieved by keeping your grip on doctrines that seem to be in tension with one another. On one hand, you're commanded to continue to work out your salvation. When read alone, this imperative seems to imply that your eternal destiny depends on your earthly performance - the work you accomplish. And don't be whistlin' while you work either... keep your head down, fearfully trembling as you carry out your obedience to God.

But then Paul chains this instruction to a freight train moving in the opposite direction: you must continue working out your salvation... even though it is God who works in you. Maybe you've experienced this tension yourself. How often aren't you reminded that you're saved by grace, but yet you're still told to keep God's commands as if your life depends on it!

The next time you feel like you're being pulled apart by Biblical doctrine, remember two things. First, the tension you feel is perceived, not actual; certainly God's word isn't contradictory (we'll dig deeper into that in a moment). Secondly, understand that this 'tension' is a good thing that keeps you from falling into error; on one hand, overemphasizing God's sovereignty in your salvation leads to fatalism, but basing your hope on your own deeds leads to either pride or hopelessness.

Maintaining the tensegrity that scripture intends here can often seem difficult and uncomfortable in the midst of the tension, but you'll also realize true and lasting integrity in a world of chaos.

Dig Deeper

As is often the case, the NET Bible translation helps clarify the meaning of today's passage:

continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence...

...for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort... is God.

So you do have an obligation to work out your salvation. That verb is used often in the New Testament. One lexicon defines it as "to cause to be, to make to be, to make, to result in, to bring upon, to bring about." In other words, you must do the hard work of making your salvation by grace alone evident in every aspect of your life.

You're not able to do that in your own strength. But fear not, for God's grace is stronger than you are! And we see how God's powerful grace enables you to work out your salvation: God is the energeō - properly translated as at work - giving you the energy to will and to act (or as the NET puts it, bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort).

So in reality, there's no tension in today's passage: God gracefully gives you the energy & desire you need to keep His commandment of salvation, for His salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But in practice, this reality isn't comfortable, seemingly pulling you in opposite directions. But do the hard work of maintaining this tensegrity! God has energeō-ized you to do so!

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is at work in us in order to fulfill His good purpose;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that more and more you will continue working out your salvation using the energeō God provides;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: