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Yes, is that so? How many of you out there take this illegitimate translation literally or, to put it another way, take it as read? How many of you have been spiritually abused by the use of this Scripture by ravening wolves in pulpits !? Of all the translation errors in the New Testament this has to be one of the worst there is and to date, after 31 years of Bible study I have found no exception to this statement.
First off, I will copy the King James Version of this Scripture, here below, followed by the original Greek MSS transliteration version. By doing this I will reveal all the errors in the King James Version and I will also reveal an error in the translation of the Greek MSS as well.
Phil 2:12 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.
As-defined beloved of-me according-as always ye-obey (hupakouo) no as, as in the near-being of me only but now much more in the from-being of me with fear (phobos) and trembling the of- selves saving be-ye-down-acting.
You will notice that I have included the Greek words 'hupakouo' and 'phobos' in the Greek rendition and I will explain the reason for this later. You will also notice the words 'work out' are not in the Greek version. These words were added by the translators to support their 'salvation by works' teaching agenda of their non-Gospel. First though, I wish to encapsulate the environment or the times in which early Christians lived, including those in Philippi. First century Christians did not have it cushty and easy-peasy like we do in our molly coddled 21st century western world, although that's going to change soon, and how !! ?? So you better watch out! You have been warned here on Ezine Articles, so be on your guard and learn to be as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ taught in Matt 10:16.
Unlike many of us, first century Christians had to deal with real persecution, they were society's scapegoats of the day. If anything went wrong, in Roman Hellenised society, that was riddled with pagan superstitious mumbo jumbo and paranoia, then Christian 'troublemakers' were the first port of call for the provoked local angry mob and / or The Roman permissions. These angry mobs were frequently egged on and encouraged by the local Pharisees and / or Canaanite Jew religious leaders. These were very frightening times for Christians especially those new to the Faith. Paul's visits, therefore, were always warmly welcomed because he was such a tower of Spiritual strength, support and encouragement to these brothers and sisters in Christ and this is the reality of the situation at Philippi as recorded in Phil 2:12. Now notice, carefully, these Scriptures also from Philippians in chapter 1:
Phil 1: 28-29 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries : which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For you you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
Here, in the precedent versa, we can see Paul encouraging them not to be afraid of their adversaries. OK, so what is the point I am making here? The point I am making is the blasphemous way in which Phil 2:12 is used by ravening wolves in pulpits to put the fear of God into their fellowships. This is a fear that should not exist and yet does exist because of the erroneous teaching of aforementioned ravening wolves regarding this verse. So what is wrong with the translation of this verse? Pretty well everything is the answer to that? First up we have the word 'obeyed' translated from the Greek word 'hupakouo' and I will copy here Strong's comments on this word:
From G5259 and G191; to hear under (as a subordinate ), that is, to listen attentively ; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority: – hearken, be obedient to, obey.
In almost every case, when the words 'obey', 'obedient' and 'obedience' are used in the New Testament they are a mistranslation and the above use in Phil 2:12 is no exception. We must understand that followers of Yashua Anointed (The Lord Jesus Christ) do so willingly, they follow Him willingly and voluntarily – no obedience is required. Followers of Yashua Anointed (the Lord Jesus Christ) also 'hearken or listen attentively' which is the real meaning of 'hupakouo'. Why do they listen or hearken attentively, is it because they have to or because they want to !! ??
Luke 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His Word (attentive listening). (Brackets mine)
Now here is a critical question: Was Mary at Jesus' feet because he told her to sit there or because she willingly and voluntarily wanted to sit there? Was there an inner desire to listen to Yashua Anointed (The Lord Jesus) or did the local Pharisee come round and order her to do it? Can you now see the blasphemy of the use of the word 'obey'? I hope so 'cos that's just what it is.
As a final point, as I want to move on, you will notice that Strong puts in 'as a subordinate' in brackets which means he thinks it is a 'Yes Sir' – 'No sir – three bags full sir' military style arrangement . This is just an erroneous personal interpretation and the brackets are wholly his. He also states: " by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority: – hearken, be obedient to, obey." In fairness he does say it is imposed but on what grounds? Unfortunately on Pharisaical grounds – his implied meaning is Graceless nonsense and it is pure Old Covenant legalism. We serve Yashua Anointed (The Lord Jesus Christ) because we want to, not because we have to. If we think we've got to ', we have a serious problem and Nasa will not be able to help you out of it either.
OK, let's get back to the verse in question: Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling. If, as Christians, we do not live in a world of persecution what are we supposed to tremble with fear about? Many so called ministers of God teach we should work out our own salvation and be in fear of God and tremble with fear at the same time. No messing about with these Bible bashing fundies eh? They know what's what and they let you have it, smack between the eyes. Not literal course, but it might as well be? Then we have the other variety of 'minister', you know, those more liberal 'sensitive types' who will attempt to explain this verse away so as not to frighten you. They do that by saying: "Oh, to fear God means to revere and respect Him; be in awe of Him in a fearful way" Utter bunkum and humbug in this case! This is why I quoted the Greek word 'phobos' next to fear in the Greek MSS rendering. From 'phobos' we get the English word 'phobia' which means to be in fear of something. Then we get trembling with the word fear so Paul is not being ambiguous here in this verse he is definitely speaking about being very frightened indeed.
Frightened of what though? Well we know do not we, I have already explained why these Christians were trembling with fear – persecution, possible torture and death. These were evil times in which these faithful people lived. Now let's analyze this verse properly. Paul is stressing something else here in this verse that is easily missed. If we keep our minds fixed on the backdrop of persecution and read these words again, " not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence," we can now begin to see the emphasis shifting onto the correct subject matter. Paul was beseeching them to not loose faith in these difficult fearful times especially in his absence or without him being there to strengthen and encourage them. He then adds, and I will switch to the Greek MSS for this part once more: " with fear (phobos) and trembling the of-selves saving be-ye-down-acting." The term 'be-ye-down-acting' means to keep going, accomplish or finish so Paul here is confirming what I have already stated. This verse is about not giving up under immunity life threatening pressure and fear. It's an exhortation to be brave and bear up while going through a period of several trials or suffering. This verse has nothing to do with being in fear of God. It also has nothing to do with our working out our own Salvation for Salvation is a free God given gift and was 'worked out' for us at the cross. Our works have nothing to do with it.
Please see my articles: "For by Grace are ye Saved through Faith; and that not of Yourself: It is the gift of God." Eph. 2: 8 "And" The Grace Of Our Lord Jesus Christ – His True Grace – Not The Half Baked Religious Version "for a full understanding of Salvation and Faith.
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