We know salvation is a Gift from God that cannot be earned… So what is Philippians 2:12 talking  about when it ask to work out your salvation?

Verse 12 starts with ‘Therefore’, which means it is referring to the previous verses.

So Verse 12 (NKJ) Therefore, my beloved, as you 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;

Note from commentator: The word translated work out is used by the first century author Strabo to speak of digging solver out of silver mines.  

Paul said to work out, develop something you have and not work for, something you do not yet possess.

Paul was encouraging those believers to continue in their walk with the Lord as he was about to depart (die) and would not be there to answer questions which may arise.  “As you have always obeyed”, Hear, Obey the gospel, to live as Christ, striving and suffering for Christ, Phil.2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

4: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (still talking about believers among believers)

5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,….

8: …He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

“always obeyed” can not mean being baptized over and over, it is living a humble sacrificial life, working to deny ourselves and serve each other as Christ served.  Jesus, also said, “deny your self, take up your cross and follow me.”  So we must work out our salvation not for more salvation but to enjoy the fullness of our salvation.

An example would be, you and I are given all of the gold in a  gold mine.  We are equal partners and owners in it.  We go into our mine and can see the gold in veins running through the wall.  We own it, we can see it, we can guess at its value, we can dream about what to do with the gold once we get it.  We may have different ideas of how to get the gold, where to store it, etc.

Until we get it out of the wall it is of little use to us, all the same it is ours.  We can’t go to a dealership and buy a car with the statement, we have a gold mine with gold running through it and some day when we get it out we will pay you for this car today.

So we work for years chipping away the rock and impurities around the gold, and form it into coins or bricks that we can take with us.  It is the same amount of gold, worth the same amount.  An ounce of gold did not become more valuable because we worked to get it out of the walls, but it did become more useful and more could be accomplished with it because of that effort.

You see our salvation is free.  We can chose to do nothing with it, in which case we would not grow or be useful other than to say we are a Christian, we believe and were baptized.  By working on our own shortcomings and to become more Christ like, we will be useful and able to help others (believers) grow, as those who were more mature christians before us helped us.   Not everybody has the same temptations, not everyone has the same weaknesses, not everyone has the same talents.   In the mine example, you and I may dig out the gold by different methods and at different speeds.  So too with our salvation.  Some may have a hard time giving up gambling, where others are not tempted to even try it.  The advice and encouragement to help the gambler would be of no use to someone struggling with drugs or anger.  So we are to work out, to learn, to grow, to understand, to get the greatest enjoyment and make the best use of the salvation each one of us receive.

Verse 13 continues the thought.

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We are all not expected to get the gold (spiritual growth) at the same rate, time, quantity, but as God has given to us to do for His will and His good pleasure.  We are to be content with what we have, where we are, and are to always work toward becoming more Christ like.

Paul was encouraging each Christian to work out their own salvation( relationship with God ), as their conscience allowed, to the best of their abilities and not to compare themselves to others.  You don’t go to our church; You should not eat meat; You should fast often; You don’t give as much as you should, etc.

Read again the second chapter from 1 – 30 and see if the verse fits better against the filter of this explanation.

Lord bless you for digging at that gold.  Truly priceless.