Have you ever wondered what it means when the emcee of a contest tells the finalists, “Good luck to all of you”? Only one of them is going to win. Saying “Good luck to all of you” is meaningless. If the emcee said good luck to just one of them, that would have meaning. However, he/she would be violating any appearance of being impartial and make it appear the contest is rigged.
At first I wanted to say God says to us, “Good luck to all of you.” That would have meaning because we can all win. However, that doesn’t work because the word luck denotes chance as in rolling dice. We are not saved or lost because of chance. We are saved as a gift and lost only if we do not accept the gift. There is no luck involved. We do not win salvation at the expense of others being losers. However, I get the feeling that many people think luck is involved. If asked if they are saved, many people say, “I hope so.” Somehow, that seems to include a hesitancy that includes a bit of chance.
I love what John wrote in I John 5. He said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Please do not fail to notice the word “know.” Assurance of salvation is the difference between an abundant life and a so-so life. This weekend we flew back and forth from Mass to California. Without assurance of salvation I would have been listening for any strange noise coming from the aircraft. With assurance I settled in knowing whatever happened wouldn’t change eternity for me. That’s a done deal.
Spring Of Life