I Corinthians 1:18-31

“In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.” (In Christ Alone)

Today’s passage in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians sets us up to answer the question: are we perishing or are we being saved? Paul posits that our answer to that question depends on our faithful belief. If we confess that Christ’s death on the cross redeems us, we are being saved, no matter our current circumstance, and if we do not, we are perishing.

Perhaps, like me, you have found yourself grieving more often than not in the past few years. Grief, after all, involves mourning deaths in ourselves and in our relationships, as well as mourning loved ones lost. I am grateful for Paul’s reminder that when my circumstances all point to perishing, I am, in fact, being saved. Actively, deliberately saved. When we “preach Christ crucified,” we win, even when it feels overwhelmingly like loss. To be a Christian is to claim membership in the winning team for no other reason except that God loves to love losers.

Prayer: God, make me joyful in the assurance that I am yours, saved and valued. Amen.

Bailey Thomson