Philippians 2:12 "work out your salvation with fear and trembling"
What does "work out" means ? If Salvation is gift from God of Grace, and we don't earn by our actions, what does work out mean ?
What does "fear and trembling" means ? Do we need to fear God ?
The Greek verb rendered “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition."
"Work out" means to let your inner faith show on the outside through your daily actions.
We do this by actively pursue God's Obedience. Its a life long process of becoming more like Christ, which bible refers as "process of Sanctification".
God worked in us with Salvation, by the blood of Jesus Christ and now we work with the Holy Spirit and let the righteounsness in us worked out through us, so that the world can see me and through us others can want Me too.
The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect."
It describes deep reverence and honor for God's holiness and power.
Paul uses the same phrase in 2 Corinthians 7:15
He referred to Titus as being encourage by the Corinthians reception of him "with fear and trembling" .. meaning Corinthians were with Great humility and respect for his position as minister of Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It doesn't mean that God is trying to hurt us or removing salvation away.
Active Accountability
Because salvation is a gift from an infinitely holy God, believers are expected to treat that gift with the highest level of seriousness.
"Letting it transform your lifestyle" means that your daily choices, habits, and relationships should reflect the reality of who God is.
It means recognizing that your actions matter, and living with a conscious awareness that you are accountable to God.
God granted us His salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now, we work with the Holy Spirit to let that inner righteousness shine through our lives, so the world can see Christ in us and be drawn to Him.
Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.”