The Greek verb katergazomai (κατεργάζομαι) means to accomplish, produce, work out, or bring about — to carry a task through to its full completion. The kata prefix adds thoroughness to the basic ergazomai (work/labor). It appears 22 times in the New Testament, predominantly in Paul's letters where it describes the productive work of grace, sin, and suffering in the human life.
Katergazomai appears in some of Paul's most profound theological passages. In Romans 7, sin 'katergazomai' — produces — 'in me all manner of covetousness' (v. 8), showing the actively productive nature of sin. Conversely, Romans 5:3 declares that suffering 'katergazetai' perseverance. In Philippians 2:12, Paul commands believers to 'work out (katergazesthe) your salvation with fear and trembling' — immediately clarified by verse 13: 'for it is God who works (energon) in you.' This interplay between divine empowerment and human effort is one of Paul's most careful theological balances: we work, but it is God who produces the result through us.