He is for us!
Romans 8:31 — What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
When reading through Romans 8, there is such a crescendo as Paul highlights the message of the Gospel and brings together all of the knowledge and inspiration of the ancient scriptures and the fulfillment of promise that we only find in Jesus Christ. God has predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son and we can trust that God’s plans for us are good and will give us the most abundant life we could ever imagine, in fact, far greater than what we can imagine.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul makes an audacious, yet very true statement, in that our present troubles are nothing compared to the future glory that will be revealed to us. Therein lies this incredible expectation, that the glory that is to come, is so immense and far beyond any earthly glory we could think of. With that realization, our present troubles just don’t compare. That is quite a statement; people all over the earth are struggling, experiencing troubles, indeed I don’t imagine I can find a single person who says they have never had any problems, ever.
So if our troubles can’t even be compared to the glory that is coming, why do we find so many people stuck on in life. Instead of looking at the glory to come we are stuck in the trespasses of this life. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore our lives or the lives of those around us, it only means that when we consider our troubles and attempt to compare them with what is to come, there are no points of comparison.
Romans 8:18 — For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
In light of all this, Paul begins a series of questions that informs life for us today. When we think about our struggles and then think of the future glory, we should be excited about what God has for us and begin to live our lives in preparation for that glory. When we consider the lives of those in the early church, there was this sense of unity, love and expectation. Our lives here on earth should testify of our hope of glory, namely Jesus Christ; as well as an expectation of the future glory to come.
1 Peter 5:8 — Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We see in 1 Peter 5 that we should serve God willingly, not for selfish reasons, but looking forward to the return of Christ. There is a warning in verse 8 that we do have an adversary and he is seeking someone to devour. This enforces the need for us to live lives that are truly given over to Christ, eagerly doing the work of ministry and being fully given over to Christ, not compromised with the world. We need to resist the devil, go to war with our sin; and especially flee from sexual sin.
Back in Romans chapter 8, we see the Apostle Paul building, with his questions, a strong case for confidence in our faith in Jesus Christ. Despite the troubles in this life and Paul includes trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword; we are more than conquerors through Him [Jesus] Who loved us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not people, not death or life, not angels or demons, not the present or future, not powers, not height or depths. We need to live for Him with confidence, knowing that through Him we have victory.
Romans 8:35-39 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Just as it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE REGARDED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When reading through Romans 8, there is such a crescendo as Paul highlights the message of the Gospel and brings together all of the knowledge and inspiration of the ancient scriptures and the fulfillment of promise that we only find in Jesus Christ. God has predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son and we can trust that God’s plans for us are good and will give us the most abundant life we could ever imagine, in fact, far greater than what we can imagine.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul makes an audacious, yet very true statement, in that our present troubles are nothing compared to the future glory that will be revealed to us. Therein lies this incredible expectation, that the glory that is to come, is so immense and far beyond any earthly glory we could think of. With that realization, our present troubles just don’t compare. That is quite a statement; people all over the earth are struggling, experiencing troubles, indeed I don’t imagine I can find a single person who says they have never had any problems, ever.
So if our troubles can’t even be compared to the glory that is coming, why do we find so many people stuck on in life. Instead of looking at the glory to come we are stuck in the trespasses of this life. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore our lives or the lives of those around us, it only means that when we consider our troubles and attempt to compare them with what is to come, there are no points of comparison.
Romans 8:18 — For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
In light of all this, Paul begins a series of questions that informs life for us today. When we think about our struggles and then think of the future glory, we should be excited about what God has for us and begin to live our lives in preparation for that glory. When we consider the lives of those in the early church, there was this sense of unity, love and expectation. Our lives here on earth should testify of our hope of glory, namely Jesus Christ; as well as an expectation of the future glory to come.
1 Peter 5:8 — Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We see in 1 Peter 5 that we should serve God willingly, not for selfish reasons, but looking forward to the return of Christ. There is a warning in verse 8 that we do have an adversary and he is seeking someone to devour. This enforces the need for us to live lives that are truly given over to Christ, eagerly doing the work of ministry and being fully given over to Christ, not compromised with the world. We need to resist the devil, go to war with our sin; and especially flee from sexual sin.
Back in Romans chapter 8, we see the Apostle Paul building, with his questions, a strong case for confidence in our faith in Jesus Christ. Despite the troubles in this life and Paul includes trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword; we are more than conquerors through Him [Jesus] Who loved us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not people, not death or life, not angels or demons, not the present or future, not powers, not height or depths. We need to live for Him with confidence, knowing that through Him we have victory.
Romans 8:35-39 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Just as it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE REGARDED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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