(Further reflections on “The Love” — Sunday 18-Oct-2020)
Suffering of all kinds is painful enough. Suffering alone is doubling the pain. But the worst form of suffering in life is suffering without Christ, because it is non-stop suffering of the body, soul, and spirit that even one’s death will not be able to stop that suffering. It carries on in the eternal lake of fire with perpetual torments.
The phrase, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered” (Romans 8:36; cf. Psalm 44:22) will unlikely appear on self-help books or positive thinking articles or motivational speeches. It does not seem to give any hope and encouragement to our present (or looming future) suffering in all levels and aspects of life. But this is exactly where human found hope in God through Christ Jesus. Why?
We will never be able to understand suffering and make sense of it at all if we do not look through the lenses of Christ’s suffering. We are told (cf. Isaiah 53:6–7), “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” In our suffering, we tend to think we are alone and no one is going through what we are going through. These can be both psychological traps or spiritual lies that people (including believers sometimes) believe. The context of Psalm 44 (where the Romans 8:36 cited) shows us a picture of what God’s people faced. They experienced oppression from the enemy; dishonor, humiliation, and worse still (seemingly) rejection (and silence) from God. And even in all of these things that they faced and even will be facing, nothing can separate God’s people from God’s love through Christ Jesus. In other words, Jesus Christ and those who are in Him are impossible to be separated by anything.
Wait! God’s people always have questions (either by having doubts or seeking confirmation or clarification). These are the questions that they ask.
(1.) If God is for us, who can be against us?
(2.) Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?
(3.) Who is to condemn?
(4.) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation/suffering or distress or persecutions or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
We may have more or different questions and want try to come up with a list of our current life’s pressing questions. But whatever that might be, these resounding ‘no’ answer (cf. Romans 8:37) will be affirmative and definitive!
(1.) No one!
(2.) No one!
(3.) Christ was, so we are not.
(4) No one! Nothing!
In other words, nothing on earth or under heaven (cf. Romans 8:38–39) can separate the covenant-maker, triune God and the covenant-keeper, Christ’s followers. But there is more! In all of those things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
So who are “The Inseparables” in all creation?
(You by now should know the answer)
—
Pastor Lap
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