Sometimes I’ve wondered if my faith was big enough. Strong enough. Faithful enough. In seminary, I had an “a-ha” moment. I learned that the phrase “saved by faith in Christ” could also be translated “saved by faith (faithfulness) of Christ” (see Galatians 2:16, 20; Romans 3:22-26).
Through Jesus’ faithfulness come grace and our ability to have faith. Through the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit, faith seeks out and finds us. That gift of faith, no matter the size or how shiny the wrappings, is more than enough when we are open to its transformational, reconciling, steadfast love.
Frederick Buechner defines grace in his book, “Wishful Thinking,” as: “The grace of God means something like: ‘Here is your life. You might never have been but here you are, because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you…I love you.’ There’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”
This message is excerpted from “The gift of faith” by Betty E. Landis in the January/February 2019 Gather magazine.
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