“Wherefore, my beloved, 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 who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure — the paradox of verse 12 is resolved: they work because God works in them (energeō). God operates both will (thelein) and deed (energein), the inner disposition and outer action. 'For his good pleasure' (hyper tēs eudokias autou) shows their work serves God's pleasure, not personal achievement. This is not cooperative effort but divine empowerment expressing itself through human agency. The simultaneity is crucial: human effort and divine work are not competitive but collaborative.
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