Romans 8:10-17: Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.

It doesn’t matter what church you attend, eventually someone is going to sing “Amazing Grace.” We love to sing of, discuss, and hear sermons about God’s amazing grace. After all, if it wasn’t for His great grace, none of us would be attending the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with our Bridegroom in heaven someday. However, if you look beyond the surface of God’s saving grace, you’ll discover that it wasn’t fair. How could God offer His innocent Son upon a cruel cross and allow Him to go to hell in our place? If that wasn’t bad enough, He allowed us—who were guilty of sin—to be released from the penalty of sin and didn’t require us to do one thing to deserve or earn it! Where’s the fairness in that?

Now that we’ve discussed God’s saving grace, let’s turn our focus to God’s empowering grace. The first paragraph addresses the love of God that brought us to salvation in Christ. This paragraph will address the love of God that empowers us to become Christ-like. I love today’s passage from Romans 8 where Paul teaches us about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. But what does he mean—telling us believers that we have to suffer with Christ if we’re going to rule with Him one day?

Since becoming a child of God, have you had to suffer some stuff that caused you to feel ashamed? Why does God allow Christians, who love Him with their whole hearts to suffer certain trials? Does it mean that God isn’t pleased with us, and that He wants to teach us a good lesson? No, it doesn’t. Remember, the JUST shall live by faith. Why would God not require us to pay for our sins while we were sinners, but make us pay for our weaknesses now that we’re His children? You see; that reasoning doesn’t make sense or line up with the Word of God. Paul tells us in Romans 5, if Christ died for the ungodly while we were still sinners, how much more, now that we have been made just through His blood is God going to save us from His wrath?

When Christians experience trials that bring shame or embarrassment to them, we must choose to suffer the reproach of Christ right along with Jesus. The key is to continue in obedience during the trial, just as we did before the trial began. Job stated in his afflictions that even though God slay him, yet he would trust Him. The only other option is to take on a victim mindset and accuse God falsely. This is called giving yourself to the spirit of offense.

Let’s talk about grace not being fair for a moment. If Christ, who was innocent, was willing to suffer the shame and disgrace of the cross for us, then shouldn’t we also choose to suffer the reproach and shame of being associated with the cause of Christ for Him? I’m not suggesting that disease, and disasters make you more righteous or holy, but what I am implying is this—in all things we are to be thankful and remain pliable in God’s hands. The trap that we must be careful not to fall into is the one where we say, “Why me Lord?” “God, this isn’t fair!”

Paul had every “right” to teach the church about the sufferings of Christians in order to reign with Christ one day. Once God converted Paul and called him into the ministry, he soon realized beatings, stoning, ship-wrecks, and snake bites would become a real part of his walk and ministry. Out of desperation, Paul asked God to take the reproach away from him, but God replied, “My GRACE is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” Is God’s grace fair? No, it isn’t. Thank God for our sakes that it isn’t. However, God’s grace is indeed just. This too shall pass. Faith in the fire transforms us into the image of Christ.  —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US