"Freely Given"

"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us"

1Corinthians 2:12

   By means of human reasoning we cannot bring ourselves into Christian faith, just as we cannot use worldly wisdom to argue anyone else into believing. Dr. Martin Luther understood this well when he wrote in his Small Catechism, "I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him."

   By nature we have neither the strength nor wisdom to believe. For we are spiritually dead. And a spiritually dead person can no more enable himself to believe in Jesus, than a physically dead person can make himself alive again. He needs someone outside himself to do that for him. God has done it for us. This is why the Apostle Paul declared that he spoke not by the spirit of the world but rather by God's Spirit. Through the Holy Ghost Paul knew God's wonderful wisdom. This is also the only way anyone will ever know that wisdom.

   The Holy Spirit comes to us as infants through God's Word and Holy Baptism, "the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Older ones hear God's Word, and by his grace the Holy Spirit works faith in Christ in their hearts. Paul tells us that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." He also says that faith in Christ is gift of God: "For it is by grace you have been saved. Through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast."

   The Holy Spirit revealed many blessings to us when he brought us to faith in Jesus Christ. We now trust in Jesus as our Savior. We know our sins are fully and completely forgiven for Jesus' sake. We at peace with God. We can pray to our dear heavenly Father "as dear children ask their dear father." We know that when we die our soul will be with the Lord in heaven. We know that our body will be resurrected a glorous body and reunited with our souls on the Last Day, we know we will spend eternity in our Father's magnificient mansions above in heaven. This is God's glorious promise to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

   These are some of the countless blessing that come with a Spirit worked faith. Surely God has been gravious to us! May our hearts be filled with thankfulness now and forever.