We know we live in a world that is under futility. We also believe in God’s promised release from it. Therefore, we seem to be in a continual war with futility, struggling to overcome it. But we need to realize that we are not fighting futility; we are dealing with the root of futility, which is our separation from God. Christ came to end that separation and restore us to a oneness with the Father. This is the promise of our salvation in Christ and this is what we exercise.
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Show Notes:
We live in a world that is surrounded by futility. Futility is what makes things deteriorate and disintegrate. It is what brings old age and all kinds of negative aspects to our lives. We are in a daily war with futility. And because we believe the promise in Romans 8 of being delivered from futility, we have prayed against it, we have prophesied against it, and we have talked about how to see an end to it. But I think we need a greater understanding of the roots of futility. It comes down to the simple fact that it is the result of our separation from God.
We read in Genesis how futility came about. Adam and Eve sinned against God and He sent them away from His presence. Then Cain sinned against his brother Abel, and God sent Cain away from His presence. In each case the ground was cursed. We see then how futility is absolutely tied to the reality of separation. Adam and Eve were separated from God. Cain was separated from God. And the earth was doubly cursed because of our sin against God and our sin against one another.
We therefore tend to focus on sin in our battle with futility. We think in terms of Yeshua (Jesus) being free from futility because He lived a sinless life. Try thinking of it in different terms: Christ lived a life that was not separated from God. There was no separation between Himself and the Father, and that is why there is no futility in Christ. He also came to reconcile us to the Father and make us one together with Him. By ending our separation from God and from one another, futility will be ended for us, for the earth, and for all creation.
Key Verses:
- Isaiah 59:1–2. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.”
- Genesis 3:17–24. “Cursed is the ground because of you.”
- Genesis 4:9–14. “Now you are cursed from the ground.”
- Deuteronomy 31:16–18. “I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do.”
- Romans 8:19–25. “Creation was subjected to futility … in hope.”
- John 17:20–26. “That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.”
- Romans 8:28–39. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”
Quotes:
- “We live surrounded by futility every day of our life, and the Scriptures have a lot to say about futility. And therefore it’s something that we should pursue as believers to find an answer for.”
- “We are surrounded by a world of separation. And that separation itself is the manifestation of the futility that has been brought into this world because of our sin and our disobedience to God and our treatment of one another.”
- “The reason He took Adam and Eve out of the garden was so that things wouldn’t get worse. But He’s going to cause all things to work together for our good because He’s going to get to this purpose, which is the ending of our separation from Him.”
Takeaways:
- People ask the question, “If God is a good God, then how can we experience negative things in our lives?” The answer to that is simple. We live in a fallen world and we live among a fallen mankind.
- As a result of mankind’s sin, God cursed the ground and blocked access to eternal life. God did this in hope that we would be released from this futility through Christ. We yearn for that release, but we struggle with how that can come about in our lives.
- We need to understand that we are not fighting against futility. Futility is the manifestation of our separation from God and that separation ended at the cross. This is the hope that we have through our salvation, and our striving is to enter into the oneness with the Father, with Christ, and with one another.
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