Having been justified by faith in Christ alone, our living faith becomes a motivation for an obedient life-style.  It is never perfect this side of eternity, but it is always a work in progress.  Scripture calls this progressive development of personal righteousness sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3).  It is a work guided by the Holy Spirit and results in an increase in the renewal of the image of Christ in our lives (2 Cor. 3:18).  Of course, there are peaks and valleys in the Christian life; for sin is always there (1 John 1:8-10, Rom. 7).  We may not always recognize that we are growing in grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18), for sin becomes increasingly abhorrent to us as we grow increasingly more Christ-like.  But this is a life for which we have been chosen and destined (Rom. 8:28-30), and which we willingly and eagerly undertake and pursue, having been renewed and given a new heart in our regeneration (John 3:3, Eph.4:25, Col. 3:10, Titus 3:5, 2 Cor. 4:6, et al.).

The Christian life requires means of grace or disciplines of grace by which we gain mastery over sin, as Paul tells us we must do (Rom. 6:12) and we shall do (Rom. 6:14). Thus we need to place ourselves under the ministry of the preaching of the word, to spend time in prayer and meditation, the fellowship and encouragement of fellow-believers, we need the encouragement and instruction of worship, and the regular communing with our Lord at His table.

Paul sums it up well when he writes to the Philippians “as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13).  Paul stresses the importance of personal obedience in ongoing working out of our salvation, but the impetus and direction comes from God (through the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18), providing us with the incentive (the will to obey) and the capacity (the resulting action) for consistent and ever-increasing obedience.

God, from His point of view, ever sees us in Christ, covered by the blood of His Son, with the perfect obedience and resulting perfect righteousness of Christ.  Thus we ever stand before God, acceptable and perfect in His sight, the only way anyone can ever stand before the thrice-holy God.  From our human point of view, we see by our failures to keep God’s law our own sins and need for growth in personal righteousness.  But Christ has not left us orphans (John 14:17), but given us His Holy Spirit, who guided Christ Himself through every possible temptation.  Under His direction we are given the will and ability to grow in personal righteousness as we “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.”  More and more ping-pong balls are being pushed under the surface of the water!