Objection 12

From Sovereign Grace and the Scope of Election: A Comparative Examination of Attainment Theology and Grace Theology, with Particular Attention to the Question of Whether God's Elect Are Found Among All Nations and Religions

What about Matthew 25 and the judgment of works? And 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12)?

Answer. Philippians 2:12-13 must be quoted whole: "work out your own salvation... for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." One works out what God has worked in; a mine is worked out because the gold is already there. The address is to a church navigating problems in Paul's absence, the working out is their corporate, practical deliverance in time. As for judgment according to works: works are the evidence produced in court, never the basis of the verdict; the basis is whether one's name is in the Lamb's book of life, written from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8, 17:8, 20:15). Notice in Matthew 25 that the sheep are surprised by the evidence cited: "Lord, when saw we thee?" Surprise is not the posture of men who kept a ledger. Those who believe they have climbed expect the citation of their works; the sheep did not expect it, because their standing never rested on it.