I’ve read these verses from Romans chapter eight before:
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
But today, they hit me in the gut.
As Karen and I wait for phone calls, emails, snail mail,…whatever about our adoption process, tons of thoughts run through our minds. Last week we were talking and the subject of sin and punishment came up. Is/was there something hindering God answering our prayer for kids? We know there isn’t, we know and live 1 John 1:9-10. It was “the accuser” accusing. [OK, I’m not saying we don’t sin. Speaking for myself, I identify with Paul’s self-evaluation in 1 Timothy 1:15 (“…of whom I am the worst.”) Karen’s human, so she sins… ]
In those “accuser” instances, my mind always goes back to this passage in Romans – I say in those instances, because Satan always tries to throw those (and other) thoughts at Christ Followers. None of us is squeaky clean, and guilt can be stifling.
Anyway, today… Me getting hit in the gut…
I’m reading a book titled, “Adopted for Life” by Dr. Russell Moore. It’s about adoption in human terms and also in spiritual terms. This book is for everyone, not just people adopting. Powerful stuff!
In a passage talking about feeling like God’s punishing you, Moore writes:
“Remember, we can’t bypass Jesus… He is the One who bore the curse on our behalf, every bit of it (Gal. 3:13). If you’ve believed in Christ, you are blessed, not cursed, whatever your situation.
…God is not punishing you. If you are in Christ, your punishment was adsorbed in the body of a crucified Jesus. God may be disciplining you, shaping you, and he often uses suffering to do so, but He isn’t punishing you. He views you within the body of Christ, and loves and delights in you. Whatever is happening in your life, nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ (Rom. 8:31-39.)” [pg. 89-90]
x
Pow. Thwack. Kapow.*
x
Again, this is nothing new for me – I’ve heard and read this before. …but I needed to hear it again. I have to believe that I’m not the only one needing to hear this.
Thank you God! (take that satan!)
x
*From the “you can find anything on the Internet”: I was trying to remember the punch sounds from Batman and stumbled on this site that cataloged all the sounds…by episode. They are now offered by me for your future use and reference! [the fact that they are in Spanish shouldn’t make a difference!] 🙂
DENNARR(dot)COM 