Changed by God’s Grace

Consider the record of these Thessalonians. These are new believers. Months, if not weeks earlier, they had been pagans. They are just now learning their Bible—their Bible ABCs. Paul is going to teach some ABCs in this letter. Surely they are just dealing with major sin issues in their lives. And yet Paul is able to show that they have been born again, and their lives are already being so radically changed that he can be certain of their salvation. And they show us that when we trust in Christ, we are therefore called to exert ourselves by the ordinary means of grace—through the study of God’s Word, through prayer, through the worship of the people together. We are to have an active faith in sanctification, and God will give us power to lead a new life.

Let me talk briefly about the impact this truth ought to have, for instance, in our attitudes toward the children in our church as we seek, as a church, to raise our children together. The way that most things are measured today would have us aspire to something like this: What we’re aiming for is that our kids will, you know, avoid big problems—no gross, life-changing sins—and maybe when they finish college, they’ll still consider themselves Christians. Well, that is not something we would not want, but that is not the kind of goal we ought to have as Christians. What we ought to do is minister the Word of God in our homes, at our tables, and in the church and all of our ministries—to minister the Word of God with prayerful confidence in God’s power to begin the transformation of the hearts of our young people, to give them a passion for the living, reigning Lord of glory, and to surrender lives. And here is what we desire for our young people: that they would yield themselves to Christ. Why should they ever bow the knee to another? And then begin to practice—even in youthful ways—the work of faith, the labour of love, and the steadfastness of the Christian hope. Now, that is going to require us as parents to set an inspiring example, to be sure. It is going to cause us to get on our knees, but it is going to lead us to confidently aspire to biblical Christianity in the power of the resurrected, reigning Christ. And so we see here not only the calling, but the potential of a Christian.¹

Richard D. Phillips