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Philippians 1:3-11 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Verses 9-11 explain HOW we are to work out our salvation. It's not to earn salvation, or to qualify for it, because despite the best we do we can never qualify for it or earn it. Salvation is not something to be bought for a price, any price. Money can't pay for it and works without money can't pay for it. There's not enough in the whole world to pay for a drop of the blood of Jesus.

And the filthy rags that our own righteousness are cannot be added to the sinless, spotless perfection of Jesus' works.

It'd be equivalent to a child drawing with a crayon on the Mona Lisa thinking that it improved on it and the artist would be pleased with his efforts.

Works are a natural outgrowth of salvation, the FRUIT of it. The fruit doesn't give life to the tree, the tree gives life to the fruit.

Saying one believes and adding works to it is also no different that tying fruit on a tree and acting as if the tree really produced it. Sure it may look it from a distance but it's not genuine.

Real life comes from within and works are a result of getting saved, not getting saved the result of doing works.

When we are saved, the works follow and as we renew our minds and become more Christlike, we are working out our salvation.

Works are a natural outgrowth of salvation, the FRUIT of it. The fruit doesn't give life to the tree, the tree gives life to the fruit. Saying one believes and adding works to it is also no different that tying fruit on a tree and acting as if the tree really produced it. Sure it may look it from a distance but it's not genuine.

Very well said! Man made religion is the business of attaching fruit to the tree instead of the fruit being a natural production of a healthy tree. All the scotch-taped fruit on a bad tree cannot turn the tree into a good one, and the fruit eventually rots because it has no nourishment going to it. It will dry up. You have made a really good point. Thanks.