2 Timothy 1:1-2

At conception, a baby has life. Life is the quality that distinguishes a live being from an inanimate object. It is characterized by a capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction. At the same time an unborn child is alive, we recognize the promise and potential of that life to be so much more than what it is at the point of conception. The very nature of life is such that it encompasses the possibility, and even the necessity of change. The presence of change does not guarantee the presence of life. Over many years the Grand Canyon has changed. The passage of time, wind, rain, and flowing water has shaped the canyon. However, we would not say that the Grand Canyon is alive. I’m not a scientist so I cannot speak with authority, but I believe that the ability and the presence of change is a necessary for life.

Nowhere is the necessity for change more evident than in the life of the new Christian. The Bible refers to a new Christian as being born again. A life that was dead in trespasses and sin is given new life through faith in Jesus Christ. That happened to Paul on the Damascus Road. His old life of persecuting Christians died and he was born again as a follower of Christ and an evangelist of the gospel. When he wrote to Timothy the second time, he had already been a Christian for many years and he refers to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. He noted that his ministry was fulfilling the promise of life that was in Jesus Christ. In this, I believe Paul has stated a theological truth that is universal.

A life that is in Jesus Christ is full of promise. That promise is not limited to eternal life; God is fulfilling it now. As we live in obedience to the Holy Spirit, together with God’s help, we change in ways the world can only dream of.