As a person Jesus suffered, as God He was incarnate and able to rise above any of the sufferings that were normal for us. But He chose to be among us and by His birth, death and resurrection He overcame sin and death for us.
John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Genesis 3:15-16 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” 16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
Ephesians 6:12-14 l. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Paul, writing to believers, warns us that we fight not against humans but against Satan and His hordes.
Romans 8:14- For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:18-21 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
As soon as the curse fell God set up the plan of redemption. Jesus, the anointed of the Father, willingly offered up His sinless life in place of ours. He broke the curse. We are brought back in relationship to our Creator by His shed blood and in Him we are washed from the bondage of sin and death. His creation waits in expectation for the restoration of all of things to the perfection that it was originally created in. We wait for the physical redemption of our bodies as Holy Spirit holds us securely in Him until that time. Our hope is in God alone. Carla
Earthly suffering is not an eternal reality. In verse 17, Paul’s reference to suffering together with Christ likely alludes to persecution for confessing faith in Christ. Here, the present sufferings may refer to more than persecution and encompass the full range of human experience: sickness, injury, natural disaster, financial loss, poverty, hunger, and death. The Greek word used here for suffering, doxa, points to the transformation of the body through resurrection ( 1 Corinthians 15:42–44; Colossians 3:4).
Doxa Word Study… the revelation of the sons of God refers to the final unveiling of God’s family of glorified humanity—those glorified through faith in Christ.
Sin affected more than humanity’s relationship to God; creation itself was spoiled and suffered decay (verse 21). The one who subjected is usually identified as God, acting in response to the sin of Adam and Eve.
Creation will benefit from the freedom afforded to the children of God through Christ. Faithlife Study Bible
The sufferings of the present are slight when compared with the glory later. Paul calls the sufferings “light affliction” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). The divine compensation package is “a hundredfold” (Matthews 19:29). Earnest expectation literally means “to watch with outstretched neck.”
Creation is impatient to see the revelation of the sons of God. Futility, which means “vanity, emptiness,” refers to the curse on creation (Genesis 3:17–19).
Creation awaits the coming glory because it also will be delivered. The bondage of corruption further describes the futility of verse 20. Nature is a slave to decay and death because of sin. The NKJV Study Bible
Genesis 3:17–19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field…
1 Peter 4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Catholic means universal and the revelation was given to the Apostles for the Body of Christ.
Today, I take heart in Robert Alden’s reminder, “There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle.”
And in my mind, I can hear Bruce Springsteen singing, “This little light of mine… I’m gonna let it shine…”
Jesus tells the disciples, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew’s Gospel)
And then adds, “Let your light shine.”
Let. As is, allow. As in, the light is already there.
Jesus never said, “Create the light.” He never said, “Make the light.” He never even said, “Be good at light shining.”
He simply told us to get out of the way, and let the light that is already there, spill.
So. Instead of light shining classes, let us give ourselves the gift of embracing the light that is alive and well inside... the light of compassion, kindness, empathy, inclusion and hope.
So. Let us embrace the gift of the light within—yes, the fire, within. And to embrace the reminder that while I am here on earth, I am, in fact, a servant. I am a vessel for hope and redemption. Sabbath Moments
…in His divine identity and power, Jesus is able to save us from so much more than a storm: He saves us from our sin and gives us peace with God forever (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:1). First5
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