God Is For You, Not Against You – (137)

God is for you! Is that not the best statement in the world? He is not against you; He is for you. God is on your side. He is your Creator and wants nothing more than to be your Father. The question is not His love you; but your love for Him. Those Who Love God Not only has the Father gone to great lengths to bring you back into the Family - not even sparing His own Son (Romans 8:32) - but He promises to work all things for good. Think about that. All things will work out good - even the awful things - for those who love God. Who are those who love God? According to Jesus in John 14, those who love God are those who keep His commandments. Conversely, those who do not love God are those who do not keep His commandments. Pretty straight forward. Your obedience to God's commands are the evidence and proof of your love for Him. Don't follow Him and it's clear you don't love Him. That simple. The Reward So what is the reward for those who love God? How does His reward reflect that God is for you and not against you? Again, simple. He has already pre-determined (i.e. predestined) that you will receive a glorified body just as Jesus has received His. Remember the context of Romans 6-8. Paul is describing our relationship as redeemed spirits to the Law of God. Our yet-unredeemed-body is still corrupted by sin and resistant to our desire to serve God through obedience. The "reward" for faithfully pursuing holiness - after being justified and born again for this purpose - is exchanging a corrupted flesh for uncorrupted flesh. Our "hope" is the promise of full and complete redemption; a "born again" body to house an-already-born-again-spirit. The Bible calls it our "resurrection from the dead." And as such, Jesus was the first to experience it. Our inheritance is to experience and possess the same. God Is For You The evidence of this fact is clear. As the Judge in your trial for sin, He has already determined that, though you are guilty, your penalty has already been paid. Therefore, no charges or accusations against you can result in any eternal punishment. That's the promise of justification. Likewise, the promise of regeneration and sanctification is that regardless of any circumstances you may encounter; in spite of any and all sufferings, pain, tragedies, or disasters you may experience, God still loves you. His love for you will be made evident through the completion of your redemption. Meaning, you will be glorified and made whole in your salvation. Nothing is more awesome than that! ______________________________________ Study Romans From the Beginning - Click Here