I was reminded of a childhood memory of a friend at church who was convinced he was "immune" to the effects of poison oak because of his Native American ancestry. The reason? He and two friends unwittingly walked through a patch of poison oak: they were covered with hives, and he had none. Seeing I was most skeptical of his claims, he proceeded to grab leaves of poison oak and slowly rubbed them on his arms and across his face. When he came to church on Sunday, it was obvious to all (including him!) he was NOT "immune" to poison oak.
It is a common misconception that coming to Jesus Christ in faith brings comfort and rest to life without struggles which plagued us before. There is a sense our relationship with God means we are immune to the trials of life, and that sin's negative influences and effects are negated. They felt they could choose to walk in sin without consequences. An example of this is seen in the children of Israel who departed from obedience to God in Micah 3:11: "Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us." I imagine they quoted hackneyed phrases to pump up their confidence like, "No weapon fashioned against us shall prosper," or "If God be for us who can be against us?"
Sin remains as poisonous and deadly as ever after we come to Christ, desiring to cut us off from fellowship with God and other believers. The context of what Paul wrote was not that relationship with God causes us to avoid painful trials, but though He allows them nothing can separate us from His love--very different to what many assume. It is not the cessation of pain or problems, but consolation from God in the midst of them. As long as we live in this body of flesh in a fallen world we await ultimate redemption and thus pain and problems will continue. Yet even as Jesus rose from the dead, there is a continual supply of hope, help, and deliverance in Him.
Read it in context for yourself in Romans 8:31-39: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God did not spare His Son Jesus Christ from suffering, grief, pain, and death, but He has exalted Him above all other names. He has all authority in heaven and earth and freely has given us all things. Jesus lives to make intercession for us and at no point in our lives on earth will we be free of our need for help, wisdom, and strength from Him. See the things which Paul and other Christians suffered! Not one of them was immune to distress, persecution, famine, peril, or sword; many believers suffered cruel deaths at the hand of God's enemies. Yet though they encountered fiery trials and brutal pains, they were greatly loved by God who demonstrated His love for sinners on the cross. Paul was accounted (like Christ) as a sheep to be slaughtered, yet by God's grace he would rise. This is the promise, not the absence of pain or problems but the presence and power of the Almighty God now and forever.
Sometimes our pains are self-inflicted, like my friend who covered himself in poison oak. But praise God He is a Healer, a Redeemer, and Restorer of souls to all who turn to Him in faith.
It is a common misconception that coming to Jesus Christ in faith brings comfort and rest to life without struggles which plagued us before. There is a sense our relationship with God means we are immune to the trials of life, and that sin's negative influences and effects are negated. They felt they could choose to walk in sin without consequences. An example of this is seen in the children of Israel who departed from obedience to God in Micah 3:11: "Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us." I imagine they quoted hackneyed phrases to pump up their confidence like, "No weapon fashioned against us shall prosper," or "If God be for us who can be against us?"
Sin remains as poisonous and deadly as ever after we come to Christ, desiring to cut us off from fellowship with God and other believers. The context of what Paul wrote was not that relationship with God causes us to avoid painful trials, but though He allows them nothing can separate us from His love--very different to what many assume. It is not the cessation of pain or problems, but consolation from God in the midst of them. As long as we live in this body of flesh in a fallen world we await ultimate redemption and thus pain and problems will continue. Yet even as Jesus rose from the dead, there is a continual supply of hope, help, and deliverance in Him.
Read it in context for yourself in Romans 8:31-39: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God did not spare His Son Jesus Christ from suffering, grief, pain, and death, but He has exalted Him above all other names. He has all authority in heaven and earth and freely has given us all things. Jesus lives to make intercession for us and at no point in our lives on earth will we be free of our need for help, wisdom, and strength from Him. See the things which Paul and other Christians suffered! Not one of them was immune to distress, persecution, famine, peril, or sword; many believers suffered cruel deaths at the hand of God's enemies. Yet though they encountered fiery trials and brutal pains, they were greatly loved by God who demonstrated His love for sinners on the cross. Paul was accounted (like Christ) as a sheep to be slaughtered, yet by God's grace he would rise. This is the promise, not the absence of pain or problems but the presence and power of the Almighty God now and forever.
Sometimes our pains are self-inflicted, like my friend who covered himself in poison oak. But praise God He is a Healer, a Redeemer, and Restorer of souls to all who turn to Him in faith.
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