CHAP, ix Epistle to the Philippians. 157 



Paul. It has all the theological depth of the Epistles 

 to the Romans and to the Ephesians, and its interest 

 arising out of personal friendship is as strong as 

 that of the Epistles to the Thessalonians or of the 

 Pastoral Epistles. 



In this Epistle we read the following words : 

 "So then, my beloved, even 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; for it is God which 

 worketh in you both to will and to work, for His 

 good pleasure." : This passage has been claimed 

 as supporting their different views, by both Calvinists 

 and Arminians ; that is to say, those who maintain 

 the doctrine of election and foreordination in the 

 most rigid sense, and those who maintain some 

 independent efficiency in the will of man ; and 

 it has been said, sarcastically but truly, that the 

 opposite treatment of the passage by those two 

 schools consists merely in this, that the Arminian 

 reads it, " Work out your own salvation with fear and 

 trembling ; for it is God that worketh in you both 

 to will and to work, for His good pleasure " ; while 

 the Calvinist reads it, " Work out your own salvation 

 with fear and trembling ; for it is God that worketh in 

 you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure." 2 



It is, however, doing injustice to this passage to 



1 Philippians ii. 12, 13. 



2 The chief emphasis in this passage, however, is not really 

 on the antithesis between "your work" and "God's work in 



