What Does it Mean to ‘Work Out Your Salvation with Fear and Trembling’?

Episode 23 Show Notes

From the Show

With all of the cultural tension in the church today, is it better if the church would try to be culturally neutral and just see each other as Christians, and ignore things like race, ethnicity, culture, and social class?

We are united by coming together from every race, and kindred, and tribe and tongue, and people, and nation around the Lamb of God on the throne. And that’s exactly what Paul says in Galatians 3:27 to 29…But Paul doesn’t say that Greeks are no longer Greeks, Jews are no longer Jews, it means that these differences which are themselves good, but as with all things we twist and corrupt them by our sin, can never be a basis for fellowship with Christ and with each other. So again, the problem is that a majority culture always imposes its distinct elements. Even without knowing it. Many Jewish Christians, expected Gentile believers to follow Jewish practices. You know, they had to repent of that kind of outlook. It’s Christ plus nothing. —Michael Horton

Questions in this Episode

1. What does it mean to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”?

2. In 1 John 4 the Bible teaches that we are supposed to test the spirits to see if a prophet is true or not. Does this apply today? If so, how should we be testing spirits to see if a prophet is a false prophet?

3. In the book of Mark Jesus often tell people not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. Why does he do this?

4. In reading 2 Timothy 2:11–13, what is the difference between denying Christ and being faithless? Will God save us who don’t have faith if we don’t actively deny Jesus?

5. Romans 10 teaches that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. With all the cultural tension in the church, today is it better if the church would try to be culturally neutral and just see each other as Christians and ignore things like race, ethnicity, culture, and social class?

6. How should we interpret 2 Corinthians 5:17 where it says that we are new creations, if we still sin?