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SECTION G – God’s Sovereignty (8:31-39)
Balanced
by SECTION h – God’s Sovereignty (9:01-29)
Romans Eight – Verses 31 to 39
31. What then, shall we declare to these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?
Nothing
can compare with the sublime consciousness of a place in God's heart. If He
is for us, even those who would be against us work our weal. No one can be
against us. Concordant Commentary
We know that God is
absolute control over all that goes on, and that He is working all things for
our benefit in the absolute sense. Can anyone be ‘against’ us without it
having been ‘arranged for’ as a necessary process in God’s achievement of
us? Not even the ‘spiritual forces of wickedness among the celestials’ can
move against us outside of the limitations set by God for each case. For
example, the traumatic sufferings that Job experienced were necessary to
open him to a deeper knowledge and realization of God.
Eph.6:12 for it is not ours to
wrestle with blood and flesh,
but with
the sovereignties, with the authorities,
with the
world-mights of this darkness,
with the
spiritual forces of wickedness among the celestials.
Job.42:5 With the hearing of the ear I
had heard of You,
But now
my eye sees You.
32. Surely, He Who spares not His own Son,
but gives Him up for us all,
how shall He not, together with Him, also,
be graciously granting us all?
God
has given His best gift when He spared not His Son. Nothing else can
compare with Him. He will withhold no good thing from those who have
received His Beloved. Concordant
Commentary
We see the heart of God in His giving up of nothing of less value than
His Son, the Beloved, for all His creatures. Having given us this, His most precious of all of creation, what is there
that He will hold back from us?
Jn.3:16 For thus God loves the world,
so that He
gives His only-begotten Son,…
2Cor.5:14 For the love of Christ
is constraining us, judging this,
that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently all died.
Col.1:20
and
through Him to reconcile all to Him
(making peace through the blood of His cross),
through Him, whether those on the earth or those in
the heavens.
Col.1:21,22 And you,
being once estranged and enemies in
comprehension, by wicked acts,
yet now He reconciles 22 by His body of flesh,
through His death,
to present you holy and flawless and
unimpeachable in His sight,
33.
Who will be indicting God's chosen ones? God, the
Justifier?
We
can challenge the universe to find a single thing against us! Whatever we
may be in ourselves, in Christ God has justified us. And not only that, but
all judgment has been committed to the Son, the very Christ Who died for us
and lives to plead for us at God's right hand! God, the Judge of all, Who
alone can acquit, has become our Vindicator! Christ, Who alone has the
right to condemn, is our Saviour!
Concordant Commentary
We are assured that the
members of the body of Christ were designated beforehand, and are being
called, and being justified, and
being glorified, in an operation entirely
of God’s doing. We are also assured that we are His achievement, at every point in time a product of His hands. If any indictment can be
brought against us, it will be against God, Himself.
Eph.2:10
For His achievement are we,
being
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God makes ready beforehand, that we should
be walking in them.
34. Who is the Condemner?
Christ Jesus, the One dying, yet
rather being roused,
Who is also at God's right hand, Who is
pleading also for our sakes?
Will the One Who took on
Himself the condemnation we deserved, and died for us, now condemn us who
have thus been removed from being under condemnation? Such desperate
proposals border on blasphemy as they question God’s integrity.
Rom.4:24,25 who are believing
on Him Who rouses Jesus our Lord from among the
dead.
25 Who was given up because of our offenses,
and was roused
because of our justifying.
Rom.5:8-10 yet God is commending this love of His to us,
seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes.
9 Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood,
we shall be saved from indignation, through
Him.
10 For if, being enemies,
we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son,
much rather, being conciliated,
we shall
be saved in His life.
Rom.8:1 Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus…
Rom.3:24-26 Being justified
gratuitously in His grace,
through the deliverance which is in Christ
Jesus….
26 toward the display of
His righteousness in the current era,
for Him
to be just
and a Justifier of the one who is of
the faith of Jesus.
35. What shall be separating us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus?
Affliction, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or
sword?
The love of God toward us
is inviolable, unshaken by, and impervious to, any assault from any source.
1Cor.1:9 Faithful
is God, through Whom you were called
into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Phil.1:6 having this same
confidence,
that He Who undertakes a good work among you,
will be
performing it until the day of Jesus Christ
1Thes.5:23,24 Now may the God of
peace Himself be hallowing you wholly;
and may your unimpaired spirit and soul and body
be kept blameless in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ!
24 Faithful
is He Who is calling you, Who will
be doing it also.
36.
According as it is written that
"On Thy account we are being put to death the
whole day,
We are reckoned as sheep for
slaughter."
No matter what trials and
traumas we have to undergo, we need to remember the constant and consistent
love of God for us. Though it may sometimes be difficult to reconcile in
our minds as we go through life’s experiences, these have actually been
arranged for us by God for our growth. Such experiences are being
graciously given to us out of God’s
love for us.
Phil.1:29 for to you it is graciously granted, for
Christ's sake,
not only to be believing on Him, but to be suffering for His sake also,
1Thes.3:3 No one is to be swayed
by these afflictions,
for you yourselves are aware that we are located for this.
1Cor.10:13 No trial has taken you
except what is human.
Now, faithful
is God,
Who will not be leaving you to be tried above what you are able,
but, together with the trial,
will be making the sequel also, to enable
you to undergo it.
37.
Nay! in all these we are more than conquering through Him Who loves us.
God's
love never lets us go. The trials and tribulations we endure are not tokens
of His displeasure. They are all tempered by His loving heart. A sense of
His love hovering over us in the midst of our distresses is the most
blessed of all balms and will enable us not only to endure them but to
enjoy them.
Concordant Commentary
Remembering that we are His
achievement, and that God is operating everything in all that is taking
place, we are given the confidence in Him, for He surely knows what He is
doing, to see us through such experiences.
Eph.1:11 …being designated
beforehand according to the purpose
of the One Who
is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will,
Rom.11:34 For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who became
His adviser?
1Cor.2:16 For who knew the mind of the Lord?
Who will be deducing
from Him? Yet we have the mind of
Christ.
38. For I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor messengers,
nor sovereignties, nor the present, nor what
is impending, nor powers,
Here
all the great forces of the universe are arrayed, and none of them, no, nor
all of them together, can come between us and the unconquerable love of our
God as displayed in Christ Jesus. Death will be swallowed up by life. Life
may lead us far from Him, but not beyond the reach of His love. The present
perplexes us, the future fills us with fear, but only when we lose the
sense of His love. Powers, celestial or terrestrial, are subject to His
sway. Nothing above or beneath - nothing at all has the power to break the
bond that binds the humblest and most unworthy saint to the throbbing
breast of our great and glorious God. This is more than salvation from sin!
This is reconciliation! Concordant
Commentary
39. nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creation,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.
Since
God is doing all this, not even sparing His own Son but gives Him up for the
sake of all, could there be any
thing that He would withhold from
us? Having given us even His Most Precious, will He withhold the least?
No one
will be able to bring any charge for our condemnation.
GOD
cannot - He is our Justifier.
CHRIST will
not - He died for us, was raised, and is pleading for us.
Scripture
insists that nothing will be able
to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! Absolutely nothing! And this
is GRACE!
Eph.1:13,14 In Whom you also--on hearing the
word of truth,
the evangel of your salvation--in Whom on
believing also,
you are
sealed
with the holy spirit of promise
14 (which is an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment,
to the
deliverance of that which has been
procured) for the laud of His glory!
Eph.4:30 And do not be causing sorrow
to the holy spirit of God
by which
you are sealed for the day of deliverance.
2Cor.1:22 Who also seals us and is giving the
earnest of the spirit in our hearts.
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Index of Articles - Romans
June 2008
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