Romans 8:17-18 (CB)

...and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Being identified with Jesus as “heirs of God” comes with a price. Paul also mentions the suffering that Christians must face. What kinds of suffering are we to endure? For first-century believers, there was economic and social persecution, and some were even martyred for their faith. We, too, must pay a price for following Jesus. In many parts of today’s world, Christians face pressures and persecutions just as severe as those faced by Christ’s first followers. Even in countries where Christianity is widely accepted, Christians must not become complacent. To live as Jesus did—serving others sacrificially and resisting pressure to conform to the world—always exacts a price. Nothing we suffer, however, can compare to the great price that Jesus paid to save us. The sons of God will be revealed in our new nature!