WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? —Romans 8:31, 32

Many of us tend to divide our lives into different segments.

It might be sacred and secular, church and community, our spiritual lives and our physical lives, or our faith and work. Jesus, Paul, and other Bible writers argued against this way of thinking. In their understanding of life and faith, God’s provision for our salvation is not disconnected from His provision for all that pertains to life. As Paul put it, if God has given us Jesus, what won’t He also graciously give us? In a sense, Paul was echoing what Jesus taught: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). But Paul expanded on our understanding of God’s graciousness.

In Paul’s understanding and experience, God’s provision is always at God’s initiative. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And that same abundance applies to all aspects of our lives. For Paul, salvation was not mere theory or theology. God’s power and presence had transformed all of his life. Yes, he had experienced a dramatic conversion, and he had found salvation and forgiveness in Jesus, but he had also learned to trust God in all things.

This was the experience and trust that he wanted for the believers to whom he was writing. Life and salvation are not segmented.

When following Jesus means risking your life or otherwise radically transforming life and all its priorities, this is not a distinction that believers can afford.

Salvation in Jesus must be life, life-giving, and life-sustaining.