SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1337

“Fear and Trembling”

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. – Isaiah 64:8

Therefore, …as you have always obeyed, so now, …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. – Phil 2:12-13

In our previous devotional we examined what it meant to ‘work out your own salvation’ by living a life that let the light of Christ shine, bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God to His glory.

This devotional focuses on the qualitative aspect of working out our salvation i.e. the attitude and posture of our heart: ‘with fear and trembling’.

Fear and Trembling – On the Surface: God’s Word tells us that we have not been given a spirit of fear.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:18

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7

Is God’s Word contradictory in that we are now told to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’? Not at all! A key tenant of our Christian faith is in the infallibility of the Word of God as written in the original texts inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. – Psalm 119:160

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In the study and application of the Word of God we must acknowledge the fact that our English language falls short when translating Greek and Hebrew words that have multiple meanings and applications depending upon their context.

Fear and Trembling – Deep Dive: The Greek words are Phobos and Tromos from which we get the words Phobia and Tremors. In the Greek, the words have both negative and positive meanings depending upon the context. On one hand they carry the meanings of terror and trembling out of fear. However, in this context of our relationship to God they carry the meaning of having a deep sense of awe, reverence, respect, and humility before Almighty God.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. – Psalm 2:11

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ – Ephesians 6:5

Fear and Trembling – Attitude and Posture: We work out our salvation with holy reverence and respect that we are the temple of God (treasure in jars of clay).

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7

We must have a posture of obedient submission to His will. God shapes us and molds us for His purpose. He works to remove the hardened areas that we have not yet yielded to His shaping pressure.

Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? – Isaiah 45:9

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7

We remain humble,recognizing that working out our salvation is not our doing – but rather God working in and through us for His glory and praise.

Humble yourselves before the Lord; Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. – James 4:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Thus says the Lord…this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. – Isaiah 66:1-2

May you humbly work out your salvation wholeheartedly with an attitude and posture of reverence, awe, and respect for God.