"Work It Out"
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.[Philippians 2:12]
During the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, people came to California from all around the world because they had heard there was "gold in them thar hills." Apparently some people imagined they would arrive and find chunks of gold just lying around in the streets. Well, there was a lot of gold in California back then, but people quickly discovered that the gold wasn't as plentiful as they'd hoped. Yes, a lot of gold was in the mines, but it was necessary to work hard and stay with it in order to find that mother lode.
This is the idea the apostle Paul was conveying to the saints in Philippi when he wrote, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). We need to work out what God has worked in. We need to discover what God has done for us.
However, we don't work for our salvation; we work it out. Salvation is a gift from God. We are told in Ephesians 2:8–9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So we don't work forit; we work it out.
Remember, Paul was directing this statement to believers. The idea of working out one's salvation is referring to living out one's faith—carrying it out correctly. In fact, the term work out carries the meaning of working to full completion. So we need to carry it to the goal.
As believers, the work of God is in our hearts, but we need to live it out. Like the gold seekers in California's early days, we need to mine it. That means carrying to the goal and fully completing our own salvation with fear and trembling.
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Today's Bible Reading
Leviticus 13: Skin Diseases
1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to say to the people:
2 If sores or boils or a skin rash should break out and start spreading on your body, you must be brought to Aaron or to one of the other priests. 3 If the priest discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, “This is leprosy[a]—you are unclean.”
4 But if the infected area is white and only skin deep, and if the hair in it hasn’t turned white, the priest will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. 5 If the disease hasn’t spread by that time, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. 6 Then if the disease hasn’t gotten any worse or spread, the priest will say, “You are clean. It was only a sore. After you wash your clothes, you may go home.”
7 However, if the disease comes back, you must return to the priest. 8 If it is discovered that the disease has started spreading, he will say, “This is leprosy—you are unclean.”
9 Any of you with a skin disease must be brought to a priest. 10 If he discovers that the sore spot is white with pus and that the hair around it has also turned white, 11 he will say, “This is leprosy. You are unclean and must stay away from everyone else.” 12-13 But if the disease has run its course and only the scars remain, he will say, “You are clean.” 14-15 If the sores come back and turn white with pus, he will say, “This is leprosy—you are unclean.”
16-17 However, if the sores heal and only white spots remain, the priest will say, “You are now clean.”
18-19 If you have a sore that either swells or turns reddish-white after it has healed, then you must show it to a priest. 20 If he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, “This is leprosy—you are unclean.” 21 But if the white area is only on the surface of the skin and hasn’t gotten any worse, and if the hair in it hasn’t turned white, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days.
22 If the sore begins spreading during this time, the priest will say, “You are unclean because you have a disease.” 23 But if it doesn’t spread, and only a scar remains, he will say, “You are now clean.”
24 If you have a burn that gets infected and turns red or reddish-white, 25 a priest must examine it. Then if he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, “The burn has turned into leprosy, and you are unclean.” 26 But if the priest finds that the hair in the infected area hasn’t turned white and that the sore is only skin deep and it is healing, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest will examine you again, and if the infection is spreading, he will say, “This is leprosy—you are unclean.” 28 However, if the infection hasn’t spread and has begun to heal, and if only a scar remains, he will say, “Only a scar remains from the burn, and you are clean.”
29 If you have a sore on your head or chin, 30 it must be examined by a priest. If the infection seems more than skin deep, and the hair in it has thinned out and lost its color, he will say, “This is leprosy—you are unclean.” 31 On the other hand, if he discovers that the itchy spot is only skin deep, but that the hair still isn’t healthy, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. 32 By that time, if the itch hasn’t spread, if the hairs seem healthy, and if the itch is only skin deep, 33 you must shave off the hairs around the infection, but not those on it. Then the priest will tell you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. 34 By that time, if the itch hasn’t spread and seems no more than skin deep, he will say, “You are clean; now you must wash your clothes.”
35-36 Later, if the itch starts spreading, even though the hair is still healthy, the priest will say, “You are unclean.” 37 But if he thinks you are completely well, he will say, “You are clean.”
38 If white spots break out on your skin, 39 but the priest discovers that it is only a rash, he will say, “You are clean.”
40-41 If you become bald on any part of your head, you are still clean. 42-43 But if a priest discovers that a reddish-white sore has broken out on the bald spot and looks like leprosy, he will say, 44 “This is leprosy—you are unclean.”
45 If you ever have leprosy, you must tear your clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and go around shouting, “I’m unclean! I’m unclean!” 46 As long as you have the disease, you are unclean and must live alone outside the camp.
47-50 If a greenish or reddish spot[b] appears anywhere on any of your clothing or on anything made of leather, you must let the priest examine the clothing or the leather. He will put it aside for seven days, 51 and if the mildew has spread in that time, he will say, “This is unclean 52 because the mildew has spread.” Then he will burn the clothing or the piece of leather.
53 If the priest discovers that the mildew hasn’t spread, 54 he will tell you to wash the clothing or leather and put it aside for another seven days, 55 after which he will examine it again. If the spot hasn’t spread, but is still greenish or reddish, the clothing or leather is unclean and must be burned. 56 But if the spot has faded after being washed, he will tear away the spot. 57 Later, if the spot reappears elsewhere on the clothing or the leather, you must burn it. 58 Even if the spot completely disappears after being washed, it must be washed again before it is clean.
59 These are the rules for deciding if clothing is clean or unclean after a spot appears on it.
The Ceremony for People Healed of Leprosy
14:1 The Lord told Moses to say to the people:
2-3 After you think you are healed of leprosy,[c] you must ask for a priest to come outside the camp and examine you. And if you are well, 4 he will have someone bring out two live birds that are acceptable for sacrifice, together with a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant. 5 The priest will have someone kill one of the birds over a clay pot of spring water. 6 Then he will dip the other bird, the cedar, the red yarn, and the hyssop in the blood of the dead bird. 7 Next, he will sprinkle you seven times with the blood and say, “You are now clean.” Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away.
8 After this you must wash your clothes, shave your entire body, and take a bath before you are completely clean. You may move back into camp, but you must not enter your tent for seven days. 9 Then you must once again shave your head, face, and eyebrows, as well as the hair on the rest of your body. Finally, wash your clothes and take a bath, and you will be completely clean.
10 On the eighth day you must bring to the priest two rams and a year-old female lamb that have nothing wrong with them; also bring a half pint of olive oil and six pounds of your finest flour mixed with oil. 11 Then the priest will present you and your offerings to me at the entrance to my sacred tent. 12 There he will offer one of the rams, together with the pint of oil, as a sacrifice to make things right.[d] He will also lift them up[e] to show that they are dedicated to me. 13 This sacrifice is very holy. It belongs to the priest and must be killed in the same place where animals are killed as sacrifices for sins and as sacrifices to please me.[f]
14 The priest will smear some of the blood from this sacrifice on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot. 15 He will then pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his left hand, 16 dip a finger of his right hand into the oil, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent. 17 Next, he will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot, 18-20 and pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head. Then he will offer the other two animals—one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, together with a grain sacrifice. After this you will be completely clean.
21 If you are poor and cannot afford to offer this much, you may offer a ram as a sacrifice to make things right, together with a half pint of olive oil and two pounds of flour mixed with oil as a grain sacrifice. The priest will then lift these up[g] to dedicate them to me. 22 Depending on what you can afford, you must also offer either two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me. 23 The priest will offer these to me in front of the sacred tent on the eighth day.
24-25 The priest will kill this ram for the sacrifice to make things right, and he will lift it up[h] with the olive oil in dedication to me. Then he will smear some of the blood on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot.
26 The priest will pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his left hand, 27 then dip a finger of his right hand in the oil and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent. 28 He will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot, just as he did with the blood of the sacrifice to make things right. 29-31 And he will pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head.
Then, depending on what you can afford, he will offer either the doves or the pigeons together with the grain sacrifice. One of the birds is the sacrifice for sin, and the other is the sacrifice to please me. After this you will be completely clean.
32 These are the things you must do if you have leprosy and cannot afford the usual sacrifices to make you clean.
When Mildew Is in a House
33 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to say to the people:
34 After I have given you the land of Canaan as your permanent possession, here is what you must do, if I ever put mildew[i] on the walls of any of your homes. 35 First, you must say to a priest, “I think mildew is on the wall of my house.”
36 The priest will reply, “Empty the house before I inspect it, or else everything in it will be unclean.”
37 If the priest discovers greenish or reddish spots that go deeper than the surface of the walls, 38 he will have the house closed for seven days. 39 Then he will return and check to see if the mildew has spread. 40-41 If so, he will have someone scrape the plaster from the walls, remove the filthy stones, then haul everything off and dump it in an unclean place outside the town. 42 Afterwards the wall must be repaired with new stones and fresh plaster.
43 If the mildew appears a second time, 44 the priest will come and say, “This house is unclean. It’s covered with mildew that can’t be removed.” 45 Then he will have the house torn down and every bit of wood, stone, and plaster hauled off to an unclean place outside the town. 46 Meanwhile, if any of you entered the house while it was closed, you will be unclean until evening. 47 And if you either slept or ate in the house, you must wash your clothes.
48 On the other hand, if the priest discovers that mildew hasn’t reappeared after the house was newly plastered, he will say, “This house is clean—the mildew has gone.” 49 Then, to show that the house is now clean, he will get two birds, a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant and bring them to the house. 50 He will kill one of the birds over a clay pot of spring water 51-52 and let its blood drain into the pot. Then he will dip the cedar, the hyssop, the yarn, and the other bird into the mixture of blood and water. Next, he will sprinkle the house seven times with the mixture, then the house will be completely clean. 53 Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away, ending the ceremony for purifying the house.
54-57 These are the things you must do if you discover that you are unclean because of an itch or a sore, or that your clothing or house is unclean because of mildew.[Footnotes:
13.3 leprosy: The word translated “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
13.47-50 spot: The Hebrew word translated “spot” and “mildew” in verses 47-59 is the same one translated “leprosy” earlier in the chapter.
14.2,3 leprosy: See the note at 13.3.
14.12 sacrifice to make things right: See 7.1-10.
14.12 lift them up: See the note at 7.29,30.
14.13 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
14.21,24,25 lift these up: See the note at 7.29,30.
14.21,24,25 lift these up: See the note at 7.29,30.
14.34 mildew: The Hebrew word translated “mildew” is the same one translated “leprosy” and “spot” in chapter 13]
Acts 17: Trouble in Thessalonica
1 After Paul and his friends had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went on to Thessalonica. A Jewish meeting place was in that city. 2 So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures 3 to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about. 4 Some of them believed what Paul had said, and they became followers with Paul and Silas. Some Gentiles[a] and many important women also believed the message.
5 The Jewish leaders were jealous and got some worthless bums who hung around the marketplace to start a riot in the city. They wanted to drag Paul and Silas out to the mob, and so they went straight to Jason’s home. 6 But when they did not find them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the Lord’s followers. They took them to the city authorities and shouted, “Paul and Silas have been upsetting things everywhere. Now they have come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. All of them break the laws of the Roman Emperor by claiming that someone named Jesus is king.”
8 The officials and the people were upset when they heard this. 9 So they made Jason and the other followers pay bail before letting them go.
People in Berea Welcome the Message
10 That same night the Lord’s followers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea, and after they arrived, they went to the Jewish meeting place. 11 The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true. 12 Many of them put their faith in the Lord, including some important Greek women and several men.
13 When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God’s message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul.
14 Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15 Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. 17 He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. 18 Some of them were Epicureans[b] and some were Stoics,[c] and they started arguing with him.
People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?”
Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That’s what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.”[d]
19 They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20 We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”
21 More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23 As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, “To an Unknown God.” You worship this God, but you don’t really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24 This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn’t live in temples built by human hands. 25 He doesn’t need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26 From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.
27 God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn’t far from any of us, 28 and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. “We are his children,” just as some of your poets have said.
29 Since we are God’s children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn’t like anything that humans have thought up and made. 30 In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. 31 He has set a day when he will judge the world’s people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.
32 As soon as the people heard Paul say that a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, “We will hear you talk about this some other time.” 33 When Paul left the council meeting, 34 some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. One of them was a council member named Dionysius. A woman named Damaris and several others also put their faith in the Lord.[Footnotes:
17.4 Gentiles: See the note at 14.1.
17.18 Epicureans: People who followed the teaching of a man named Epicurus, who taught that happiness should be the main goal in life.
17.18 Stoics: Followers of a man named Zeno, who taught that people should learn self-control and be guided by their consciences.
17.18 people rising from death: Or “a goddess named ‘Rising from Death.’”]
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