If you became a Christian in the age of bible verse memorization, I hope you never stumbled upon this one. I cannot imagine a more confusing verse.

It might appear to say, work your tail off in slavish fear lest you go to hell. That is the opposite of the truth.

Paul has just finished describing the amazing breadth of Christ’s work. The entirety of our planet is being saved, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That work has started, but has not yet been brought to completion.

In the same way, the work of salvation in you has been started. But it will not be brought to completion until every cell in your body has been cleansed of its sin. God wants to cleanse your every desire. He wants to cleanse your mind, your fantasies, your relationships, your goals, your actions, your habits, your family, your wealth. He wants every part of you to be freed from the tyranny of selfishness, and liberated to the freedom of serving Christ.

So Paul tells us to work out our salvation. Don’t just leave it inside you dormant, like a seed that never grew. Don’t force Christianity into one seldom used compartment of your life. Bring out the beauty that lives within you. Stop living like a slave, and be free.

Is Paul saying we will go to hell if we don’t work out our salvation? No, he is not. Think of it in terms of your adoption. You are an adopted child of the king. Your position cannot change, you cannot lose your inheritance, you will receive the kingdom one day. But you still need to learn how to live like a king. The sons of the king receive the hardest education and the greatest discipline, for they must learn to one day rule. So it is with you, your money is the kings money, and you should learn to use it so. So we grow into what he has made us. But no, we do not live under the fear of hell.

Does that matter? Is the fear of hell the only reason why you would be holy? Is the love of God the creator of the universe not enough? Is the sacrifice of the Eternal Son of God suffering the humiliation of becoming a man and dying a shameful death not enough? Is not the good reason, that God knows how you were made and his laws ensure your safety not enough? Do you need the fear of hell to make you want to follow Christ?