In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth. Then God created everything to fill that void with beauty and grandeur. Each day as He finished a portion of His work He said, “That’s good.” Then God created man and woman in His image, then He said, “That’s VERY good!” The creation of people was His masterpiece.But then Adam and Eve did the unthinkable and the most beautiful thing that God had ever created became marred and disfigured by sin. God then punished Adam and Eve—and the consequences fall upon the rest of mankind. To the woman God increased pain in childbearing; to the man God said that life would filled with labor and toil and the ground itself will bring forth thorns and thistles. But ultimately all will face death (Gen. 3:16-19).God’s creation that with such beauty, hope, and life was now filled with brokenness, despair, and death. That bring up the question: “Has God reversed this curse?” No, the curse still exists! Women still experience pain in childbirth; People still earn their living by the sweat of their brow; We all still struggle in our relationships; and people still get sick and die. Jesus said as much: “In THIS WORLD you will have trouble….” (John 16:33). But then Jesus said “Take heart! For I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).We face the same punishments from this world’s curse like everybody else does. But we have an advantage. We have Jesus, and Jesus HAS OVERCOME the world. And HE is our Lord and Savior. But if we have an “advantage” why do we still struggle with pain, why do we have to work, why do we get sick and die?Jesus said He came so that we might have life— and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Yes we DO live in a fallen world. But we are NOT the victims here — we are overcomers. And what gives us the power to overcome this world is our faith. 1 John 5:4 declares “everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (Read the whole section: 1 John 5:1-15.)It’s our faith in Jesus that gives us the advantage. So unlike those without Christ, we no longer fear death, but we earnestly desire His eternal reward. Paul tells us that the pain and troubles we experience in this ...
