| “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” |
| —1 Corinthians 15:2a |
As a child, did you ever receive a gift that you simply would not put down? Everywhere you went, you would hold on firmly to this gift. Perhaps it was a Christmas or Birthday present. Maybe it was a gift from a special uncle or aunt. It could possibly have been something that a special friend of your mom or dad gave to you.
You had longed for this gift for weeks. You had seen it in the Sears catalog. And now, someone special to you had graciously given you exactly the gift for which you had longed.
We were all created in the image of God. We bear His stamp within the core of our beings—theologians call this stamp the Imago Dei. This stamp of God’s image creates a connection to our Creator that cannot be broken.
It is a great mystery, but among those whom God has created, He has chosen some individuals to whom He sends His Holy Spirit. The Spirit produces a longing within these chosen ones to move from mere creations to children—children of God.
The Holy Spirit reveals to these chosen ones that God has given them a life-transforming gift through His Son’s birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension (see John 1:12). Just as children will cling to a special gift given to them by their parents, so we whom God has called must cling to the gift of His overwhelming mercy, grace, and love.
The Apostle Paul confirms this when he makes the following statement in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2:
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
As we begin another new day, let us hold firmly to the truth of the very Gospel which has transformed us from mere creations of God to His dearly loved children. Let us recognize that, as God’s children, He wants us to share the love He has placed in our hearts with those around us. God uses our expression of His love to begin the process that the Holy Spirit employs to draw those whom God has called to Himself.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, April 8, 2016
