The Bungee Cord 7-3-17

Hello,

“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31)

What are we to say about these things?  The random violence that seems to pop up with the tenaciousness of garden weeds…the instability in the world that rumbles like a global earthquake….rulers and leaders whose greed for power sees people as mere pennies along the roadside…lives being ruined by the chokehold of addictions…children whose empty stomachs rumble with pain for days…  What are we to say to these things?

The Bible gives us the words to say, “If God is for us, who is against us?”

One of the things I had to do in my pastoral training was to learn to read (and understand, of course) the New Testament in its original language, Greek.  The reason for that is to equip me to see the nuances and the emphases that the original language was making, and are not always clear in English translations.   Believe it or not, one of these nuances and emphases is found in the small word translated in English, “if”.  There are two words in Greek that are translated “if”, and they carry two different meanings.  One is a meaning of certainty, as when you say to someone going out the door on the way to get groceries, “If you’re going to the store, please pick up some milk.”  The other “if” is one of uncertainty, as when you say, “If it rains, make sure to close the windows.”

“If,” a small word, but a word that can make a huge impact when it is the “if” of certainty, and that is the “if” that the Bible gives us to say to these things.  “If (and that is certainly the case) that God is for us, who is against us?”  It is not that nothing is against us, that would be a naïve, ostrich view of the world.  Rather it is more like a tsunamic wave saying to the sandcastle built on the beach, “And who are you that you think you can withstand my might?”

How much is God for us?  The certainty of God “for-ness” is seen in Jesus.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17) Two things to note….the Christian message is that the depth of God’s “for-ness” compelled God to do an almost inconceivably selfless thing, send his very own Son into the battle to die in order that victory might be had.  And, the “for-ness” is not limited to certain people.  It is for the world.  Each and every person…no matter when or where they live…no matter how good or bad they are…no matter how different their views of the world might be…….God sent his Son for each and every person.  Wow!  That is how much God is for us!

So, what shall we say to these things?  We shall say that we, who are children of God, are part of the tsunamic wave of God’s grace that is crashing down on this world.  To the random violence that feeds fear, we will daily randomly delve out acts of kindness that gives peace.  To the instability that draws a bouncing seismic graph of turmoil for the future, we will see the future graphed by the straight line of God’s presence in it and proceed with courage.  To the rulers and leaders that see life as some Risk board game lining up enemies and foes, we will see life as the arena of God’s greatest risk of all, sending his Son to unite the world in magnetic love.  To those who have their throats grasped by addiction, we will grasp ahold of their hands with the power of God almighty and say we will never give up on you.  To the children of every land and nation whose stomachs growl every night with acidic pain, we will open our ears and say we will not rest until those growls are heard no more.

What shall we say to these things?........ If God is for us (and God certainly is), who can be against us?  The sandcastles of sin that the world builds don’t stand a chance against the Tsunamic wave of God’s grace that quaked from the cross and empty tomb and is building momentum and power through you and me.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (gap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger