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Scripture:
Romans 8:18-30
Last night during our Online Kumustahan, we were asked this break out question: "How do you see the Christian living? Is it a blessed life, a life of sacrifice and sufferings, or both?"
The good point in yesterday’s massage is: a lot of people see the Christian life as something that will imprison them and keep them from enjoying a lot of things in this world. Most of these things are the pleasures of sin – drunkenness, sexual liberation and promiscuity (orgies), pornography, idleness, gluttony, lust of wealth, injustice or taking advantage of others, – name them.
Yes, Christian living is indeed in the pursuit of avoiding and abhorring such things, and it can surely be a challenge for anyone entering the faith, especially for those who are fully consumed by the pleasures of these sinful deeds. The Christian life can definitely seem to be a prison in the perspective of someone who doesn’t really know the true meaning of Freedom.
What is the true meaning of this freedom?
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2)
If we will continue reading, Romans 8 implies that through our faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us out of His great love, we are therefore freed from the brokenness and condemnation caused by our sins, but together with this freedom, we are also given the new nature in the help of the Holy Spirit. Our fleshly desires which cause us to sin are changed with Godly desires which eventually leads to a life of righteousness.
If we used to please ourselves, now we seek to please God (which basically includes our own good and heavenly pleasure) because of our personal relationship with Him, and it’s all through the help of the Holy Spirit. We come to realize through the Holy Spirit what Jesus said in the Book of John, "The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)
So having the experience and enlightenment of the truth of God’s Freedom through His grace and mercy, we are given the chance to live the life God intended for us to have in the first place. The life of being God’s children and heirs. But before being fully and eternally transformed into Jesus Christ’s likeness together with the transformation of the whole creation, we first have to endure this temporarily broken world we are living in. But it doesn’t mean that we are to endure this world on our own, for the book of John says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The question is… If Jesus said that He already have overcome the world, doesn’t it mean that there should be no more evil things right now? Doesn’t it mean that we should be living an abundant life right now as Jesus said in John 10:10?
If that is what we think, then we better start accepting how wrong our thinking is. The abundance that Jesus was talking about in John 10:10 is not the abundance in worldly wealth… it doesn’t even include good health. But this abundance is the abundance that even though we are suffering, even though we are being persecuted, even though we have sickness, we have the peace that only comes from God through Jesus Christ.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)
We have this great hope that even if we are suffering right now just as Jesus suffered, we shall be glorified as Jesus was glorified in His resurrection, and as He will be glorified when He finally returns to renew everything.
Yes. This is the kind of peace that Jesus has promised us, that even though we are suffering for righteousness’ sake, we know that God is just to reward us at the right time.
Even though we are being persecuted, we are so filled with love that we don’t have time to hate those who persecute us. Even though we are sick and dying of illnesses, we have the peace of heart and mind that Jesus already holds our life. Even though we are suffering rejections, we are assured that we are never rejected by God. Even though the world is filled with sadness and temporary happiness, we have the joy in Jesus Christ; the Joy that never perishes no matter what happens around us. Even though we are failing in many ways, we know that God is generous to give us grace to rise up again.
Jesus overcame the world by defeating death by dying for us and rising up again so we may have the life in the newness of His resurrection. That is the kind of life that we have from Jesus Christ. The life that is different from this world; different from how the world thinks, different from how the world works.
And even more than that, we know that we are not perishing away with this temporary broken world.
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:16-17)
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, "And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:24-27)
We have this great hope that even if we are suffering right now just as Jesus suffered, we shall be glorified as Jesus was glorified in His resurrection, and as He will be glorified when He finally returns to renew everything.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)
As Christians, we are blessed with the privilege to be children and heirs of God, we are also called to suffer as Jesus Christ did that we may also be glorified with Him. It’s not that we should suffer literally the same shame of whipping and mocking He experienced, and die the same shameful death He had on the cross. But it means that we symbolically live and experience the life that Jesus had as He lived completely opposing to how the world wants us to live. That’s why He called us to carry our own cross. So this kind of life is not a promising a suffering-free life, but it is a life full of hope of the coming glory even though we are currently and temporarily suffering.
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
So as we continue to live this life of sacrifice and sufferings, let us also take time to recognize the blessings that not everyone is privileged to have.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin the so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)
Photo by: Lisa Fotios
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