Giving Birth To New Life

In the beginning, before Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, there was the potential for child birth to not be the painful experience that it is. In Genesis 3:16 we see God’s response to Eve for her disobedience contains this punishment, “To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.’” This pain in the natural order of things is also reflected in the spiritual. New life, spiritual speaking, came at the cost of Jesus’ death on the cross. However, new life in Christ continues to come at a cost. The cost or the pain is not because new life must be “earned”. Only Jesus could do that, and he did it according to Hebrews 7:27 “once for all”. Instead, the pain of new birth comes to those who are involved in the process of sharing the gospel and discipling new believers. This pain comes in the form of persecutions and spiritual warfare. Our enemy, the devil, seeks to destroy life (John 10:10) and brings opposition to any who are involved in the harvest of souls into the kingdom of God. While we should not look to persecution or suffering as the litmus test of our involvement in advancing the kingdom of God, we should be prepared for it. If we are properly prepared we will be able to keep from being sidetracked from our mission to help bring others into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” (Phil 1:29, NIV) We must look at the pain, the trials, the persecutions and the sufferings we are undergoing in the light of God’s overall plan. When we see it from the Lord’s point of view, then we will be encouraged that our situation is productive and in fact, life-giving. Remember Paul’s words, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 2:12, NIV)