Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own
Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously
give us all things?
We are not prosperity gospel people, us Lutherans. There are
many Christians, in fact, who do not believe in the prosperity gospel- this
idea that God will reign down blessings if we are only obedient and follow His
will. Most of us land somewhere in the middle of knowing that God brings good
from all circumstances, God is working to provide for us, and consequences come
from sin, but life isn’t cut and dried like the prosperity gospel would have us
believe. It’s a confusing business understanding how sin and consequences work
in life, and also watching evildoers seemingly prevail at times. What does God
mean when he says he will graciously give us all things? What if the thing I
need is literally a miracle, and I don’t get it? People look around and end up
with questions like “why are there poor people? Why are children hungry and
hurting?” We are supposed to hold the answer to these questions as Christians,
as church workers and families in the church, but what if we look around and
feel just as confused, just as frustrated in the state of the world? (We’re
speaking of an external pressure to know, to hold the answers, to always “get
it.” Not that we actually believe we hold the answers!)
The answer, as always, lies at the foot of the cross. “He who
did not spare his own Son…” The verse isn’t about what we will receive. We can
spin our wheels all day and we can come up with some very Biblical answers, but
the verse is about who God is. A God,
a Father, who did not even spare His own son, for the sake of His children.
That is our God. The verse is about relationship with the One who is
everything, and relationship with the Son, who is one with the Father. It’s a
family circle of Grace and Mercy and Trust.
We may have our own questions about what and when God will
provide for whatever need we have on our heart, but God’s answer will always be
this- I sent my son. Come to me through Him. He is all you need. The rest is
always second.
You see, all of it, what we need beyond Christ is relevant to
God. We can share it with Him and praise Him for His very real work in our
life. But at the very best, all of what we need or want or desire is second.
God’s son really is enough and this is a message we share with a hurting world.
This is a message we can share with our hurting spouse or our children
struggling. It’s a message God shares with us on the difficult days. Jesus died
for your sin. He walks out of the grave with open arms. Everything is
redeemable and can be made new in Him. “All things”…everything…given to us new
and spotless in Christ.
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