We are both redeemed and yet still sinners. We are lifted to a place of esteem in Christ yet we are still prey to the worries of this world.

Let's face it -- these are tough concepts and Romans 5 is all about them.

I have a friend who recently lost his college-aged son. The initial report is that the death was due to an accidental overdose or bad mixture of prescription drugs he had been given to help fight the severe headaches he has been experiencing.

I cannot begin to answer the questions that I am sure this family is going through. How can you explain it? We were born into perfect Eden. And then Adam and Eve plunged us into original sin. God tried to rein us in with rules but that didn't work. So, He sent His son to bring us grace, redemption and salvation. But even then we're still left in the pain of this world. Pain that, yes, will help us to grow and mature in our faith journeys. But pain nonetheless.

Pain that made Jesus Himself weep over the loss of a good friend, Lazarus.

These are hard concepts but, throughout God's history with man, you can see several things. God is infinitely wise. He is a planner, a strategist. He gets hugely frustrated with us but yet He loves us so much, He yearns for us, He sent His son to go through redemptive agony for us.

And, out of all that, we draw hope. And we draw guidelines for making this a world of justice, compassion, and love for all. If we never knew pain ourselves, we would never reach out to those in pain, nor to those who do not yet know this personal-though-difficult-to-explain-and-understand relationship with our heavenly father.

Jesus wept over human pain. God weeps for us now. But yet He offers us redemption. He put things right through His son and He offers us a glorious future, finally entirely separated from the weeping of this world.