Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are called to put to death the old person we were and live holy lives clothed in righteousness. And that makes it easy to believe that our salvation and relationship with God are somehow based, at least in part, on our own efforts. It is indeed true that we are to strive toward godliness. But nothing we can do will contribute to the work God has done, is doing, and will do in our salvation.
As Paul says here, it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. Our security as believers is not based on our own efforts, but on what God is doing. He is the one who enables me to stand firm through faith.
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit. All of these describe completed actions involving the Holy Spirit. When we came to faith in Christ, God put his Spirit into our hearts as a sign of his ownership.
And his Spirit’s presence in our lives is a guarantee of what is to come. Our life as believers has only just begun. There is still so much yet to come. And it is the Spirit’s presence that assures us of that eternal future with God, the completion of our salvation.
It’s always a delight for me reading through your articles.
May the Lord continue to use and strengthen you sir.
From Nigeria
Thank you very much for your encouraging comment.