Now I would remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (ESV)
The message that reverberates through my heart, mind and soul is this – for the most part, we are helpless to change ourselves to be more like Christ, it is God who changes us. This was again a message shooting off the page to me at 5 a.m. today: “the gospel . . . by which you are being saved.”
Beth Moore has made me very conscious of “the ‘ing.'” That suffix to words that makes the action present and ongoing. It is through the message of the Gospel – the story and everything about Jesus – that we are being saved. “Being” means that it is currently happening.
Now, please know that I believe emphatically that when we make a choice to surrender our lives to Christ, that is a single occurrence, which identifies our salvation. However, the Bible is full of scripture describing the process of becoming like Christ as ongoing.
“You are being saved” comes from a Greek word sozesthe, the root of which is sozo. Sozo comes from sos – which is safe or rescue . . . S.O.S.!
HELPS Word-studies identifies it as being used principally “of God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin and into his provisions (safety).” Thayer adds to this meaning: “to keep safe and sound” and Strongs provides a final thought, “be (make) whole.”
So, if we take this meaning and integrate it in the verse, “the gospel I preached to you, . . . by which you are being rescued, being made whole.”
The point of all this? Paul says, “the gospel by which you are being saved.” Being a Christ-follower is about becoming like Christ. The experience of my life in the last two years is that it is through relationship with God and His Word that our “salvation” is walked out in our daily lives. This realization has turned my world upside down. When we choose Jesus, the Spirit of God lives within us and as we actively engage with Him, we respond to Him, change occurs by way of that relationship.
Now, if you are like I used to be and that thought of making different choices causes you to feel despair because you know the truth of yourself is that you can want to and you can try and may even be successful for a little while, but the consistency is not there. Do not despair, dear friend! I say this as one who has been there. In fact, because of various circumstances and life events, I came from a place where – about five years ago – I had gotten so I could not even read God’s Word. It was not what I wanted, it happened over time. How did it change? When I came to the realization one day of where I was at, I just started talking to God: “God, I am scared of where I have gotten to. I want to get back to a place of reading Your Word, I want to love Your Word, but I don’t know how to overcome this doubt and disbelief. I am willing though, for whatever You will do.”
Whatever your situation, wherever you are at, just talk to God. He loves you more than you can possibly know and He will always respond to a heart that is seeking Him.
The verse goes on to a phrase that was confusing to me at first – “unless you believed in vain.” It is the Gospel – the truth of Jesus Christ, how could one ever believe “in vain”?
Vain comes from the Greek ekie. Only one part of how this word translates as what you would expect it to be: without purpose. It also means “without success or effect” (Thayer). Do you have a challenge with usage of affect / effect? I used to all the time and was always asking my even-more-of-a-word-nerd friend. Finally, I would remind myself that “effect” is change. More specifically, “a change that is the result or consequence of another cause”! (Google) That definition was very cool to me. 🙂 (Word nerd . . .)
The Amplified Bible is helpful in understanding this: “unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].” The Gospel itself is not in vain. Our belief in the Gospel is in vain if we have that belief without complete commitment. Through the Gospel we are being saved if we hold fast to that truth, engage in relationship and commit ourselves to it. The details of how that gets worked out will vary between each of us, but one thing I know is true: God will not disappoint! He loves a heart that seeks Him and He will most definitely respond to Save Our Souls.
Denise Travanti 