Romans Chapter 8 cont'd.
What can separate us from the reality of the love of Jesus? Can pressure or troubles, persecution or rejection? Can natural disasters or loss of possessions? How about dangers or even physical death? No, these are the very kinds of experiences that scripture teaches children of God to expect in this fallen world- "For your sake we are constantly handed over to death, we are like sheep headed for the slaughter house." Indeed, these are the kinds of evil events we encounter, but prevail over, because of our confidence in the goodness and love of God toward us- no matter what things look like. I am convinced that neither death or life; angels, authorities, or demons; the present or the future; life's peaks or valleys; or any created being, can isolate us from God's love which flows down richly to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Comments:
A final thought on this eloquent and inspiring end of the eighth chapter. I think it is very important for us to broaden our understanding of suffering for Christ in this world. There are many passages in the NT that speak of the comfort and reward and the transcendent meaning of suffering nobly and well as a follower of Jesus. Many believers tend to think that only being ridiculed or persecuted for our faith rates as a true and/or legitimate suffering for Jesus. As a counselor, I have discovered that people often do not categorize their trials in life as legitimate sufferings...and this tends to cut them off from vital biblical truths that speak profound comfort and grace to their pain.
However, this passage truly broadens the playing field of what Paul considered as legitimate sufferings for Christ...disasters, troubles, loss, dangers, setbacks, disappointments, rejections, demonic assault, approaching death...all these common experiences of life can "rate" as legitimate sufferings "for the sake of Christ"...if we will simply count them as such and continue to grow in love despite them. We can "sanctify" and "redeem" our sufferings and the brokenness that attends them if we commit our souls to our faithful heavenly Father in the midst of them and endure them for his honor. This does not mean that we should not pray fervently to him to change these situations...Jesus prayed this way in the garden of Gethsemane...and he is our model.
If we do not recognize the pains of living in a fallen world as legitimate sufferings, then we will tend to deny them in unhealthy ways and develop strange ways of coping with them. My good friend, Bob Edwards, has said that if we don't process our pain in fellowship with God, it will come out "sideways". I have learned a lot from Bob about sufferings...and joy and life and the love of God and the love of people.
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