2:12 - What does it mean to work out your salvation? Does that mean that we save ourselves? Does that mean that we earn our way into God's grace through rule following? No! Look at what the passage says, "work out YOUR OWN salvation." You have it already. Salvation that has come through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is your own. You received this salvation not through any actions on your part, but by simply believing in Jesus and what he did for you. Once this salvation has been received there is nothing you can do to earn it...you have it! You own it! And the only possible appreciative response to this free gift of salvation is to live as one who is redeemed...to live as one made righteous. That is what Christians do...we make decisions according to the salvation that we have already been given. Does that make sense? Working out your salvation is simply living to honor God's incredible mercy.
2:13 - Do you ever think about this? God Himself is at work in you! God is guiding you. God is shaping you. God is loving you. The questions is - if He is working in you, what is He leading you towards? He i leading you towards His will. He wants you to be living anchored in His will. When we are operating within the will of God, we are functioning as we were created to function. God's good pleasure is where we want to be. God is good and the things that please God are utterly good. To be living in God's will is to be working for God's pleasure. It is completely right. It is home.
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