“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13-14

In these two verses, what are the Paul’s instructions to the believer?

We are instructed by Paul to work ‘out’, not work ‘for’, our salvation. The believer already has both salvation and the assurance of it for all eternity, because he/she has believed and trusted in the Son for the forgiveness of sin.

What does it mean to ‘work out’ the salvation which we already posses?

It does not mean that we are to labor, solely by our own human efforts, to be pleasing to God, for scripture tells us that all of our righteousness is like a filthy rag, still tainted by sin (Isaiah 64, see also Psalm 14 & Romans 3).

It does mean that we are to yield to ‘God who works in us’ , and do so humbly (with fear and trembling); knowing that is is GOD at work by the power of His Spirit indwelling us.

How exactly does God work within us?

John Owen provides us an excellent answer to this question:

“God works in converted men a will to that which is spiritually good; which is to be understood, not of the formation of the natural faculty of the will; or of the preservation of it, and its natural liberty; or of the general motion of it to natural objects; nor of his influence on it in a providential way; but of the making of it good, and causing a willingness in it to that which is spiritually good. Men have no will naturally to come to Christ, or to have him to reign over them; they have no desire, nor hungerings and thirstings after his righteousness and salvation; wherever there are any such inclinations and desires, they are wrought in men by God; who works upon the stubborn and inflexible will, and, without any force to it, makes the soul willing to be saved by Christ, and submit to his righteousness, and do his will; he sweetly and powerfully draws it with the cords of love to himself, and to his Son, and so influences it by his grace and spirit, and which he continues, that it freely wills everything spiritually good, and for the glory of God: and he works in them also to “do”; for there is sometimes in believers a will, when there wants a power of doing.”

God works within the believer to give him/her a desire, to do that which pleases God, and also provides the power to do that which pleases Him.

Why does God so work in the life of every believer?

For the same reason He determined to have a remnant out of lost and dying humanity as a people for Himself:

“He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” – Ephesians 1:5-6

The ‘prime’ product of all that God does is ‘the praise of His glorious grace’. We believers are the eternally blessed ‘by-product’ of ‘the purpose of His will’.