Thesis: God is the one who saves - we can never merit anything to God. But He didn't save us to sit, we work out our salvation by serving and "working" for the Kingdom where God has placed us.
How we work out our salvation :
1. IMPERATIVE (v.14) * DO NOT grumble or dispute * forget moralism, Paul is going after our heart - my way, or His way * Ultimate example = Job. Despite his righteousness, he had a heart that needed to be fixed from grumbling
2. REALITY OF HUMANITY (v.15) * The world we live in is exactly what we are commanded to not be like * We are to stand in contrast to the grumbling, disputing world we live in - be a light of blamelessness * We are to stand out in humility (contentment)
3. INDICATIVE (v.16-18) * We labor not in vain by having an eternal mindset in all we do * laboring, sacrificing, etc reminds us of Christ's sacrifice and we get the joy of being like Him in a small way as we work out our salvation
CONCLUSION: Our laboring is (should be) a reminder of the sacrifice He made for us. All we do should be looking to eternity, looking to Him, looking toward our reward.
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