AT A GLANCE

Christian, are you struggling with identity? Do you fear what will happen to you when you die? Do you wonder what God thinks of you because you haven’t lived up to everyone’s expectations? Are you hesitant to take a step of faith God has put in front of you? Do you feel anxious when you think about your future? If so, this passage ought to be of great consolation. 

INTRODUCTION

Frequently compared to ascending a mountain peak and pausing to take in the majestic views, Romans 8:31-39 is an emotional climax to Paul’s defense of the Gospel. Before moving on to the next theme of his letter, God’s sovereignty in election in chapters 9 through 11, Paul concludes this section with one of the most thorough and profound pastoral encouragements in all of scripture. He presents three premises and three promises, which logically follow. 

ROMANS 8:31-39

Karasu 31  Kotel’nikovo What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THREE PREMISES, THREE PROMISES

As I said earlier, Paul gives us three premises and three promises. 

God is for us, so who can be against us?

God justifies us, so who can condemn us?

Christ died, was raised, and is interceding for us, so who can separate us? 

We’re going to spend the next three weeks on these and then go into an advent series and return to Romans 9 at the new year. Before we look at the first premise and promise, we have to remember how Romans 8 began, “There is therefore now no condemnation…” This is a universal declaration.  

THERE WAS CONDEMNATION

There was condemnation. Paul said in Romans 3:11-12 “…no one seeks for God…All have turned aside…no one does good…” Because of this universal truth, we all stand condemned already. “For the wages of sin in death.” Romans 6:23a There was condemnation for all but now there is no condemnation…for whom? Paul continues in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 

We are justified, or made right with God, by faith. Romans 5:11, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The result is that condemnation is lifted from us. We stood condemned and now in Christ we stand condemned no longer. 

This is true because of God’s love for us. “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 If this is how God demonstrated His love, we know that we are safe from His wrath. “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:9

You are free, saved from God’s wrath. And you have this great glory that you eagerly await. Paul spent seven chapters to carefully articulate the gospel that he introduced in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” 

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

Seven chapters of Gospel exegesis and now Paul asks in verse 31, What then shall we say to these things? In other words, how should we respond to all of this? All that Paul has written thus far, how do you respond to it? The things I’ve highlighted, the life and freedom and adoption into God’s family and redemption and glory and peace with God, what do you say to these things? What’s your conclusion? 

If I stood here and told you I was giving each of you a million dollars, there would be movement. There would be tears. There would be exuberance. Well, here’s the deal, we’ve been given infinitely more than that! Has this truth grown stale to you? Has it become routine that you are a co-heir with Christ? Have you become calloused to the fact that what is His is yours? Do you really comprehend this?  

Let’s begin by establishing, are you in Christ? Do you not only comprehend, but do you apprehend, do you take hold of, this truth? Do you cling to it? Do you trust in it, hope in it, rely upon it, put all your eggs in this basket? Is Jesus your only hope in life and death? Do you love His return? If so, what is your conclusion after reading all of Romans up to this point? What is the logical end of these things? 

SINCE GOD IS FOR US

Here is Paul’s conclusion, verse 31 If God is for us, who can be against us? 

Our first premise & promise. First the premise. If God is for us, who can be against us? This is not really in question. It’s not a hypothetical proposition. Paul has labored to make this point – God is for us. This is a logical statement. If this is true, then what follows is logically true. If this, then that. 

Paul has already proven God is for us, so we can really say, “Since God is for us…” because it’s not a question. Since God is for us, you and I have reason for great confidence in this life. We may feel vulnerable, and we may be experiencing defeat, but there is a reality that supersedes these feelings and experiences, God is for us! 

Since God is for us, who can be against us? Well obviously, the whole world can be against us! There are innumerable foes who stand against the Church, against followers of Christ. There are fools, haters, persecutors, there are forces of darkness – Satan and his demons, & there’s our own wicked flesh that all wage war against us. Jesus warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Now Paul asks, “Who can be against us?” 

Paul wasn’t naïve. Even if we are at times. We’re the ones who don’t get it sometimes. Since God is for us, who could possibly prevail against us? Who could undo what God has done? Who could pluck us from victory? Lots of forces may be against us, but who are they compared to God? God is for us, who could stand against us? God takes everything the enemy throws against us and uses it for our good, the good of others, and His glory. He turns everything into a win. God is for us, no one can ultimately prevail over us. That’s the premise. Here’s the promise. 

HOW WE KNOW GOD IS FOR US

Verse 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? How do we know God is for us? This is how: He gave up His Son for us. Jesus is why we have confidence that God’s disposition is love & peace.  Jesus is how we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is for us. 

He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us…If this language sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s sort of an echo of Genesis 22:12 where God says to Abraham, “You have not withheld your son, your only son.” Which was a foreshadow of God, who did not withhold His only Son. Because of his faith, Abraham was willing to give up his only son, and the Lord provided a sacrificial ram instead, a prefigure of Christ.   

It is not ironic, but rather prophetic, that upon that same mountain, two thousand years after Abraham offered up Isaac, Jesus prayed a prayer of surrender to the Father’s will and hours later was hung on a cross. God provided the ultimate sacrificial lamb by giving up His own Son. 

The 19th century Baptist pastor, Octavius Winslow noted, it was not Judas, for money; not Pilate, for fear; not the Jews, for envy who ultimately offered up Jesus, but the Father, for love. How can we still doubt God’s heart toward us after all He has done to save us? 

IT LOGICALLY FOLLOWS…

And if He loves us enough to give us His Son, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? If God was willing to give up His Son, an irrefutable representation that He is for us, it follows logically that He is going to withhold nothing good, but rather give us all things beneficial.  

All things is a reference back to Romans 8:28. He works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purposes. If He works all things for good, then those things, even if they do not feel good, are ultimately good.

Peter also speaks to this, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence…” 2 Peter 1:3

Notice that everything we need for life and godliness is given to us by God through the knowledge, that is personal knowledge, of Jesus. Paul says here in verse 32 God will graciously give us all things with Him, that is with Jesus. So, we come into personal, saving knowledge of Christ, we get Jesus, and with Him we get all things that are beneficial for us. 

If this were a movie, the soundtrack would be at an emotional crescendo! How does your heart respond to the truths of this gospel? If you are in Christ, you ought to have confidence in God’s gracious & providential hand that eviscerates doubt and fear. Why? Because it’s logical. 

Follow the logic, since God is for us, who could possibly stand victorious against us? God graciously gives us all we need to do all He’s asked of us in this life, and He works in every circumstance for our good, and He gave us His Spirit who helps us in our weakness, and He seals us for our eternal inheritance, and we can count on all of this because He gave us Jesus. Do you really get that?   

What would your life look like if you were really convinced this is true? That God is for you and is not going to withhold good from you. 

NORMAL CHRISTIANITY IS SUBMISSION TO GOD’S WILL

Wednesday before last I told our kids and youth downstairs that it is normal for Christians to put their whole life in the palm of their hands and present it to the Lord and say, “Your will be done.” We’re raising up 50 long-term, global missionaries here. And many are going to come from our nursery, kids, and youth ministries right now. We’re teaching that normal Christianity is the type of Christianity that Jesus called us to when He said take up your cross and deny yourselves. That to lose your life for His sake is to truly find it. 

What is not normal is for Christians to say, “You know Lord, thank you for Jesus, thank you for eternal life, thank you for forgiveness, thank you for grace, thank you for freedom. Thank you for unfathomable inheritance in Heaven. Now I’m going to take it from here because I don’t trust You to provide for me and work things for my good. You let me know the request and then I’ll give you an answer once I consider how it’s going to impact my like plans.” That is not normal Christianity, even if it is the most popular.  

Normal Christianity is saying, “Lord, you are for me, who can be against me? You gave me Jesus; I know you are going to work in my life for good and you’re not going to withhold good from me. I know that I can trust You and I know that whatever you allow in my life, and whatever you prevent, whatever you provide, and whatever you withhold, all of it is for my good and for your glory and I’m ok with that.” That’s normal Christianity. That’s biblical Christianity. 

HOW WOULD YOUR LIFE CHANGE? 

What else would change if you allowed yourselves to be fully convinced this is true? That God is for you, and no one can be against you. How would this change how you engage with the world around you? I think of Jesus exhortation, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 

I hear people say, “I’m afraid to share my faith because I don’t like rejection.” & “I don’t want to encourage my kids to be missionaries in dangerous places.”

Why do you fear men when you ought to fear God? He is for you and only brings what is beneficial for you. This doesn’t mean we don’t act with prudence. We don’t waltz into a bar and pick a fight in Jesus’ name. But we do go where God calls us with confidence, knowing that He who is with us is for us, and He who is for us is with us. 

The same God who stood with Moses and Joshua as they led Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land respectively, the same God who promised Joshua He would never leave him nor forsake him, the same God who powerfully drove out the inhabitants of Canaan and providentially gave Israel their land, says to you through Paul, “If God is for you who can be against you?” 

This is what the first generation of Israel should have known having seen all they did in the Exodus from Egypt under God’s mighty hand. They should have trusted Him to go before them and to work in a way that they never could have anticipated or predicted. But they failed because of their hard hearts. They were paralyzed by fear of the wrong people.   

What have you to fear? Only God, and God is for you. Do you believe that God can work in your life in a way that you cannot predict? 

If you were really convinced of the premise that God is for you and no one can be against you and the promise that He who gave you His only Son is going to give you what you need to do what He’s called you to do, how would that change your life? 

WILL YOU BE FAITHFUL TODAY?

What is the Lord calling you to surrender right now? Perhaps your heart and your life in salvation. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is inviting you to new life in Christ. Will you respond? 

Maybe He is asking you to make a move. To step out in faith. To commit. To be bold. To trust Him to give you all you need to do all He’s asked you to do. Will you respond? 

If the premise is true, the promise logically follows. If God is for us, we know that He will give us all we need to do all He has called us to do. He is and He will.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruce, F. F. (2008). Romans: An introduction and commentary. Inter-Varsity Press. 

Doriani, D. M. (2021). Romans. P&R Publishing. 

Hughes, Kent R. (1991). Romans – Righteousness from Heaven. Crossway. 

Kruse, Colin G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Longenecker, Richard N. (2016). The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 1-8. Moody Publishers.

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 9-16. Moody Publishers.

Moo, Douglas J. (2018). The Letter to the Romans, Second Edition. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Mounce, Robert. (1995). Romans. B&H Publishing.

Schreiner, Thomas R. (2018). Romans, Second Edition. Baker Publishing Group. 

Sproul, R. C. (2019). The Righteous Shall Live By Faith – Romans. Ligonier Ministries