“It is good to understand that Christ’s service never did secure a man from all the ills that flesh is heir to, and never will. If you are a believer, you must reckon on having your share of sickness and pain, of sorrow and tears, of losses and crosses, of deaths and bereavements, of partings and separations, of vexations and disappointments, so long as you are in the body. Christ never undertakes that you shall get to heaven without these. He has undertaken that all who come to Him shall have all things pertaining to life and godliness; but He has never undertaken that He will make them prosperous, or rich, or healthy, and that death and sorrow shall never come to their family”

J C Ryle.

When we speak of our Lord in terms of His infinite power and His sovereignty, we naturally think that God can do anything. Some people are surprised to know there are things the true and living God cannot do. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and He cannot do anything that is unjust (Psalm 45:6). He cannot go contrary to or defy His holy nature (Isaiah 6:3; 2 Pet. 1:4). The death of Christ on the cross is the foremost exhibit of both what God could do in all wisdom and power, yet also what He could not do because of His justice and holy nature. Both glorify His name. The words of Christ in His prayer before the cross reveal this reality, “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will but as You will’” (Matt. 26:39). It was not possible for this cup to pass because God the Father cannot compromise His perfect justice or defy His holy nature. Salvation could only be brought to mankind through perfect justice.

God Himself exhibited this perfect standard without a violation of justice or a breach of His holy nature. Therefore, the only possibility for the substitution of our debt for sin was by His Son, the perfect God-man Savior. This then is the reason for the cross. We must recognize what a glorious blessing it is that our God cannot do such things that would defile His holiness. How wonderful He is! He has no foolish hang-ups or weak spots as do the best of men. He is indeed holy! There is no one like Him. All that He does or all that He allows to occur does not defile His perfect nature, or justice, or His holiness.

This also answers the question we often hear as: How can a God of love direct or allow the tragedies we see around us?  Let’s apply this back to the cross. We know that the cross appeared to be, and in one sense was the greatest tragedy and worst injustice ever done by men, and yet was ultimately the greatest victory for justice and display of love possible. On a smaller scale, so is everything that occurs in the life of any child of God. We may not understand it, any more than the disciples did not initially understand the need of the cross. In like manner one day we will look back on the difficulties of our life and see the purpose and glory of all situations and circumstances. This will be true in the life of all who love Christ. Lives that are now filled with difficulties, and great tragedies will have the blessing of some day seeing and understanding the greater purpose behind it all. This is of course Romans 8:28. “For we know that God works all things together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

God cannot make a mistake. That is also one of His impossibilities. We, on the contrary, look through a glass darkly. We view what appears so unnecessary, or so hurtful and troubling, but behind it is our God orchestrating everything for those He loves for a good end. Do we realize right now, as we think about it, that every tiny detail of our lives has been mapped out perfectly by our loving God. If we consider the hall of faith found in Hebrews 11, what we view there are examples for us of people struggling in life’s challenges. These were real people in real situations. Not one of them had an easy time. All of them faced incredible difficulties. Yet, as we look back, we marvel at the wisdom of God working in their circumstances and how by faith they met each challenge to the glory of God. We will meet them in glory, and we will know they would not have had their life directed for them in any other manner. What they faced and what we will face is all necessary. It is all purposeful. The understanding of God’s sovereignty and trust in Him is always the element that is essentially most important. 

God has each one of us on His perfect radar. I love the words of Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong. Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Do we see and believe the power and promise of this inspired word? Personally, I know these things from Scripture, but then difficulties surprise me and it seems as though my mind drifts to thinking this must be an exception. It does not fit. This difficulty must be out of the reach of God, or this cannot be consistent with Romans 8:28. Notice the promise of this Psalm passage, “He (the Lord) delights in his way.” We will undoubtedly, at times and at least momentarily, question the Lord on many things; but that does not change the reality that God is on our side and that He is working all things together for our good and His glory. This is what a life of faith is all about. The tests of faith do not come in easy pretty packages. They come in the most difficult manner we can conceive, and yet God does not give us more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13).

We have so many wonderful promises from God, and we are reminded that He cannot lie. Therefore, our calling is to be faithful to Him and trust Him in every circumstance. This is the high position and blessing that every child of God carries in this life.  Remember that Paul expressed that we in Christ do not sorrow as those without hope (1 Thess. 4:13). The point expressed is that we will have grief. Life is not predictable and easy. It is challenging, but we know who is in control and that makes all the difference. Why? Because, we have all hope in Christ. What we are challenged with are momentary light afflictions that are leading up to an eternal weight of glory. Christ has promised, “I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2). The significance of this promise cannot be fathomed. We will praise His name in the glory of His presence forever. For now, we are commanded to trust Him and be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith.