Which do you believe?

Monergism vs. Synergism?

Consider this verse: "...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 2:12b-13

In this verse, man is clearly commanded that, in relation to his own salvation, he must work. The word for "work" means to "put forth the maximum effort". Yet, at the same time, it is God who is doing the work in us and through us. So, in a sense, both monergism and synergism are true as long as you realize that both are true and keep them in their proper sense. When you try to argue for one at the exclusion of the other, then you are ignoring one part of this verse.

When it is all said and done, if I have "put forth the maximum effort" and God has worked in me and through me I will say to God "To you belongs all the honor and glory" and God will say to me "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

 

Yes, consider that verse. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling". Why? Because of what? "For" what? "Because/for it is God who works in you to will and to do..."

So we're supposed to work out our salvation BECAUSE it's God who does the work? Sounds like a direct contradiction to me if you take the words at face value. Something tells me there's more to this passage than meets the eye.

 

I "work out" my arms so they grow...not so I can have arms.

 

I do not know on what side of the theological spectrum you fall, but I am in total agree with you. I would add, however, that the working out of our salvation, which we all possess, is what is known elsewhere as sanctification. IOW, a worked-out-salvation is sanctification proper.

 

Yes. Exactly. We work because God works. If God was not working our work would be futile.

 

I agree with this summary. It doesn't sound like the way most people interpret that passage, though.

 

It ought to be our interpretation because the little word "for" that begins v.13 is what Greek grammarians call a postpositive conjunction, not the first word in the sentence, but links it often with what preceded.

So in this case "for" grounds v.12: We are able to workout our salvation because/for God is at work in us. That's great stuff. In fact, it is an echo of 1:6.

 

I like that one, webdog, way to go.:thumbs:

 

Right. Unfortunately, I've heard this passage preached repeatedly by people who leave out out the part from "for" forward. They focus entirely on our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

I still wonder if it's a figure of speech, especially since it specifically says "your own". I mean, I wonder if it's meant to convey the message, "If you think you can work out your own salvation, then do so with fear and trembling, because it isn't YOU who does it, but God who works in you to will and to do according to HIS good purpose."

 

Work out our salvation

Working out our salvation with fear and trembling is like the woman at the well. She wanted to tell everyone the good news. It is not the fear and trembling for us but for others.

Paul said if me eating meat causes a weaker man to stumble then I will never eat meat again. So many out there need to hear the Gospel and that is working out our salvation. Doing the work God has prepared us in advance to do.

 

Yes, I think we work because we have salvation, not because we are trying to get it.

What is wrong with fear. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His Commandments.

 

TCGreek, I agree that this "working out" has to do with sanctification. In fact, the "work out" parallels the idea of obedience found earlier in verse 12 (as you have obeyed in the past, now work out your salvation in the present) and echoes the obedience of Jesus in his self-emptying found in verses 1-11. So, working out our salvation meanse that we are to put maximum effort into obeying God and we are to put forth the effort to obey in a spirit of trembling and fear.

 

I do not follow your reasoning on "a figure of speech," but I do agree that "with fear and trembling" conveys a sense of awe for what God has done in salvation us through the incarnation of His Son.

In fact, v.12 begins with ὥστε, "So then" (NASB; "Wherefore," KJV), which means a consequent/resultant response because of what has been done, namely, the humble incarnation of Christ and what it means for Christian unity on a whole (Phil 1:27-2:11).

 

I was working on the other post, while you were working on this one, but we come out in agreement.:thumbs: