The world is often a dangerous place because of man's sin and the curse that came after it, which ruined the perfection of what God made. Every day, people are hurt by natural disasters, crime, car accidents, bad health, and other things. It's natural to want to hide from the bad things that happen in life. Does the Bible say that God will protect us if we join His family for all time?
God's Word has a lot of verses that seem to promise that God will keep us safe. In Psalm 121:3, for example, it says, "He won't let your foot slip; he who watches over you won't sleep." In verse 7, the psalmist says, "The LORD will keep you from all harm; he will watch over your life." As Israel moved into the Promised Land, God told them He would never leave them or abandon them (Deuteronomy 31:6).
At first glance, it does look like God says that He will keep His children safe. But if that were true, why do so many Christians around the world face persecution, illness, loss, accidents, and injuries? Everyone knows a Christian who has "slipped." Is God going back on what He said, or are we missing something?
First of all, we need to think about the Mosaic Covenant when we try to figure out what the Old Testament promises about physical safety mean. God told the people of Israel that he would bless their crops, animals, children, and other things as long as they kept the covenant (Deuteronomy 28). The Old Covenant cared a lot about blessings on earth, and physical protection was one of them. This is what Hezekiah prayed when he got a disease that would kill him (2 Kings 20:1–6). In the Old Testament, God protects His people so that His plans can come true (see, for example, Exodus 1:22–2:10, 1 Kings 17:1–6, and Jonah 1).
We are now under the New Covenant, not the Old. God does not promise that those who follow Christ will never get hurt. There are times when He mercifully keeps us away from things that would hurt us or cause us to lose something. In Acts 27 and 28, Paul and Luke live through a shipwreck and a snakebite, respectively, as examples. God's promises to believers today, on the other hand, are usually about spiritual protection.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ to save us, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives right away. We are sealed for all time, and from that point on, God will protect us spiritually. This means that no matter what we do or what Satan does, we will never lose the salvation God has given us (2 Timothy 1:12). God's love for us will never be taken away by anything (Romans 8:38–39). We are also set free from the power of sin. We are no longer bound by sinful thoughts, desires, and actions. Instead, we are born into a new life of holiness (Romans 6:22).
Opmerkingen