If We Suffer With Jesus Christ, We Will Also Be Glorified With Him In Eternity

One of my favorite Bible teachers is Pastor Brad Strand. I was delighted last year to learn that Brother Strand authored a helpful study Bible. The project was his heart's passion for 33 years, in which time he invested over 30,000 hours of labor to write this masterpiece. I was glad to learn that he faithfully contends for the Christian faith, exposing the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Pastor Strand writes concerning 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10:

In the third century, Cyprian wrote to his friend Donatus: 

It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians... and I am one of them.

The great secret that this third-century man was referring to was what Paul was referring to, and that is this — if we share in His suffering we will also share in His glory (that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body — Rom 8:17, II Tim 2:11-12 and I Pet 4:13-14). In essence, Christians need to learn to embrace the eternal perspective (II Cor 4:17, 18 and Phil 1:21). The adage is true: Life changes. Just don't let it change you.

SOURCE: Pastor Brad Strand, 'The Strand Study Bible,' pp. 1931-1932; ©2009, Rood Scholar Press

Amen and amen. I love Pastor Strand's extensive knowledge of secular history that he uses to teach the Bible in a very practical way, which is invaluable in my humble opinion. Brother Strand is one of my favorite Bible teachers, one of the few people I have met who can actually teach. Most teachers have a bunch of knowledge stored in their head, but they cannot break that information down in a simplified way for others to easily understand. Of the hundreds of teachers I've had during my lifetime, only a few really knew how to teach. Pastor Strand is one of them and I love and appreciate the guy!

Pastor Strand writes concerning 2nd Corinthians 3:18:

The Bible is a mirror that reflects Christ's glory (beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord). The more a believer gazes into it intently the more he becomes like Christ. Just as Moses face reflected God's glory on Mt. Sinai, so we are to reflect the glory of Christ through the indwelling Spirit of God. A mirror should be used to show us our filthiness, not another's filthiness (Amos 7:7). 

SOURCE: Pastor Brad Strand, 'The Strand Study Bible,' p. 1931; ©2009, Rood Scholar Press

That is great truth!