Standing Firm in Christ



Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ...it is by faith you stand firm.
(2 Cor 1:21,24a, NIV)

As the story goes, a boy and his sister were out for an afternoon of fun. The brother suggested they scale the "mountain" beside their house - he knew the way. As they climbed up the hill, his sister got discouraged. She exclaimed, "Why, this isn't a path at all! It's all rocky and bumpy...". Her brother replied, "Of course, the bumps are what you climb on!" What a remarkable piece of philosophy we find in this little boy's logic. The bumps in life are indeed what we climb on. Christians are not immune from troubles; fortunately, we have a Savior to carry us through we we find the path is too bumpy. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, allows us to walk confidently and in the assurance of the victory that we have already won through faith in Christ, and by abiding in Christ.

Victory in the Christian life is founded on the truth that we are to "stand firm in Christ". Sounds great, but...
 

• How and why do we do it?
• How can we stand firm in this life when we keep getting swamped by wave after wave of toil and trouble?
• How do we stem the tide, hold back the water, or calm the storm?


To these questions, a believer may have no answers. Take heart, though, for the Apostle Paul tells us simply to "stand firm in Christ". No disrespect intended but isn't that like telling Gilligan to be brave during the hurricane and keep a tight, steady grip on the wheel of the S.S. Minnow?

Yes, we need to hear more from Paul and we do in the first two chapters of 2Corinthians. Here are some of the reasons we have to stand firm in Christ:
 

• God is faithful, and His way is sure, not indecisive (2 Cor 1:18)
• In Christ, we realize the fulfillment of all God's promises (2 Cor 1:20a)
• By this we will glorify God, if we stand firm in Christ through any trial we face (2 Cor 1:20b)
• God enables us to stand firm when we abide in Christ (2 Cor 1:21)
• Best of all, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are guaranteed God's love and provision by His Spirit which He gives us as an eternal deposit that can never be forfeighted (2 Cor 1:22)


Ok, those are some good reasons why you should stand firm in Christ, but we still need to know how do you do it?  One simple word is found in our Scripture text for today: "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ...it is by faith you stand firm (2 Cor 1:21,24a, NIV).

It's getting a little clearer. We must have faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior - the One the Bible refers to as our Deliverer, Fortress, Rock, and Refuge. It is by faith in the eternal, unchanging, nature of God that gives us hope.

But you may be thinking: "I need a whole lot more faith than I've got because I sure ain't making it on what I've got now". This is a legitimate concern. We find the Apostles asking Jesus the same question in the Gospel of Luke:
 

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."    (Luke 17:5-6, NIV)


This is not to suggest that faith in Jesus allows us to become magicians or even crazy horticulturalists! It just means that your faith is not dependent on how much you have - it is dependent on the object of your faith. Faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how small we may think it is, is faith in the Almighty God, in the Author of life, the Creator who spoke this universe and mankind into existence. Many times the problem with one's faith is that the God one believes in is too small.

The Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than any problem we run into. Hold to His teachings, listen to His will, obey Him in faith and He will see you through. As a result, Paul assures us we will have a clear conscience, holy and sincere conduct, wisdom from God, awareness of Satan's schemes in our life, and our life in Christ will be a sweet aroma to those around us. The aroma is the knowledge of Christ as shown by our lives - to those with a hardened heart turned away from God, the smell of death - and to those with an open heart, the sweet fragrance of life everlasting. Stand firm in Christ!







Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
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Copyright 10/11/2000, Randy Lariscy.