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Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed\u2014not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence\u2014continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose\u201d (Philippians 2:12-13).

As a pastor this is one of my most cherished texts in Scripture. There are three reasons for this.

One, it does not place responsibility for the spiritual growth of the congregation on the pastor. Certainly, pastors have a responsibility, but it is not primary, it is not even secondary. At best our responsibility is tertiary. This helps me sleep.

Two, and more to the point, it gives us pastors permission to nudge and encourage the people under our spiritual care to get busy. Salvation is not just something received. It is received, of course, but it is also worked out. It is a matter of obedience to work out the implications of salvation in our individual and communal lives. Christians must exert themselves, put effort into this. Paul has in mind a continuous, sustained, strenuous effort. The kind of workout where the muscles get tired and want to quit, but one does not because the muscles will only get stronger when they are pushed.

As Christians, as people redeemed in Christ, we are called to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Or to use the words of this chapter, \u201cDo nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others\u201d (2:3,4). The grace of God does more than get us into heaven. It also teaches us to say no to ungodly activity and to live righteous lives (Titus 2:11-12). But this is not easily done.

Sometimes it appears that Christians reduce the godly life to the gathering of correct information. The most exertion required is that which gets us out of bed and to church on Sunday morning. If we have a preacher that preaches the truth, all will be well. Truth is important, but it is insufficient. If we do not apply that truth in our lives, we remain disobedient. We must allow the Spirit to identity patterns of sinfulness in our lives and to use various means to root them out.

In classis Christian literature, we face three strong and wily enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. In our text, Paul is calling us to make full use of every God-appointed means to defeat the evil and bring out the good from within. Having quiet times, devotions, or whatever name we give to the discipline, is not simply about gaining knowledge, or \u2018doing time\u2019. Such discipline should always be about this: working out our salvation.

We pastors are sometimes invited to walk alongside people as they work this out. It is a tremendous privilege and often full of joy. However, at times it can be discouraging. Progress is slow. First gear is a frustratingly sluggish pace. Sometimes, we witness people stuck in reverse. Then it is easy to get discouraged and frustrated. It is even tempting to quit and say, \u2018you\u2019re on your own.\u2019

At those times, it is important to remember that these verses place no responsibility on pastors or others who walk alongside. Rather, it says, \u201cfor it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose\u201d. That, my friends, is good news indeed and the third reason I love this text.

We are not on our own against our formidable enemies. God himself is at work. The God who exalted Jesus from death to the highest place is himself at work in you and me labouring out our salvation. We work with fear and trembling, not in despair, but in hope, in expectation, in certainty that progress is being made. The Holy Spirit is the chief teacher and worker after all.

Let this be a cherished text for you as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling believing that God himself will see you to completion.