Work Out Your Salvation
All you have to do in your Christian life is let go and let God.
Well… maybe not. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and that little phrase has enjoyed a lot of popularity among Christians. Let go and let God? It translates “Just get yourself out of the way, and let God take over. Quit trying so hard, and just let God do it.” And I would say “Is that so?”
If I were to follow the advice to “let go and let God,” I’d be letting myself off the hook. Really I would. A hands-off approach to my walk with Christ never gets you anywhere; believe me, I’ve tried it. I remember having a hard time disciplining myself to read the Bible, and so I prayed, “God, I’m just going to let go of this and I trust you’ll give me the want to.” And so, for many weeks, actually months, I just waited for God to give me a supernatural desire; like, “Okay, Lord, here’s my open Bible in front of me, and I’m just going to wait on you to help me.” Trust me, that approach did absolutely nothing. I tried the same “let go and let God” approach to other spiritual disciplines, and each one failed me. So, let’s just for a moment pick apart that phrase, “let go and let God.”
It is true that God played the key role in my justification; I had nothing to do with God justifying me. He did it without any help from me; Romans 8 says He predestined me, called me, and justified me. But I do have the responsibility of playing the key role in my sanctification – not my justification, but my sanctification. Just listen to Philippians Chapter 2, verses 12-15, “Continue to work out you own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” Friend, right there, God calls me to be actively engaged in my own salvation as I “work it out with fear and trembling.” Why the fear and trembling? Well, if I become spiritually lazy – if I just let go and wait around for Him to motivate me to pray or read the Bible—I am making light of the blood which Christ shed for my redemption. I want to have a healthy fear of offending God and a righteous respect of what my salvation cost the Lord Jesus.
So, let go and let God should really be, ‘grab hold and partner with God in saying no to selfish desires and yes to godly choices.’ You have a responsibility to actively pursue the person God destined you to be. You have an obligation to step into the perfect “you,” that glorious saint you will become in heaven, and you are called daily to move forward and help shape that image. God has purchased you, and He is asking you today to be actively involved in your own sanctification; to get up in the morning and choose, obey, submit, yield, deny yourself, work hard and follow the Lord Jesus. Work with the Holy Spirit in “becoming more like Christ.” Does it sound difficult? Well maybe, but the Bible promises you that you will have strength to accomplish this because it will be God who will work in you to act according to His good purpose. So, take a bold step toward your sanctification today, and let God take care of the transformation of your character. Step into the person that God has saved you to be. And when you have a chance today drop by joniandfriends.org.
© Joni and Friends
