I get the privilege to serve as a professor of Western Civilization and Apologetics at Fruitland Baptist Bible College. One of the more fascinating observations in history is the rise of Christianity. Christian and secular historians alike concede that by the time Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313 granting freedom to Christians in the Roman Empire there could have been as many as 9 million Christians empire-wide. That would be 15% of the empire’s population! These numbers are even more amazing when we consider that during these early years Christianity was not granted freedom of religion and under many emperors suffered direct persecution. How could Christianity, a small religious offshoot of Judaism (a religion that had never spread evangelistically), possibly advance under such dire conditions? Observing early Christianity reveals that these believers shared the victory they had received through Jesus Christ. Michael Green in his book Evangelism in the Early Church describes the vibrant witness of early believers: “Whenever one looks in the literature of these two centuries it is the same story. Doctrinal imprecision, even imbalance, abounds; heresy is common; antinomianism is an ever-present danger; but there is no denying the zeal and the sense of discovery which marked the witness of the early Church in both their public and their private testimony, in both their written and their spoken word. It was this utter assurance of the Christians that they were right about God and Christ and salvation which in the end succeeded in convincing the pagan world that it was in error” (p. 317). Vibrant Christianity includes sharing the gospel as many believers are doing across the world. For example, see the explosive church growth in China. Here in the United States we must return to the pattern of the early church. We must preach and teach the gospel as the exclusive means to forgiveness and redemption. We must share the victory we’ve received through Jesus Christ.

Some wonderful friends of mine have recently gone through the process of fostering and adopting. Our church supports both local and international children’s homes that seek to provide a safe place for children out of broken family situations. The stories of neglected, abused, and unloved children are chilling and devastating. I cannot personally relate to being unloved as I grew up in a wonderful, loving family. But I’ve talked with people, as I’m sure you have, that have never experienced unconditional love. Lack of love breeds distrust and fear. When we don’t see that God loves us unconditionally, we tend toward fear. In Romans 8:31-39 Paul acknowledges the common fears of condemnation and separation. Not experiencing love highlights these fears. But Paul’s main point in Romans 8 is the Father’s grand declaration of love—sending Jesus to address our personal sin, our relational separation, and our eternal condemnation. Jesus came so that we could be adopted into the Father’s family (8:15) and experience true love. Paul declares further that nothing—nothing that causes us to fear—can ever separate us from the love of God. God’s true love casts out fear. I don’t know your past or your struggles. I don’t know your fears. But Paul stridently affirms that no tribulation, distress, persecution, lack, danger, death, power, authority, ruler or anything in all of creation can separate us from God’s love (8:35-39). Paul’s list is intended to be exhaustive in the sense that no fear remains that is greater than God’s love. We must then learn to bask in the glorious, overcoming, wondrous love of God. How? Walking in prayerful, humble relationship with God is the only way to experience God’s relational love. And when we do walk with God, we can experience victory over fear.

Originally published as a Sunday School Lesson for the Biblical Recorder here.