Paul confesses to the church at Rome in the 7th chapter beginning at the 15th verse in the Living Bible…“I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to, but what I hate. Verse 16, I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. Verse 17 But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.

Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “You must be born again.” To be born again is a spiritual act of God’s power to deliver us from sin when we confess with our mouth and believe with our hearts that God has raised Jesus from the dead we shall be saved.

In essence, Jesus says everyone needs to have two birthdays, and the second birthday is just as important as the first. The first birthday determines when you are born on this earth through our natural parents. Jesus said to Nicodemus that we need a second birth, we must be born again — a spiritual birth — if we were going to become a part of God’s family, if we are going to live a saved life, being spiritually reborn.

Now in the NKJV of Philippians 2:12-13, Paul says to us, “Therefore, my beloved, as you 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.”

Working out salvation does not mean "working for" salvation but making salvation functional and practicable and progressing in spiritual maturity. James 2, beginning at the 17thverse declares, “So faith by itself if it has no works, is dead. Verse 18: A man may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” By what I do, how I function and practice.

Collegiate or professional athletes, whatever the sport may be function and practice their sport daily…. hours and hours, months and months years and years of practice in order to progressively become more proficient or get better. One that is always determined to win.

And in the end, every day and in every way, you and I always win because we have been born again, and as Paul declares in the Amplified Version of Philippians 2:12-13, “continuing to work out our salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursuing spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].” This is how we Save Ourselves From Ourselves.