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. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Our “own salvation” is that which our Lord Jesus Christ “finished” (John 19:30) when he Sacrificed Himself on the Cross to fully, finally, and eternally pay our sin-debt; thus, He and He alone “hath saved us” (II Timothy 1:9); man is completely passive in the “work” of his Eternal “salvation”. The decision to save us and who was to be saved was made before the “foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4); then, Jesus Christ forever “finished” the “work” to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) long before we were ever born. Furthermore, our works are plagued with sin and insufficiency; as Paul explained, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. … 24 O wretched man that I am! …” (Romans 7:18-24). Thus, if our Eternal Salvation depended upon our “works”, we’d all be Eternally Doomed, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). Therefore, to “work out” does not mean to “work” to obtain or to secure or to maintain; it means “work” because you have it or according to what you have. The two words “work out” come to us from a single Greek word that is a contraction of two other Greek words that mean ‘according to’ and ‘work’; thus, it is much the same as “I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). The message to us is; knowing what my Lord has graciously and mercifully done for us, we are compelled from the depth of our souls to daily cry “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalms 116:12) and strive with all diligence to “deny” ourselves “and take up” our “cross, and follow” our Lord (Matthew 16:24). Paul put it this way, “the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (II Corinthians 5:14). Ultimately, the meaning is that our works in this life ought to show forth our faith in and love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord put it this way, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15).