These first two verses can be read in two ways. First as a simple exhortation to continue to obey God, and an assurance that as we put our own effort into following Christ, He is at work in us at the same time.
The second way is to remember what the situation was for the early Christians. They were not following a well established religion. This letter was written about thirty years after the death of Christ. Wherever the gospel went there were Jews who opposed Paul, and there were Jewish Christians who insisted that the Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised. In chapter 3 Paul will address this matter directly. So the second way to read these verses is as an encouragement to them to continue in the way of faith, an assurance that God is at work in them and that they are on the right road.
We see here a familiar theme in Paul, and that is that following Christ, living by faith, involves us putting great effort into things. God works in us and through us, He works together with us. This is how we live by faith. Living by faith most definitely does not mean sitting back and doing nothing. The more we live by faith the more we will do.
The "fear and trembling" bit is a reminder that we are to fear God not men. Men may seek to put fear in our heart, but it is God we should always look to. Jesus said we should fear the One who can destroy the soul, not those who can only destroy the body.
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