Kolb’s Basement, March 12, 2008
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right of God, who also intercedes for us.
Romans 8:31-34
In the Bible, you find a couple of different kinds of truth, on a couple of different levels. On one side and on one level there is practical specific truth such as “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16),” or Christians ought to “serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).” It is direct, helpful, and true.
But the biblical burden is to accent another kind of truth on a deeper level. These are realities like God is glorified in His church (the book of Ephesians) or Christ loves His people (Romans 5:6-9). These are foundational, broad, and glorious. This level of truth is more important than the other.
Many people try to put everything on top of the first, practical level of truth. That doesn’t work. It is not that those things are not true, but that they are meant come out of and to be supported by something deeper. The truth that Christians ought to “serve one another in love” or that “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” must flow from and be founded on the deeper, broader idea that God is glorified in His church and that Christ loves His people, delighting to give them good gifts. The second level of truth is what we ought to put everything on top of. It is deep, solid, and sustaining.
Holding on to Concrete Pillars with White Knuckles
I often hear myself speak to you about “grabbing on to truth.” I use those words often because that is the picture I have in my mind. It is as if we are in the middle of the Missouri river and the fundamental, deeper-level realities that we have seen Romans are like concrete pillars stuck in the bedrock. The only way to stand firmly in the current is to grab on to them and hold them so tightly that your knuckles turn white.
The end of Romans 8 is a summary of the whole chapter (v. 31: “What then shall we say to these things?”). Paul is directing us to the most foundational, glorious, pillar-like truths that he has brought forward in the chapter. There are four. Tonight, we will look at the first three. These are the realities we should love the most and these are the pillars that we must hold on to with white knuckles.
My goal is not to tell you anything new. My goal is for us to leave this room awed at the vastness of grace, the goodness and security of salvation, grabbing these things and trusting God more.
1. Nothing is against us.
“If God is for us, who is against us” (v. 31)?
Paul has never left the ideas of the first 13 verses of the chapter. This is still about walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. It is about resting you hope in God for salvation and not anything else–even through suffering (In my opinion, this is the emphasis of “who is against us?” Paul uses the personal pronoun as part of an elevated style of language. He does the same thing later when he asks, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” and then lists seven things such as “famine” and “nakedness” that are not personal.)
It is easy to trust God for salvation in 70-degree weather. But when you have cancer and a six-month life expectancy it is not easy. In the gut-level pain that will inevitably come, you will question the trustworthiness of Christ and His cross because it will not look or feel, on the surface, like you are being saved. Trusting Jesus who “sets you free from . . . death,” when you are dying, is tough.
The natural response to suffering is, “Do something!” It is to seek some way to set yourself free from sin and death rather than trust Jesus to do it. It is to do away with confidence in justification and salvation by grace, which seems to have failed, and turn to anything else. So, in all of Romans 8, Paul is leading us to a concrete, pillar-like truth about suffering.
Here it is: suffering is not against you. Why not? Because God, who controls everything, is working all things in a plan to glorify Himself by redeeming His Son’s bride (v. 28)–and “all things” especially includes suffering. Therefore, your cancer is not against you. In fact, it is not just not against you, it is for you. Like the ingredients in a loaf of bread, it is making your future glory what is it going to be. All things are better! Love and cling to this from now until the day you die.
2. Inheritance is coming.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things (v. 32)?”
The second certainty that we are to celebrate and hold tightly is the sureness of future inheritance. I believe this is what Paul has in mind when he proclaims that God will give us “all things” because it is in that context (throughout chapter 8 and especially the previous verses 28-31) that he does so. In Christ, believers will inherit new bodies, a new heavens, new earth, and rulership of all things (Hebrews 2:5-9). The most important of these, at least to Paul in this chapter, is the inheritance of glorified bodies or conformity to the image of Jesus.
One of the firmest bedrock moorings of this pillar is found here and, in a very similar way, in Romans chapter 5. Paul’s argument in both places is that if God has shown His love toward us in the sacrifice of His Son, He will fulfill the object of that sacrifice which is to purchase for us eternal inheritance. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things (v. 32)?” We have seen the love of God in Christ’s death for us while we were sinners (5:8). We can have unbending confidence that His love will complete what it has begun!
I pray that we will have the kind of assurance in what is hoped for and is un-seen found in those the writer of Hebrews speaks of.
“By faith [in un-seen promises] [they] conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn it two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:33-40)
Following Jesus will mean mockings, imprisonment, torture, affliction, and destitution. Hardship will come. You must hold on to future glory with white knuckles. Fix your hope on indelible, un-seen inheritance.
3. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right of God, who also intercedes for us (v. 33-34).”
Justification should be the core of our rejoicing, trust, and love. Everything comes out of it–including the facts that nothing is against us and that we will experience future glorification. And it is in this that God is most glorified.
The very identity of Jesus in Revelation is meant to turn us in this direction–a slain Lamb (Revelation 5:6). He is presented as a risen substitution sacrifice who has taken away all our condemnation. This is who He is! This is at the heart of His glory! “Worthy are You . . . for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood me from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). Even the salvation and glorification of the Church is meant to point back to the justification that has brought it about, to the glory of God’s grace.
Love this truth above all. And hold it with whiter knuckles than any of the others. Jesus Christ became perfect man. On the cross he took our blame. In three days, he rose again. And now he stands at the right hand of the Father as our spotless mediator. For those who are in Him, there is absolutely no condemnation.
God is For Us
All of these four ideas (we have looked at the first three) can go together under one encompassing head: God is for us and not against us. He has a preordained plan that He is working out for the good of the church and His name. It is centered in justification, and includes suffering, and final glorification. Believer, trust Him and magnify Him because He is for you.
Bryan Elliff © 2008 www.bryanelliff.wordpress.com
