Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
If you find me (Wisdom, Jesus), then you find life. “Seek and you will find.” “Whoever believes in me has eternal life.” Life, once again, is not just surviving or existing, but it is living fully, richly, and abundantly, as well as eternally. And the further good news is that he will obtain favor of the Lord.
The actual truth, of course, is that Jesus finds me, not that I found Him. I was the one who was lost, not Jesus. He is the finder. From my limited perspective, it may feel like I found Him, but I was the one lost in the weeds when He found me there, picked me up, and saved me. The lost coin, the lost sheep, or the lost son did nothing to “find” or even to be “found.” The Owner, the Shepherd, the Father did the work of searching and finding.
So my “finding” means “believing, or receiving” God’s grace and favor. And the faith itself was given freely by the Spirit through the Gospel. The point of the promise in this proverb is that finding Wisdom, finding Jesus, is the same as finding Life. And when we have life by faith in Christ we have favor with God. It is, of course, a good thing to be on God’s good side. God favors me because of Christ, and not because of any merit or worthiness in me, not because of my prayers or good works, and not because of my faith or decision.
Having been raised catholic, sometimes I have to remember that I cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift. Thank you Tim.