2 Corinthians 1:18-22 Paul tells us that all of the promises of God are "Yes" in Christ. Jesus Christ brings meaning and fulfillment to all the promises of God. He is the focal point of all history and creation. In Christ is found the proper perspective from which to view any question that can be asked. Paul is telling the Corinthians that because he came preaching Jesus and because Jesus is the center of all that Paul is about, that the promises of God are being fulfilled in his ministry; i.e., the "amen (the let it be so) is spoken by us to the glory of God." Paul goes on to explain how all this works together. It is God, Himself that causes us to stand firm, and He does it through Christ. If our approach to life and its problems is anything except through Christ, it won't work. In Christ there are three things that become true of us. First, He anointed us. This is not the word that was used to describe the anointing of priests and other things in the ceremony of worship, this word comes from the same root as "Christ", "the anointed One" . It would seem that He confers a standing upon us as belonging to Him. Second, he goes on to say that He has set His seal of ownership upon us. I believe that Jesus is describing this position in John 10:28-29 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who is given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my father' s hand." And finally He has put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. No wonder Paul can say, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." In Christ, we have a standing, we have security, and we have all the resources we could ever need. Sounds like a recipe for success to me.

It is God Who Makes You Stand Firm