“And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” Romans 8:17 living Bible
This is one of many scriptures that show us what a wonderful reward there is, available to us in this life and in that which is to come. We are told that we shall share in His treasures. His reward for a job well done. What a wonderful thought, it boggles the mind. All that Christ has been given is ours too, it seems too good to be true.
When we Iook at the next part of the verse speaking of suffering, it spoils everything. It seems to be saying that if you want to be blessed then you will have to suffer.
The Devil wants us to focus on the suffering part so that we’ll be put off desiring the treasure. As fallen creatures we always seem to gravitate towards the negative side of things. Just look at how popular the 6 o'clock news is every day. Unfortunately some Christians think more about the bad news, the Devil and the Antichrist than they do about Jesus and His good news. They think more about the tribulation than they do about the glories of heaven. The bible says that we can become like the thing we worship, so what will happen to us if we constantly keep thinking on the negative? We need to be thinking on those things that are pure and lovely, not on the dark and gloomy. It says in Philippians chapter 4.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever Is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praise worthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Look at this verse on the rewards that are for those who faithfully follow the Lord.
“will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers; sisters, mothers, children and fields — along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” Mark 10:30
Notice that the, 'with persecutions' is not the headline, it’s attached at the end of the verse. It's not to be our main focus in life, for Jesus highlighted the blessings and spoke more of them than he did about the persecutions. Persecutions don’t motivate us, blessings do. The trouble is many Christians headline the sufferings and not the blessings. If you are called to be persecuted for Christ, know that He will give you the grace to suffer for Him at that appropriate time and doesn't want us to worry about them coming tomorrow.
As I have gone on in the Lord I have found that you can’t escape troubles in this life, especially if you are serving the Lord. The scriptures show me how to handle them, especially in having the right attitude. Praise is a powerful weapon that lifts me above my troubles.
Faith is also a key to overcoming in this life. ‘If only’ faith wishes things were different, and ‘someday’ faith puts all the blessings into the future, but we need to know our rights, our privileges and our authority in the here and now. When you do this your life will change radically. ‘Even now’ faith has the power to raise you up into heavenly realms - now. With ‘even now’ faith you can come out of the grave and begin to live in His sight.
If you look at the rest of Paul's teachings on our life in Christ, you will see that there is something else that he is trying to get us to understand. Yes, there will be persecutions and suffering in the Christian life, but I think there’s more that we need to understand in verses like Romans 8:17. It’s understanding how we were crucified with Him on the cross and identifying with His sufferings This is the key to a victorious life. You will always feel unworthy if you don’t understand this truth.
I looked up what the famous commentator Gill says about this verse and he agrees with me. If you want to share in the Glory of the Lord, you have to also share in Christ's suffering. You will never feel worthy of the glory if you don't understand what happened on the cross during Christ's passion.
We need to identify with Christ's sufferings. He didn't just die for us; He died 'as' us. This is so powerful. You died there too with Him on the cross. It’s imperative that you understand this, otherwise you'll never be able to embrace all the treasure that is our reward in this life. You'll always feel unworthy. Paul said in Galatians 3.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 3:20
You have to identify with Christ's suffering and His crucifixion if you want to experience His ascension and Glory. When He was crucified you were crucified. When He died you died. If you want to be raised up and experience the glory, then you first have to partake of the sufferings of Christ. This is what I see Romans 8:17.
The first Adam sinned and all mankind was poisoned with sin for we know that the wages of sin is death. You may think that to be so unfair, as you weren't there when Adam sinned. Unless you identify with this you can’t get saved from sin. Not until you identify with Adam's transgression can you then become a Christian, for all mankind was in Adam when he sinned.
The same principle applies in the Last Adam's death — Christ's death. By faith you must believe that when Christ died you died. It's as if you were crucified on the cross and received the punishment for your sins, thus entitling you to a clean slate and an eternal reward. Jesus died as YOU and then received a reward as YOU. All that He received is now yours too, just as forgiveness is yours now too. Until you understand this you will always feel unworthy of any reward. You will think that you should just be happy to limp into heaven, sick, poor and defeated, but at least you made it. This thinking is far short of God’s best for you as it belittles all that Christ achieved on the cross.
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Romans 5:17
Most Christians today are like the servant lady who used to work for Queen Victoria. She had a certificate on her wall that declared her lifetime rights and privileges as one of the Queen’s past employees. Because she couldn't read she didn't have a clue of what was hers. It was just a pretty picture. The Rev. Charles Spurgeon went to visit her one day and saw in the certificate what the woman was entitled too. Here she was living in poverty but she was entitled to a salary from the Palace for the rest her life. Christians can be like this woman even today. They can have a million dollars in the bank yet live in spiritual poverty all their lives, because they don't know what happened at the cross on their behalf. We need to understand that Jesus died, was buried and raised not only for us, but as us. If you have been punished with Christ for your sin, then you can’t be punished for that same crime again. It’s called 'the law of double jeopardy.’ You can't be punished twice for the same crime. The Devil doesn't want you to know this truth. He wants you stay ignorant like that poor old lady instead of partaking of your inheritance. Just like you were in Adam when He was cursed with sin so can you choose to be in Christ when He was eternally blessed.
“having been buried ‘with him’ in baptism, in which you were also raised ‘with him’ through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12
“Since, then, you have been raised ‘with Christ’. Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1
If you were crucified with Him then you were also raised with Him and seated with Him on His throne to receive the reward that He received, He shares it with you - His Bride.
“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6
“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17 4-5
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
Christ has been given His due reward, that for which He suffered and died for on the cross. He as a man, has now been given glory and offers us this glory to. He prayed in John 17 that we might have His glory. Not only is He on the throne, but we can be seated with Him too. It’s the reward of those who overcome. Those who overcome unbelief. This is that which overcomes the world, even our faith, and we overcome the Devil by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and loving not our lives to the death.
“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:21-22
We are seated with Him in Heavenly Places now. It’s only as you understand what He did for you in His sufferings on the cross that you can be so abundantly blessed. This truth delivers you from a poverty mentality.
“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 8:32
Christ is more valuable than anything else there is in heaven. More valuable than the sapphire throne, streets of gold, gates of pearl, glorious Angels or the crystal sea. Paul says that if God gave us His Son then it's nothing for Him to give us anything else. He will share with us all His treasures because we shared in His sufferings. Remember that Abraham was counted righteous for his faith and not because of who he was or what he did. Believe.
“He that overcomes shall inherit all things: and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21:7
“To the one who is victorious. I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious. and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21
Looking at it from the perspective of a Bride and her Husband. The Bride of Christ shares in the inheritance of her Husband. All He has is hers too. She didn’t earn it, it became hers through marriage.
“And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.” Romans 8:16-19 TPT
In the Song of Songs chapter 2 Solomon says that the land is OUR land. The Bride has inherited Paradise as well as Him the Royal Husband.
“My beloved spoke and said to me, "Arise, my, darling my beautiful one, come with. me.... Flowers appear, upon the earth the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in OUR land.”
Song of Songs 2:10-12
In I Corinthians 3:22 it says that we have been given ‘all things,’ even the world.
“So then, no more boasting about human leaders. All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future ‘ALL’ are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” I Corinthians 3:22
Imagine going to the reading of a will and you were a benefactor. The lawyer says your name is on the will and then reads out that you have been given the world, and not only that but life and death and also the present and the future. Amazing thought. Notice it doesn't say the past has been given to you, that has gone. If tomorrow has been given unto you, then the situation that you are dreading has been given to you as well. You can speak blessing into that situation and claim Jeremiah 29:10-11
“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:10-11
The Holy Spirit wants us to set our minds on ‘heavenly things,’ for that's where our life is hidden with Christ in God. As we survey our inheritance from that perspective we can see all the land stretching out before us. All that we can ‘see’ has been given to us. Most Christians I meet can’t see this truth. God said to Abram.
“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you.” Genesis 13:14
Notice that you have to ‘see it’ in order to receive it. Just looking at it is not enough, for you need to then explore it. Faith goes on to explore the revelation that has been shown unto us and claims it as her own. Look at Deuteronomy 20:20.
“Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13 17
If you want to receive this amazing reward, then you need to understand the sufferings that Christ went through for you, and as you. You are worthy in Christ. You are accepted in the beloved.
Again I'm not saying that we won't have persecution as Christians, but I do believe this is what Paul is saying here. Also look at this verse
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead, I want to suffer with him sharing in his death, so that one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11
If we want to experience the Resurrected Life, then we will have to share in His sufferings. We need to understand how we were co-crucified with Him, co-buried and raised with Him. Co-ascended with Him and are now co-seated ‘as one’ with Him in Heavenly Places.
“He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!” Ephesians 2:6 TPT
I will end with this reminder of the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17.
“I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me.” John 17:21-23 TPT
Meditate on these wonderful verses and they will change your life.
“Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor, and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. And as Christ himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with him in his glory!” Colossians 3:1-4 TPT