What does "being saved" in 1 Corinthians 15:2 imply about ongoing faith? Setting the Scene: The Gospel Already Received, Still at Work • Paul opens 1 Corinthians 15 by saying the Corinthians have already “received” the gospel and now “stand” in it (v. 1). • That past reception is genuine; it birthed new life. Yet Paul immediately adds that this same gospel is the means “by which you are being saved” (v. 2, literal present tense). • Scripture never pits past salvation against present experience; it weaves them together. Justification happened the moment they believed (Romans 5:1), but salvation’s fullness is unfolding daily until glorification (Romans 13:11). The Grammar and Its Force: Present, Continuous Action • The Greek present tense of sōzō (“to save”) points to a continuing process. • Paul uses the identical form in 1 Corinthians 1:18—“to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” • Far from questioning new-birth realities, Paul is highlighting the ongoing outworking of that new birth in real time. Ongoing Faith: Holding Firmly, Not Casually • “If you hold firmly to the word I preached to you” (1 Corinthians 15:2) shows the gospel is not a one-and-done slogan; it is the believer’s permanent lifeline. • Genuine faith perseveres (Hebrews 3:14; Colossians 1:22-23). • Perseverance is not a human self-rescue; it is God guarding through faith (1 Peter 1:5; John 10:27-29). • The believer’s part: keep clinging. God’s part: keep keeping. The Threefold Tenses of Salvation 1. Past—Saved from sin’s penalty (Ephesians 2:8-9). 2. Present—Being saved from sin’s power (Philippians 2:12-13). 3. Future—Will be saved from sin’s presence (Romans 8:30). • 1 Corinthians 15:2 sits in the middle column, spotlighting sanctification—faith actively applied. What “Otherwise, You Have Believed in Vain” Means • Empty, non-persevering faith proves itself counterfeit (1 John 2:19; James 2:17). • Real faith may falter, but it never finally lets go. God’s seed remains (1 John 3:9). Practical Encouragement: Living Out the Ongoing Rescue • Feed on the same gospel that saved you—Christ died, was buried, rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). • Let that message shape daily repentance and obedience. • Draw assurance not from yesterday’s memory but from today’s dependence on the risen Lord. Summary “Being saved” in 1 Corinthians 15:2 points to the continual, life-long operation of the gospel in those already justified. Persevering faith is the evidence of true conversion, sustained by God’s power and demonstrated by holding firmly to Christ’s word until the finish line. |
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