The Love of Christ is the Main Thing

Romans 8:31-39 has become a "go-to" passage for me of late.

 ³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who 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. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
   "For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither 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. (NIV)

Notice that it doesn't promise you deliverance from hardship, it promises that hardship cannot separate you from the love of Christ.  It assumes that we as believers will face trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword,  death, demons, powers and other things, but none of that can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ.

This is pure theology of the cross, which I wrote about here.  This brings about a total reorientation of life.  As I have delved deeper and deeper into the theology of the cross I have found that many of my assumptions about how God deals with us continue to be challenged and also how God in His providence is actually reconstructing my whole life around the cross, to be defined by the cross.  Can't say it's always enjoyable but it is His will and I am slowly (though not without some fighting and/or wining) learning to embrace a life defined by the cross.

In a summary contrast between the theology of the cross and the theology of glory Todd Wilken points out that the theology of glory understands God's favor this way:

God’s favor is manifested in the circumstances of life, in particular, life’s successes and victories;

While the theology of the cross sees it this way:

God’s favor is manifested in Jesus, in particular, His suffering, death and resurrection;

Victor Shepard channels Luther on this matter:

In the light of his "theology of the cross" Luther maintained that life's "trials" (Anfechtungen), unavoidable in any case, can be understood as the occasion of God's refining the faith of his people, purifying it, strengthening it, ever rendering it more attractive and more useful.

And:

For indeed, said Luther, faith's worst trial is to have no trial, since trial keeps faith alive and vibrant.

Thus, the evidence of God's love is not to be found in the circumstances of life, it is to be found in the objective reality of the cross.  It also seems though, that the objective reality of the cross becomes the subjective experience of the believer as the believer is led into sufferings as Christ was. 

My only further comments are that I can accept all of this intellectually but it is hard to accept emotionally.  At the same time there is something about that last quote from Luther that resonates.  I guess I have always expected my growing faith to be a feel good faith, I'd grow in feeling good.  Lately I don't have a feel-good faith, but I do think I have a more alive faith (does that make sense?).

And I won't say that my joy in the Lord is where it should be or could be, but it's not absent, and I have no doubts that I am in the center of God's love.

Well, that's a few late night ramblings from a guy whose a bit exhausted - I hope it makes some sense and I hope that if you are going through a trial that somewhere in the midst of it you know can find that your faith can be an alive faith even if it's not a feel-good faith, and I hope you have some glimpse of God's great love for you in the midst of it all.

Comments

[Jan McKenzie]

Thank you, David. I found encouragement in these eternal truths I'm so prone to forget.

[Licu]

Hello,

This is my first time reading your blog, and it's really encouraging. I am certainly believe that living with God is good, although yes there are many obstacles, but I am certain that God is always by ourside to help if we put our trust in Him.

God bless! =)

[Anne]

Beautiful, Beautiful! Remember, it's okay to fall apart sometimes, just rest in knowing you do so in His arms. God bless and Keep you.

[J.]

Journalist Robert Novak is currently being treated for cancer (a tumor in his brain I believe). In an interview last year he was asked an interesting question, and gave an interesting reply:

Q: What's the most helpful thing someone can say to a person who's gravely ill?

A: There's not much you can say. A lot of people say: "You're a tough guy and a fighter. You're gonna beat this." Well, I don't know if I will beat it. Being tough and a fighter have nothing to do with it. I guess the most helpful thing they can say, if they're a man or woman of faith, is to tell me they're praying for me.

Praying.