Found You!
"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:8)
Much has been made lately about how we will be found when Christ comes again. It's part of The Purpose Driven Life and even goes back to Kennedy's Evangelism Explosion when people are asked if they would be in heaven if they died tonight. How will we be found when we meet Christ, through death or judgement?
Some will read the verse above and believe that God will keep us strong in our Christian life until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, if we believe enough, if we trust enough, if we do enough of the right things, then we have nothing to be afraid of. We will be blameless because God has strengthened us and kept us in the right things as we have lived out our sanctified lives.
As I listened to the text and subsequent Bible study on this verse, I came to realize that the strength is not of life; it is a strength of faith. God will keep me strong in my faith, that is, keeping me constantly returning for confession and forgiveness, so that I will be blameless when I meet Christ face-to-face. When my day with Christ comes, whether through death or skipping into eternal life, the Holy Spirit will keep me strong in my faith and then I will be blameless.
I love that word, "blameless." Through faith, when I meet Christ, I will not be blamed for anything. I love that concept because I blame myself constantly. I still blame myself for mistakes made years and years and years ago. I have a bad habit of replaying past mistakes and blaming myself for them all over again. The Good News for me is that I will meet Christ and Christ will say: "Stop. Stop blaming yourself. Stop replaying the mistakes of the past. I now find you blameless." Not because of the strength of my holy living but because of the strength of Christ's holy death. I can't wait for that day!
Much has been made lately about how we will be found when Christ comes again. It's part of The Purpose Driven Life and even goes back to Kennedy's Evangelism Explosion when people are asked if they would be in heaven if they died tonight. How will we be found when we meet Christ, through death or judgement?
Some will read the verse above and believe that God will keep us strong in our Christian life until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, if we believe enough, if we trust enough, if we do enough of the right things, then we have nothing to be afraid of. We will be blameless because God has strengthened us and kept us in the right things as we have lived out our sanctified lives.
As I listened to the text and subsequent Bible study on this verse, I came to realize that the strength is not of life; it is a strength of faith. God will keep me strong in my faith, that is, keeping me constantly returning for confession and forgiveness, so that I will be blameless when I meet Christ face-to-face. When my day with Christ comes, whether through death or skipping into eternal life, the Holy Spirit will keep me strong in my faith and then I will be blameless.
I love that word, "blameless." Through faith, when I meet Christ, I will not be blamed for anything. I love that concept because I blame myself constantly. I still blame myself for mistakes made years and years and years ago. I have a bad habit of replaying past mistakes and blaming myself for them all over again. The Good News for me is that I will meet Christ and Christ will say: "Stop. Stop blaming yourself. Stop replaying the mistakes of the past. I now find you blameless." Not because of the strength of my holy living but because of the strength of Christ's holy death. I can't wait for that day!
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