| Christian Life and Doctrine | July 1950 |
“Workers Together with Him”
“We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” —II Corinthians 6:1
A STATE of idleness anywhere in the great universe of God is contrary to divine law. Of the Creator Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto,” then added, “and I work.” (John 5:17) Everything in nature, animate, and inanimate, has a function. Solomon said to idlers, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” (Prov. 6:6) Yes, the lowly ant works, the bee works—all creation works. Even the individual members of a body—the heart, the lungs, the stomach, the brain, the hands, etc.—they all work. When any member of a body fails to work, it becomes a handicap to the entire body, and affects other members of the body, even to the extent of causing death.
Those who become “new creatures” in Christ Jesus are no exception to this universal law of the Creator. There is much said in the Scriptures concerning the work of a Christian. Paul speaks of Christians as being a people “zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14) In one of his parables Jesus speaks of Christians as servants hired to work in a vineyard. (Matt. 20:1-16) Paul speaks of those “abounding in the work of the Lord” and assures them that their labor will not be in vain. (I Cor. 15:58) This same apostle also speaks of the “work of faith, and labor of love.” (I Thess. 1:3) James reminds us that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” (James 2:17) In Revelation 2:26 a precious promise is given to those who overcome and who keep the Lord’s works unto the end.
The Apostle Paul admonishes us to work out our own salvation, and adds that God is working in us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12,13) Here we have a suggestion of being co-workers with God—that we have a work in co-operation with what he is doing in and for us—“workers together with him.” Herein is a fundamental difference between the natural functions of everything else in the material universe, and the work assigned to Christians as new creatures in Christ; for ours is a new work, entirely different from anything else we ever did. It is God’s work, a work in which he has given us the privilege of participating. No wonder the apostle explains that “all things are become new.”—II Cor. 5:17,18
Yes, we are “co-workers” with God. This is a thought that is almost beyond comprehension. We marvel, and properly so, when we think of the high honor that Jehovah bestowed upon his beloved Son, the Logos, when he assigned to him the work of creation. In this he was a co-worker with God for “without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3) But then, he was the beloved Son of God, and always his Father’s delight. He was a powerful spirit being, next to the Creator himself. He had ability to do the work of God. With us it is so different, yet the grace of God has made it possible for us also to be co-workers with him. No wonder the apostle admonishes us not to receive this grace “in vain.”
And what is this work of God in which we have been invited to participate? Jesus explained, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29) Jesus does not here mean simply to believe that he came as the Christ of God. James declared, we recall, that faith, or belief, if it hath not works is dead. A true belief in Jesus implies obedience to his teachings and a willingness to walk in his steps. True believers are disciples, and Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, [be my disciple], let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”—Matt. 16:24
Jesus came to do the work of God. “I must work the works of him that sent me,” he declared. (John 9:4) Fundamentally, what was the work of God which Jesus came into the world to do? Paul answers, saying, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” (II Cor. 5:19) There would have been no occasion for the Logos to come into the world except for the fact that the human race had sinned, was alienated from God, and that the loving plan of God had made a provision to redeem and restore as many as would accept his grace; and Jesus came to be the Redeemer, and the One through whom reconciliation would be made.
This, then, is the work of God on behalf of humanity. But can we have a part in that work? Did not Jesus die and “pay it all”? Do we not speak of the “finished work” of Christ? It is true that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse from all sin due to Adam’s transgression. It is true that he is “the propitiation for ours sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2) However, to obtain life through Christ it is necessary to believe and to accept the provision of divine grace that has been made through him; and Paul asks the question, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”—Rom. 10:14
The answer to this question is obvious—they cannot. Hence, the apostle explains that our part in the great work of God, that work of reconciling the world through Christ, is in the fact that he has given to us the “ministry of reconciliation,” a ministry that is accomplished through a faithful use of the “word of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:18,19) The blood of Christ serves as a satisfaction for the sins of both the church in this age and the world in the next age; and as co-laborers with God in the work of reconciliation our work embraces both ages.
“Work Out Your Own Salvation”
We are not to suppose, however, that our responsibilities as co-workers with God are fully discharged simply by ministering the truth to others. In the divine plan there is a wonderful goal set before us. It is described by Paul as the “prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14) Again, it is spoken of as a “heavenly calling.” (Heb. 3:1) Much effort is needed in order to attain to this exalted position in the divine plan, and this is described by the apostle as working out our own salvation.—Phil. 2:12,13
This is a reference to the “great salvation” which began to be spoken by our Lord, and was, as the apostle says, “confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” (Heb. 2:3) Salvation from adamic death is made possible through the finished work of Christ on Calvary. But the expression, “great salvation,” is descriptive of that high reward of “glory and honor and immortality” which is promised to the followers of Jesus who strive for it through ‘”patient continuance in welldoing.”—Romans 2:7
Our striving and our working for this great salvation are along the lines set forth in the Scriptures. We endeavor to emulate Christ in our daily walk in life. We seek to be kind and patient toward those who oppose us. We strive to put away self, that the will of God may rule more supremely in our hearts and lives. We seek to be filled with the Spirit of God that it may produce in us the fruitage of love in all its various aspects. And in all these efforts God works with us. He encourages us with his promises, and guides us by his counsel. He warns us against dangers into which we might fall as our great Adversary, the devil, deceitfully sets his traps for us. Thus he works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.
The matter of working out our own salvation should not be undertaken from a selfish standpoint. We cannot work out “our own” salvation by ignoring the interests of others. The context indicates that this expression is intended merely to emphasize our own personal responsibility before the Lord, and that we cannot expect others to make our calling and election sure for us. It means that we must individually lay hold upon the exceeding great and precious promises of the Lord, and to make personal use of all the means of grace which have been provided in order that we might gain the prize of the high calling. We can assist others, and they can help us, but the final responsibility of being faithful is our own. If we fail to attain that “great salvation” the fault will be ours, not someone else’s—“Work out your own salvation.”
Far from being a selfish undertaking, to work out our own salvation properly calls for a life of service for others. There is no surer way of losing the prize of the high calling than to center attention chiefly upon ourselves. It is only as we forget self and plunge wholeheartedly into the divinely appointed service to others in the great ministry of reconciliation that we can successfully work out our own salvation.
True, there is to be a work of grace in our own hearts and lives. We are to grow up into Christ in all things. Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) The mind of Christ was unselfish. It led the Master to humble himself, and to become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. In this we have a supreme demonstration of divine love, a love that is willing to sacrifice all that others might be blessed. And this is the mind, the viewpoint, for which we are to strive. It is this willingness to sacrifice our own interests, our time, our comforts, our reputation, our everything, in order that others might come to know the Lord and be drawn closer to him, that will make us “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”—Col. 1:12
If we focus attention merely upon ourselves, thinking thus to grow along spiritual lines, and to become more like Christ, we will be deceiving ourselves, for Jesus did not focus attention upon himself. He was exceedingly careful to do the work of God as it had been outlined for him in the Scriptures, but the work itself was for others, not for himself. And this is the example that we are to follow.
It is true that the present great objective of the Christian is to make his calling and election sure to joint-heirship with Jesus in his kingdom. Our present objective is not to convert the world, but to prove ourselves worthy of “glory and honor and immortality.” However, this cannot be done by concentrating on self and self-interests. It has been well said that love is the sum of all the Christian graces, and if we are filled with love our constant aim in life will be to bless others. If we can succeed in keeping self in the background, and concentrate our efforts on blessing others by conveying to them the “word of reconciliation” in keeping with the work of God which has been assigned to us, the great prize of the high calling will be ours.
To put the matter in other words we might say that one of the best ways to work out our own salvation is to work for the reconciliation of others, to tell them the glorious Gospel of the kingdom and to assure them that if they come to God through Christ in repentance and full devotion to his will, they will have peace with him, and by faith will pass from death unto life. Some seem to have the mistaken thought that in order to serve others it is necessary to take time off from working out their own salvation. This is a serious error. Every time we make known the glad tidings to others, the truth becomes more powerful as a transforming influence in our own lives.
“Study to Show Thyself Approved”
True, there are certain things we must do in order to be acceptable servants of God. One of these is to study his Word in order that we might become increasingly familiar with the glorious simplicities of the truth. Others cannot study for us, nor can we do their studying for them. We can help one another, and this is the purpose of class studies; but it is essential to prove all things individually, for this is one of the ways in which we work out our own salvation.
However, even in our study of the Bible it is essential to have the right viewpoint, to be governed by the proper motive. Why do we spend time to study the Bible? Is it merely for the personal satisfaction we obtain by knowing the truth? Is it in order that we might show others how we can dispute? If in any sense self or self-interest is our motive for Bible study, spiritual pride will be the result.
Our chief motive in Bible study should be to know God better through a clearer understanding of his plan. And if this motive is uppermost in our minds, our first thought will be to impart our increasing knowledge of God to others. The better we know God the more we will want to show forth his praises. And the more of this spirit that rules in our lives, the closer we will be following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Prayer is another necessity in working out our own salvation, but our prayers will not be effective unless they are unselfish. Jesus gave us the example in this also. The first request in the inspired prayer which he gave to his church is one that is calculated to fix our minds on the needs of others, rather than on ourselves—“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we are praying for the whole world of mankind. And how appropriate that we should thus pray. We are being trained as co-workers in the divine plan for the express purpose of blessing the world, and the Lord would have us keep this unselfish viewpoint in mind, even in our prayers.
What Is To Be Accomplished?
The great present objective of the Christian life is to be made ready for joint-heirship with Jesus in his millennial kingdom. This objective can be realized only through faithfulness in being “co-workers” in the divine plan. The principal result, therefore, of all that we do in the service of the Lord is the making of our own calling and election sure. That will be a glorious result, for it will mean glory, honor, and immortality for every individual who thus is victorious in running for the prize.
But there are other results also. The Revelator uses the expression, “His wife hath made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7) No individual Christian will be the bride of Christ. This is a term that applies to the church as a whole. Thus, the expression that the “wife” or bride has made herself ready suggests the collective service all the members of the “little flock” render for one another. (Luke 12:32) This recalls many scriptures which admonish us to faithfulness in laying down our lives for the brethren. We are to “bear one another’s burdens,” writes the apostle, “and so fulfil the law of Christ.”—Gal. 6:2
We are to serve one another in various ways—by encouraging others with the promises of God; by helping them to a better understanding of the truth; by provoking them to love and to good works; by comforting them in their afflictions; and by our own example of faithfulness in sacrifice. Many of our brethren we do not even know, nor will we ever see them in the flesh, but we can serve these also by our prayers, and by our co-operation in the general ministry of the truth. Indeed, some of our brethren are still in the category described by the apostle in his telling of Christ’s love for the church, when he said that “while we were yet sinners,” Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8) We, too, have the privilege of laying down our lives for such as these—as many of them as the Lord God may see fit to offer the prize of the high calling.
Yes, the most stupendous work ever to be accomplished in the whole universe is brought to completion during the Gospel age, and it is our honored privilege to participate in it. It is the bringing into being of the new creation, the church of Christ, Head and body. This work is not accomplished by any one individual alone, not even by Jesus; but every Christian who eventually will be a part of the new creation will have had a part in it, a part that was rendered faithfully and self-sacrificingly even unto death. With most of us it is difficult to recognize anything that is being accomplished directly as a result of our feeble efforts, but as God views the work as a whole, he sees the need for our part, and blesses us as we perform it faithfully.
And when we get beyond the veil, and can look back upon the divine work of bringing forth the new creation, we will be able to see that those meager efforts of ours—those weary and anxious moments of toil; those sympathetic prayers for our brethren whom we knew to be going through severe trials; those tears we shed as we wept with those who wept; those tracts which we distributed despite the fact that our feet were sore and our fleshly minds cringed under the scorn that was manifested by our neighbors; that “widow’s mite” which we sacrificed to help spread the glorious Gospel of the kingdom; and those seemingly futile efforts we made to witness to the folks next door, all bore fruit, each in its own way, and that together—because they reflected our spirit of love for God and devotion to his cause—they proved our worthiness to be a part of the glorified new creation, the inheritance of God.
“Whether They Hear, or Whether They Forbear”
When Jehovah commissioned the Prophet Ezekiel to deliver a certain message to Israel, he told him that he was to give this message regardless of whether or not they received it—“Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.” (Ezekiel 2:7) This principle holds true with all of the Lord’s people to whom he has given a message to proclaim. It is important to recognize this, else human reasoning may induce us to keep our light under a bushel.
Occasionally we hear of brethren who will undertake to proclaim the kingdom message, either by means of public meetings, tract distribution, or otherwise, and if they find that but few, if any, accept the truth, they conclude that this is the Lord’s way of saying to them that the time is past for such efforts. Nowhere in the Scriptures are we instructed to watch the Lord’s leadings upon any such basis as this. God did not instruct Ezekiel to proclaim the message only if he found that it was accepted by the people, but if not accepted, to keep it to himself.
If the Lord’s people throughout the age had interpreted his will upon this basis there would have been very little preaching of the truth; for in most cases the Lord has not rewarded individual faithfulness by granting the privilege of seeing immediate results of sacrifices made in his service. There have been exceptions, of course, but as a rule, it is the privilege of those who follow in the footsteps of the Master to toil and suffer without knowing that their efforts have accomplished anything except to increase their own joy in the Lord because of the fact that each time they tell the wonderful story of God’s love it becomes more wonderfully sweet to them. This result is certain to accrue from our faithfulness in bearing witness to the truth, and is one that we need in order to make our own calling and election sure. The effects in the lives of others are incidental to this main work of grace in our own hearts.
“Receive Not the Grace of God in Vain”
The grace of God to all his people of the Gospel age is represented principally in the loving provision of justification he has made through Christ. It is this that makes us acceptable co-workers with the Lord. Indeed, the purpose of it is that we might be “workers together with him.” It is marvelous grace. It means that imperfect, dying creatures such as we were before God called us, are being qualified to be partners with the God of the universe in the great work of bringing forth a new creation, and also in reconciling the lost world and giving all an opportunity to enjoy everlasting life.
Such grace is beyond our comprehension. It is too wonderful to be adequately explained by mere words. If we say that such grace is as boundless as the sea, the illustration comes far short of depicting what is involved. But there it is, the grace of God through Christ, the grace that comes to us through his blood—the blood that justifies and makes our imperfect works acceptable to our Heavenly Father. Yes, it does more than make them acceptable; for, by the magic touch of his grace, our imperfect works when guided by his instructions, become his works, and we find ourselves in partnership with the Creator.
No wonder the apostle beseeches us not to receive this grace in vain! But how could this grace of God be received in vain? Just one word answers this question, and that one word is “unfaithfulness.” Unfaithfulness may be manifested in any of a number of ways. After entering into a covenant with the Lord by sacrifice, and the blood of Christ being applied for us, we may fail to go on and participate in the work of the Lord. We need also to be watchful lest we become presumptuous and endeavor to serve the Lord in our own way, and according to our own imperfect standards.
We may labor faithfully for a while, even for many years, and then become “weary in welldoing.” (Gal. 6:9) Because of the cunning sophistries of Satan, we might not at first recognize that his erroneous arguments to show that it is no longer appropriate to labor in the Lord’s vineyard appeal to us because we have become weary and are looking for excuses to be idle. Let us be on guard along this line, for the wonderful grace of God that has been our portion up to this time might easily have been bestowed upon us in vain, if we fail to go on in the way of sacrifice. But on the other hand, by continuing to be zealous of good works, we prove our faithfulness even unto death.
The grace of God has been bestowed upon us in vain if; in any way—regardless of how zealous we may be to work for the Lord—we do not follow his instructions, or if we fail to avail ourselves of all the provisions he has made to enable us to conduct his work in a way that will bring glory to his name. Paul writes, “Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed.”—II Cor. 6:3
Instead of giving offense, we should endeavor to approve ourselves as the ministers of God—“In much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by love unfeigned, by the Word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”—II Cor. 6:4-10
Truly we have been called with a “high calling,” and in our partnership with God may we daily endeavor to be faithful as “workers together with him.” It is a costly, but blessed partnership. The joy of the Lord and the peace of God are ours now, and the assurance of the divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ later; for, if we are faithful in doing these things, an abundant entrance “shall be ministered unto us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”—II Pet. 1:11