I recently read Ray Ortlund's book Supernatural Living for Natural People: The life-giving message of Romans 8. I recommend the book to you. In it, he offers insight to Romans 8:32 and answers the question: How can I feel loved by God? I love his answer. Read below: "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?" Romans 8:32 "Do you see something else here in verse 32? Paul just takes it for granted that God's greatest gift of love to us is his Son. We do not take that for granted. We do not prize Christ as God prizes Christ - the greatest gift of love that could possibly be given. What gifts do we want from God? We want a new job, a new car, a new marriage, whatever. And when God does not give us what we want, we feel unloved and we pout and complain. But the problem is not a failure in God. The problem is that we have devalued Christ. "The problem is that we have devalued Christ. We have arranged our affections so that, to us, a new job is more to be desired, more to be sought after, more to be rejoiced over, than possessing the Son of God." We have arranged our affections so that, to us, a new job is more to be desired, more to be sought after, more to be rejoiced over, than possessing the Son of God. But Paul could write Romans 8:32 because his affections were so arranged that he gladly suffered the loss of all things that he might gain Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). If we want to feel loved by God, we must repent that we have disrelished God's greatest gift and plead with him that from the heart we would esteem Christ above all else. That way, having him, we know we already have God's best. We know he is going to throw in everything else we need to enjoy his greatest gift fully. And that is when we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and start to feel loved."
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About MeI am a Husband to Clarissa, Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, reader of many books, and tweeter at @brad_merchant. Archives
July 2016
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