Today, over two billion people around the world are celebrating Easter. What is that all about? On the surface, the story is familiar: a young man from a small town in the Middle East lived a relatively short but amazing life that drew the attention of many; then he was put to death, and miraculously rose again from the dead. But how did that simple story become a worldwide movement and a holiday celebrated around the world? Many would say that it’s because their own encounter with the risen Jesus changed everything – that somehow, this man who came back to life has now given them life.

Entering into a life with Jesus can be exhilarating! Filled with hope for a brighter, better, and easier future. But then life happens. The novelty fades... some old habits return... things you thought would be fixed, persist... and sometimes new and painful things enter your life: tragedy, heartbreak, illness, loss. When people come to this point in their journey, they are often confused and disheartened: “I thought when I became a Christian, life would get better.” We bump up against the question, “Why? Why me? Why them? Why would God allow this?” And we may find ourselves at a crossroads; Do I even want to continue this Jesus-relationship when it doesn’t seem to benefit me the way I thought it would?”

As we continue our series in Romans 8 – looking at how God’s grace makes us “confident people” – we pick up this week in verse 5. As we all know from experience, uncertainty is the enemy of confidence – so we do what we can to remove as much uncertainty as we can before we venture into something new. That may be what Paul is doing in the first few verses of Romans 8 – answering the big questions about the Christian faith for his audience in order to ease their uncertainty and give them confidence in their new life.