The Gold Mine

Imagine that you receive a phone call which informs you that you have inherited a gold mine that is located in a desert town far away. A distant great-uncle, who you’ve never met, has recently passed away and randomly decided that you would be his sole heir. Strangely enough his only asset was a gold mine that now is yours for the taking. 

But there’s a problem. The gold mine, which was once thriving and productive, has laid dormant for years and the expense of getting it back online as a viable, working mine would mean you need to make a substantial, sacrificial investment. Nevertheless, experts have assured you that there will likely be significant veins of the earth’s richest metal there for your taking if you make the decision to open the mine once more. You also learn that if you open the mine, you’ll not only be required to live close by, but your ownership necessitates an incredible amount of government oversight because of environmental concerns that surround the mining industry. Yet again, those in the know have assured you that although the process would be extremely laborious, you could be very wealthy in just a matter of years. 

So you have a decision to make! Sacrifice your time and your life savings to move across country and open the mine, or continue life as it is, which is not so bad after all. 

What would you do?!

The truth is, when we make a decision to follow Christ, it is like opening the Gold Mine of our Faith in order to dig out the most precious of all commodities – an existence rich in abundant faith which gives real meaning to everything in life! This is the meaning we find deeply rooted in the scripture which we discover in Philippians 2: 12-13.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

You may have heard the saying, “What comes easy won’t last and what lasts won’t come easy.” This life principle finds foundation in God’s Word as we uncover the reality that our salvation, which is built on the groundwork of determined faith, requires an exhausting expedition into the Spiritual realities of God’s Kingdom through Christ. And the fact is, not many of us are willing to go there. But there is no greater endeavor on earth than the faith endeavor which is continually seeking the richness of Christ! It is an adventure worthy of every step we make in a way that we simply can’t imagine!

I worked for many years with a para-church ministry that used the following words in their Mission Statement regarding this pursuit of Jesus: “the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.” Following Christ is indeed an incredible challenge and a life-changing adventure that is worthy of absolute investment. And in this investment we find a process of Spiritually “working out our salvation,” day by day, year by year, as long as we live and breathe on planet Earth. As we give ourselves more and more to this work we find greater and greater reward from our Heavenly Father as He opens rich flood-gates of life and truth into our lives.

There are several notable points that we find in Philippians 2:12-13. First, notice that this passage is addressed to those of us who have already received the gift of salvation. We read, “work out your own Salvation”. It doesn’t say: “you must work to receive your own salvation.” This is a vital distinction since we know, and scripture is clear, that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to earn Salvation – It is a FREE GIFT from God and it cannot be earned. (See Ephesians 2:8-9).

So what does it mean to, “Work out your salvation”? What is scripture alluding to and how does it apply to us? And just as importantly, what is the impact of this process on life?

In the original language of this New Testament Scripture we see that this phrase, “work out” comes from the Greek word, κατεργάζομαι, (transliterated katergazomai / kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee), which is a verb meaning “to produce”. There is literally an exhortation here for us to produce something in our salvation. And like any commodity that must be produced from work, our salvation is also unrealized unless it is productive. But unlike a precious physical commodity, such as Gold which must be mined from underground, our salvation is a precious Spiritual commodity which must be mined from life in a Spiritual sense. And like gold that is underground but useless until it is “worked out” through the process of mining, so is our salvation which is worked out through the process of our Faith. 

Think of it like this. When we TRULY receive Christ, the salvation that results is there. It’s ours. We own it and it’s not going anywhere. But, in order for that salvation to have immediate value so that it is useful right now, we must learn to “spiritually” work it out to produce the substance of it’s value so that it has meaning and impact right now. If I own the gold mine, the gold in it is mine. But when I produce the gold it becomes useful right now.  

Many times, those who say they receive Christ don’t understand that the value of their salvation here and now requires a process of active work so that a product can be revealed both for themselves and for others. Our salvation is the most precious of all commodities. It represents the fact that we have claimed eternal life with our Father in Heaven. He has sealed us with an unbreakable seal of relationship that comes through the Blood of Christ. And NOTHING can take away that destiny that is ours in Christ. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:39).

We learn from this Philippians passage that there is a present impact of salvation for us right now in life, not just in the afterlife. Salvation has value here and now IF we will work it out. 

The first word in verse 12 is “Therefore”. And we know that whenever we see the word “therefore” we must dig to see what that word is there for! We must discover what was presented just prior to this word. As we do, we see what we are “digging out” of our spiritual gold mine. We learn exactly what the Gold is! In writing this passage, the Apostle Paul starts by saying, “make my joy complete” and then he begins to speak of what the GOLD looks like as it is revealed in the life of a Christ-Follower. Are you ready? Here’s the Gold we are looking for – the Spiritual Gold that must be produced from our lives. We read these words in Philippians 2: 2-5:

“…being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

THERE’S THE GOLD! Revealed in our relationships with each other. 1) Being like minded, 2) Having the same love (as Christ did), 3) Being one in Spirit (unity), 4) Always through humility, valuing others and identifying their best interests above our own. 

In summary verse 5 reminds us that in order to do these things we must love each other the way that Christ loved us. The Gold in our Salvation is our ability to become (work out) the love of Christ for each other in all of our relationships. 

Working out our salvation has great impact on our lives and the lives of others.  

And we must work to produce a life that imitates the life of Christ as it relates to others. And to be like Christ, as our scripture reminds us, we must become humble. Why? Because my human nature says, “be served by others” while the spiritual nature of Christ in me says, “serve others”. For Christ didn’t come to be served by others, but to serve others. (Matthew 20:28)

So the resulting question as we consider “working out” the gold of our salvation in life is: How has God equipped me to serve and am I serving that way OR am I more interested in pursuing an agenda to be served?