It is written, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Why, you must have your salvation before you can work it out.
Suppose I say to my little boy, “I want you to spend that hundred dollars carefully.”
“Well,” he says, “let me have the hundred dollars; and I will be careful how I spend it.”
I remember when I first left home and went to Boston; I had spent all my money, and I went to the post-office three times a day. I knew there was only one mail a day from home; but I thought by some possibility there might be a letter for me.
At last I received a letter from my little sister; and oh, how glad I was to get it. She had heard that there were a great many pickpockets in Boston, and a large part of that letter was to urge me to be very careful not to let anybody pick my pocket.
Now I required to have something in my pocket before I could have it picked. So you must have salvation before you can work it out.
When Christ cried out on Calvary, “It is finished!” He meant what He said. All that men have to do now is just to accept of the work of Jesus Christ. There is no hope for man or woman so long as they are trying to work out salvation for themselves.
I can imagine there are some people who will say, as Nicodemus possibly did, “This is a very mysterious thing.” I see the scowl on that Pharisee’s brow as he says, “How can these things be?” It sounds very strange to his ear. “Born again; born of the Spirit! How can these things be?”