New Believers Commentary:
Having set forth the example of Christ in such brilliant luster, the apostle is now ready to press home the exhortation based on it. The Philippians had always obeyed Paul when he was present with them. Now much more in his absence, they should work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
Again we come to a passage of Scripture concerning which there has been much confusion. At the outset we should be very clear that Paul is not teaching that salvation can be earned by works. Throughout his writings, he repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is not by works but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What does this verse mean?
1. It may mean that we are to work out the salvation that God has placed within us. God has given us eternal life as a free gift. We have to live it out by lives of practical holiness.
2. Salvation here may mean the solution of their problem at Philippi. They have been plagued with squabbles and strife. The apostle has given them thwe remedy. Now they are to apply the remedy by having the mind of Christ. Thus they would work out their own salvation or the solution of their difficulty.
The salvation spoken of here is not of the soul, but deliverance from the snares which would hinder the Christian from doing the will of God. In similar vein, Vine describes it as the present entire experience of deliverance from evil
Salvation has many different meanings in the N.T. We have already noticed that in 1:19 it means deliverance from prison. In 1:28 it refers to the eventual salvation of our bodies from the very presence of sin. The meaning in any particular case must be determined in part, at least, by the context. We believe that in this passage salvation means the solution of the problem that was vexing the Philippians, that is, their contentions
