Am I Saying God Will Give Me All Things?

A friend asked me a really good question today on Facebook.

I had Tweeted this verse (yes, I joined the dark side this week - follow me @brokenpastor and yes the verse is my own translation):

The One who didn't spare his only son, but gave him up for us all - won't he also grace us with all things? Romans 8:32

So here was the good question: "So you are saying God will give you everything there is? Where's it say this?"

I love good questions. I think they deserve as good an answer as I can give. Here's my answer to my FB friend.

You asked two questions. Good ones. And Margie spoke well for me [another comment]. But my answer looked ridiculously long on my wall... I wasn't fishing to preach or hit anyone with my faith. You can delete this if you don't want to hear it. But its really cool to me and means a lot to me. That's why I posted the one verse.

To answer your question C___y, Yes, God will give me (and all believers) everything there is - but in the future. Not now. Not even here on earth. And certainly not by anything I've done to deserve it. I deserve damnation. (and evidently some bacon if that little girls poster is right) [FB reference to friends wall post]

Based on the context of that passage (see Romans chapter 8 verse 18 and following) 'all things' refers to the surpassing value of inheriting Christ's eternal life in a new heaven and new earth. I will share in Christ's inheritance - again not bc I earned it. He's giving me rights to it. Crazy I know.

Verse 18 says '...our present sufferings [now] are not worth comparing with glory that will be revealed in us.' Verses 19-31 then posit this: Both Christians and creation wait and groan in this life. It's bad and broken here and now. But God's powerful to work everything out for the ultimate good.

I'm getting all things in the future through Christ and not because I'm good or deserve it. I'm an ass. But for some crazy reason God is giving this to me (and anyone who will receive it). It's only by faith in what Jesus accomplished through his death, burial and being raised from the dead. Really worth reading.

Thanks for the good question. How's that for an answer?