Take it to the Bank


Time for Monday Manna over at An Open Book. Slip over there for more thoughts on this wonderful passage of Scripture.

Worried about losing your salvation? Don't. If there were ever two verses that demonstrate how secure the believer's salvation is, Romans 8:38, 39 are those verses.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Like many of us, those who received Paul's letters probably had their days when they wondered if they were really part of God's kingdom after all. You know, those days when Satan whispers in your ear, "Did it again, eh? What makes you think you're a Christian?" Then there's the overwhelming sense of unworthiness that sometimes morphs into, "No, this can't be true—God save ME?"

In Romans 8:1, he writes: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…" and proceeds to explain what the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives means. We have a new nature, controlled by the Spirit of God. His presence and his working in our lives is the evidence of our new relationship with God.

Paul doesn't want us to think that life will turn into the proverbial "bowl of cherries" once we come to faith. We face a continual battle against the dying remnants of our old natures and the effects of sin on a damaged world. As he describes this struggle throughout chapter 8 of Romans, he assures us that, in spite of the spiritual struggles, what we have entrusted to God through faith in Christ—our souls—is safe. Satan can accuse, the world can accuse, our hearts can accuse, but God no longer accuses.

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us" —Romans 33, 34.

Just in case we thought there was a loophole somewhere, Paul then discards, one by one, all the possible things that might be able to drag us kicking and screaming from the banquet hall of the redeemed.

Not a chance, says Paul. There is nothing that can condemn us again. And that, as they say, we can take to the bank.

Comments

  1. Joanne Sher17 August 2009 at 15:45

    I have SO been there - and Romans 8 almost always reassures me of my safety and permanence in Him. Great thoughts, Lynda. Thanks for participating!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hoomi18 August 2009 at 15:41

    Perhaps some of us expect to be dragged kicking and screaming from the banquet hall of the redeemed because, for all intents and purposes, we were dragged kicking and screaming INTO the banquet hall of the redeemed?

    Great insights clearly articulated!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Case of the Pilfering Peacock

Image
Such little things under ordinary circumstances: a few pots of lettuce and a little spinach. But in a country like Pakistan, and in the heart of the Sindh, anything resembling salad is as hard to find as hen’s teeth; well, in this case, peacock’s teeth. My friend, Hannah, is a retired missionary nurse. Actually she became a retreaded missionary nurse, having returned to Pakistan several times several times after retirement to fill a desperate need for nursing staff at the hospital she first went to serve in back in the 1960s.   A wall surrounds the hospital. On the grounds are the homes of the medical staff and some of the Pakistani people who work at the facility. It also seems to be the favourite place for the peacocks from the local Temple to hang out.    It had to be the lettuce and the spinach that attracted them. When she first noticed the peacocks, Hannah admired their beauty—until she noticed that they were lunching on the spinach. She tried to shoo them away. “Pe...
Read more

Advocate

Image
Welcome to Word-Filled Wednesday hosted by Christy at Critty Joy . Check out the pictures inspired by the Word of God. At the end of chapter 16, Job makes a statement that eludes to an advocate in heaven who intercedes for him. What did he believe? Or did he simply say what he was inspired to say without an understanding of its implications? “ Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend ” —Job 16:19-20. What a beautiful picture of the advocate we have with our Father—Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf as the One who paid for our release with his own blood. “ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sin of the whole world ” —1 ...
Read more

Going the Long Way Around

Image
I could use a pillar of fire or a cloud of smoke. It’s not that I’m making some huge, life-changing decision to go somewhere or do something. It’s just that I’d like to know that the direction I am going in is the right one—especially on those days when I'm not so sure. Have you ever had times like that? The vision gets clouded, the path gets cluttered, the journey seems more circular (a.k.a. running around in circles) than anything else. Genesis 13 describes the beginning of the journey the Hebrews embarked upon as God took them out of Egypt. They began by marking the day with a ceremony that they were to observe for the rest of time—a means of remembering all that God had done, and a jumping off point in the lessons they were to teach their children about God (13:1-16). The chapter ends with this: “ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or nig...
Read more