A Frightening Relationship?

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, 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 2:12-13

A recent conversation I had with Seth Evans on this passage brought me to a different understanding of these verses than what I had before. Although I don't actually remember if I ever had a good understanding of these verses in the first place. I always wondered why I should be afraid and trembling as I looked to "work out my salvation" by developing a deeper relationship with Christ. What is frightening about getting to know Christ, my Savior and Lord, better than I did before? Shouldn't this be a wonderful, joyous experience? And if so, could it be both joyous and frightening?

The answer is yes, it can be both. And I realized that in order to really feel the full extent of the joy that is possible in a relationship with Christ that I must experience the fightening apsects of the relationship as well. How does this work? The Lord wants to be at the center of our lives every day, behind every decision that we make. However, we still have to make the choice to give him control, look to do his will, and put our trust in him. This is why pursuing a relationship with Christ can produce so much "fear and trembling." Giving someone else control over our lives can be a very difficult and frightening experience but it is a necessary step to deepen our relationship with Christ. And the more faith we have in Christ the easier it becomes to trust him with our lives.

Finally, Paul makes it clear in this passage that this is a personal process. He says to "work out your OWN salvation" and he urges them to do this when he is no longer there. Why is this important? Paul wants them to look to Christ and trust in him first and foremost. Sometimes I know that when I finally do give up control of one aspect of my life that I immediately look to others to copy their behavior. Obviously, the examples of others can be very helpful in our walk with Christ but it can only take us so far. Eventually, we need to look to Christ and put our trust in him instead of ourselves or our fellow believers. Eventually, we need to obey Christ because we our close enough to him to KNOW that it is what he wants, instead of obeying simply because it is the "right" thing to do or because someone else is doing it. Only then will we truly start to experience the most wonderful and joyous life possible on this earth, the experience of a true relationship with Jesus Christ.