Romans 8 is a great passage on how believers of Jesus, who are His co-heirs, can look forward to the return of our Lord while still struggling with sin and suffering.
The bible did not promise an easy life as many come to assume. Struggling with sin is hard enough, what more the challenges of life? The reward of all these struggling is the promise of our Lord: Romans 8:17, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
Notice the last word in that bible verse: suffering. If I see it correctly along with the earlier words in the same passage, it seems as though, suffering is to be expected. Suffering for believing in Jesus and His teachings.
We cringe at those thoughts. We are a generation that have not suffered. Suffering in traffic, work, delays, relationships and a host of other “difficulties” is already a heavy cross to bear for many believers. Is this the kind of suffering that the Apostle Paul is referring to? Did Christ had to endure such things and thus we have to share it. No!
We all look forward to sharing in Christ’s glory no doubts there, but it is as if we are looking for an easy way out of this life (or planet). Folks, we haven’t yet suffered like Jesus did and thus, we haven’t shared in His sufferings yet. Get over it.
Being a Christian is so easy these days that I feel as though we have cheated on the early believers because it so easy for us to complain and grumble. The fathers of our faith burned in the stakes for what they believed. They were chased like rats and had to hide in catacombs and caves just to escape persecution.
Of course, there are those who, in God’s sovereign will, did not suffer much. It’s called grace my friend. And God bestows it to whom He wants to bestow it. Us? Just being in the center of God’s will is honor enough. Knowing that the angels rejoiced when I accepts Jesus as my Lord and Savior is enough.
To tell you honestly, the future of this world is uncertain. But our future in Christ is secure. We WILL share His glory, He has given us His Holy Spirit which, according to Rom. 8:23, is a foretaste of our future glory. Let us heed the call of v. 25 of Romans 8, “But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.”
