Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
On a past Sunday evening, we began to look at this verse in terms of the fact that we are the living witnesses of God on this earth. We are here to be a testament to the truth that our God reigns supremely over the whole of creation. As we seek after Him to make us that which is pleasing unto Him, so are we conformed into the likeness of Christ, Who indwells us and lives forth from our lives to touch the lives of those around us. Everything that we are, everything that we say, every thought that we think needs to be brought into line with what God desires and will have in our lives. The entire focus of all that we are must be centered in Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. 
There is no avenue for anything of our old beings in the new lives that we have before Him. This is what is being worked livingly into us, individually and corporately, as we sojourn in this earthly realm. The very salvation that we have is firmly and completely centered in Christ Jesus and His perfect work. We have no access to it through any effort of our own. The concept of this passage is for the Holy Spirit to reveal, but the simple truth is that it has been so often misinterpreted in terms of our being the focal point, rather than God being the center of it. Entire denominations have used this passage as a means to justify the doctrines that they hold near and dear, without the reality that comes from seeing that Salvation is only from God. As He works in our lives, so does the understanding of the fullness of what He has done through Jesus Christ spring forth in certainty in our hearts and in our beings. As the fullness of God envelops our entire essence, there should be the truth of this passage in evidence in our lives. This is the point at which we return to the final aspects of this verse …with fear and trembling.
The truth of this passage is often missed because of a misunderstanding as to what is part of the phrase, fear and trembling. It has so often been interpreted in the characteristic aspect of being fearful of God and trembling before Him in anxiety of His judgment. There is truth to this interpretation, but it is not the sole context of this verse. The truth of being fearful, afraid of God in His position as Judge of all creation, is reserved for those who choose not to accept Jesus Christ as the only true avenue of salvation from this realm of sin and death. When one turns one’s back on the Lord Jesus Christ, there will come a day of standing before God Almighty and being the recipient of His rightful declaration of the eternal consequences of that choice. In that sense, there is a tremendous fear and trembling that will rock the very fibers of the created beings that have chosen to deny God and Christ and to seek after their own means of salvation in the futility of this world age. On that day, all the facades of this present realm will be shaken, shattered, and crumbled into the dust from which they are created. There will be a colossal wailing and gnashing of teeth as the self-deceived of this age realize the falsity with which they have approached God, and the eternal result of their bitter rejection of Jesus Christ. Yes, the entire essence of these deniers of Christ will be quivering in the fear of the judgment of God whom they shunned in their own course of self-gratification. So, yes, there is a fear and trembling that is part of the fact of man coming before God in His Holiness, if that approach is anything other than in Christ Jesus. That aspect is held in the literal translation of these words. 
However, there is a further depth in the translation of these same words that is sometimes overlooked. Many often neglect the fact that these words were written to believers, those who were and are fully covered in the redemptive work of Christ. In that light, this phrase has a far greater meaning than just the initial one that often is accepted. 
To see the pattern of our discussion, let us look at this passage in the Amplified translation with the emphasis in the context it contains. Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words the word phobos also holds the aspect of "reverential fear," of God, as a controlling motive of the life, in matters spiritual and moral, not a mere "fear" of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him, a "fear" which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, …, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the indwelling Spirit of God, …. (a comprehensive phrase: the reverential "fear" of God will inspire a constant carefulness in dealing with others in His "fear"); 
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Romans 8:15 gives us the sense of what is now not a part of our coming before God. 
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. This passage highlights the fact that whereas once we were ruled by the fear of the consequences of coming before God in His judgment, now we have free access, through Jesus Christ, unto the very throne of Almighty God to call Him Father, to be received in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father, and to be accepted in the Beloved of God. We now have complete access into the very heart of God, through Jesus Christ. 
As we approach the throne, it is the throne of grace that we see, not the throne of judgment, as will face the world apart from Christ. There is a tremendous comfort in that knowledge of the One whose presence is open for us. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, removing the old fear that so easily ruled the now dead beings that we once were apart from God. Terror and anxiety are no longer our character, but rather, we are now partakers of the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit in a family relationship that transcends any that we know on this earth. Our union with Christ, with each other comes, to the forefront as we are gathered into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father and He opens His heart of Love into overflowing rivers that cascade through our entire essence. In that loving presence of God, there is no fear as delineated by a terror of judgment, but a holy fear of the awesomeness of the Lord God Almighty. 
This is the same aspect as was experienced in the book of Acts by the early church. Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. They were not walking in terror or fright, they were walking in the reverential consideration of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He had so fully saved them and knitted them together, even as they faced the tribulations of this realm. That was the testimony that they were bringing forth into this world age. The early church was seen as the enemy of this world order, and the world was doing everything it could to eradicate the name of Jesus Christ, and His followers. 
If ever there was a time to live in fear, it was as the Christians were being daily victimized and martyred for the name of Jesus Christ. Yet, in the midst of that terrible, earthly persecution, there was no fear of this world that characterized these faithful believers. Rather, the only fear was that they would displease the Lord. It was a reverential fear that filled their hearts. The anguish they faced in the viciousness of this age meant nothing in comparison to the idea that they might displease their Lord and Savior. In that essence of being, they lived forth unto Christ, and were comforted by the Holy Spirit and were seen as the living witnesses of the Lord God Almighty. Rather than becoming less and less influential, and disappearing from the world stage, this on-going walk in reverence to the Lord, caused them to attract others, who wanted to know why they were different, why they could face all the relentless efforts of this world to crush them and still hold forth faithfully and assuredly to Christ Jesus. The body of the church was multiplied because the believers held forth the banner of Christ in love and in the determined refusal, through the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit, to do anything which would displease Him.
2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Once again, we find the Apostle Paul exhorting us to bring unto God that which is holy. That can only be done as we approach God in Christ Jesus. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are daily being conformed into that which will fully and comprehensively please the Father. We are being made the transparent vessels through whom Jesus Christ will be clearly seen by all of this creation. It is not necessary to delineate the obvious filthiness of the natural flesh. We are well aware of what is right and what is wrong because the Holy Spirit is working in each of us unto His perfect pleasure in bringing forth that which is Christ in us. There is, however, one aspect that we should consider in these terms, lest any of us again think that we can bring about this cleansing by ourselves. One of the most corrupting and insidious elements of the filthiness of this world age is the lie that we are somehow able to become holy through our own efforts. 
Like the roots of a weed, strangling a flower, the idea that we are capable of doing that which pleases God through our own efforts infests our beings. There have been countless sermons preached with the idea that we can become holy before God through our own determination, or by the tutelage of other, well-meaning brothers and sisters. The whole concept of holiness in our own efforts is an abomination before God, because it implies that we can become equal with Him in His Being of Holiness. It is an outcropping of the same self-sufficiency and determination to be a god unto ourselves. There is nothing inherent in us, in this humanity, which is capable of holiness. It is only as we surrender everything that we are to the Lord Jesus Christ and desire for Him, through the Holy Spirit, to make us that which would please Him, that we can even begin to discuss the Holiness of God being manifested through the life that He lives in us. That is the key, you see. He, the Being and the Essence of Holiness, lives forth from these vessels that are fully and wholeheartedly offered unto Him for His purpose and for His glory. 
As that becomes our very core of life, so will our day to day interactions reflect the One Who indwells us. It will never be our efforts that are seen, but always the life of Christ in us that draws and testifies to others of the Love of God in Truth, in Life, and in Reality. We can not but be enamored of the One Who so fully works to His good pleasure in our lives. The reverential fear of this passage will be the natural course of our hearts before God in the desire to have Him work His complete way in and through the lives that we live before Him.
Eph 5:20-21 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Here again, we have the Apostle Paul encouraging the church. Please note, that the body of believers are addressed together. It is a major concern of the writers of scripture, through the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to establish the relationship that we have together, as one, in Christ Jesus. We do not grow by ourselves, and our witness is not an individual course of development. We are one with each other in Christ and we are established in that bodily relationship with each other in Him. What happens with one, affects the whole body. There are numerous scriptures that set down, in detail, the manner in which the body functions as one. That, however, is not the focus of this consideration this evening. Rather, we are concerned with how the body is to live in the fear of the Lord, with each other. There is the rub, if you will. We must always correlate the reality of what we are seeing with the Word of God. We cannot pick and choose what to believe and what to set aside. The Word of God is the roadmap of our lives and any variance from it is a variance from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Why such an emphasis at this moment? It is because we have no option in whom the Lord chooses to bring into our lives. We are being built together as the workmanship of the Lord, and He is the One Who chooses how to fit each member within the entire Body of Believers. Because of that Truth, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we must conduct ourselves in reverential fear, not only unto God, but unto each other. Who are we to determine, in our hearts, who is and who is not worthy of the love of God? Who are we, in our vile audaciousness, to determine the value of any other person to the Lord God Almighty? 
There is no place in the Body of Christ to belittle, to reject, to ridicule anyone, least of all the fellow believers of Christ. There is much that needs to be done in our hearts as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus. There is much that needs to be set aside in our dealings with one another as we are being joined into the one, living witness of Jesus Christ on this earth. In the same manner as we are seeking after God to establish Himself as the very essence of our lives, so ought we have the heart that is desirous for our lives to be a living sacrifice for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Any dissention in the Body of Christ’s Church serves only to bring ridicule and condemnation on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is something we should rightly fear to do. We must always desire for the Holy Spirit to have immediate access into the recesses of our hearts, wherein lies the residue of the hatred and animosity of our old lives. As that residue foments, so should our desire be that the Holy Spirit would effectively and in complete finality and humbleness of spirit, eliminate that residue as any cause of strife and dissension. There is no place, in Christ, for anything less than the willingness to lay down our lives for the brethren, the fellow sojourners traversing the path of this earth. In that humbleness of spirit, and desire for the glory of God to be established in ourselves and in our fellowship, local and universal, so will that reverential fear of God become the walk of our lives.  
1 Peter 1:15-19 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Here again, we are brought full circle to the point of this evening’s concern. Our lives are to be the complete testimony of the One by Whom we live on this earth. We are to be holy, in no manner of our own, but in the life of Christ Who lives forth from us. Because He is holy, so are we to be holy and without blame on this earth. We are part of the family of God. Our lives are to give forth the family characteristic that is now true of us. If any can place blame upon us, that blame is also placed upon God. We are to be very careful in the manner in which we conduct ourselves on this earth so that no one can cast any credible aspersions upon the name of our Lord. That is the type of fear in which we now live, not of terror, but of doing something that would bring dishonor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a valid fear in terms of being the utmost concern of our hearts. We know that in ourselves, we can never accomplish this type of life. But, as we live forth by the power of the Holy Spirit, in complete conformity to the Living Word of God, that characteristic of holiness will be made the natural aspect of our lives. 
Will we make mistakes, certainly! But, how will we deal with those errors on our part? We will need to seek after the Holy Spirit to convict and to cleanse in the forgiveness that we have in Christ. It will be with a heart that desires not to be displeasing to God in any manner. The fear by which we live is that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified through everything that we say, do, think, and present to the inhabitants of this age. Because we value, with our entire life-being, the precious work of God through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us, we must be on constant guard over the behavior and the attitudes with which we regard others. We know that there is no leeway for the giving forth of the natural attitude of superiority over others. We are servants of all, just as Christ was the perfect servant of all. We are not interested in our rights and our position. We should desire that the Lord Jesus Christ be given His rightful place over the whole of creation, and our lives should be focused on that alone which will bring glory to God in the manner in which we interact and react with those in our sphere of influence. 
We choose to live a holy life in surrendered obedience to the Holy Spirit, because we know that any other way of life is displeasing to God; and we are to value His love, His grace, His Presence, His glory above all else that this world can offer in its facades of pleasure and delights. Those hollow, earthly elements serve only to destroy and to bring eternal death, whereas God’s way, in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, in the truth of His Word, provides the sustenance of life throughout the eternal ages before us. Our desire, complete desire, and absolute desire is to see the glory of God in those ages of ages manifest in His Church, in His Beloved as the Body of Christ. That is what will bring completion to the lives that we live forth on this earth. We will be as spotless and pure as He, the Lord Jesus Christ is, because He will be our everything, filling all in all, to the glory of God the Father. 
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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… or as given in the Amplified,…with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ)