The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying salvation. Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance more often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance.
Salvation can be and has been defined in many ways. Among them, four stand out as the most comprehensive and functional.
First, salvation can be defined as the deliverance from the power, penalty, and presence of sin. To receive salvation is to receive God’s mercy and His grace.
Second, salvation can be described as a finished work, an on-going work, and a work to come. It is a finished work because Christ died once to bear the sins of humanity. “It is finished,”
Third It is an on-going work because He is continuously conforming us to His image and working to maintain our relationship with Him.
What do we say to all these things we’ve learned over the past few weeks about God, His Son, His Spirit, and His everlasting love for us? It can all be summarized in Paul's ’s unforgettable words: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
If God could give His only Son for our sakes, then we can and should rest in the grace and assurance of our trustworthy Father’s words to us. If we are in Christ, nothing at all can—or will—ever separate us from our Savior. What joy! What peace! What security!
We will finish off our study with some incredible news and assurance of our faith.
Romans 8:31-39 ESV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.
What do we say to all these things we’ve learned over the past few weeks about God, His Son, His Spirit, and His everlasting love for us? It can all be summarized in Paul's ’s unforgettable words: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
If God could give His only Son for our sakes, then we can and should rest in the grace and assurance of our trustworthy Father’s words to us. If we are in Christ, nothing at all can—or will—ever separate us from our Savior. What joy. What peace. What security.
We will finish off our study with some incredible news and assurance of our faith.
If God Is For Us …?
ROMANS 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
The verse we are exploring today is one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible. The questionPaul poses to us here encompasses all we’ve learned about our great salvation from the beginning of this chapter, but it doesn’t necessarily stop there.
Let's look at the verses just before Romans 8:31, as it alone gives us reason to rejoice.
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Consider “all these things”: God predestined us, called us, justified us, and will glorify us. We are not second thoughts in the mind and heart of God. Before the foundation of the world, He had us in mind.
Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Here is just a taste of what we know about God:
• He is omnipotent (all powerful): “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke1:37).
• He is immutable (unchanging): “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6).
• He is omniscient (all knowing): “Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:5).
• He is holy (set apart and absolutely pure): “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (Isa. 6:3).
The message of Romans 8 is that God, who is awesome in every way, is on our side. Think about that. And not only is He on our side, He has also made a way for us to know Him intimately through salvation and His Son. If this is who God is and if we know just a little of what He has done, if this is the God who is for us, who then really can be against us? No one. No opposition can ever succeed against us if God is on our side.
What Paul is saying is that with God “for us” it makes no difference who is against us. No foe can prevail against people who are supported by a God like that.
That doesn’t mean we won’t encounter opposition, of course—from other people, from Satan, even from own hearts. This opposition means nothing in comparison to what we have in Christ Jesus. With God fighting on our behalf, none of them has a chance.
REFLECT
1.What ideas from Romans 5 might relate to or correlate with this pronouncement thatGod is for us?
2. Why might meditating on the attributes of God give us reason for awe and provide us with a sense of security?
3. Have you ever felt like you were opposed by someone?
Without gossiping (that is, naming the person or, worse, slandering or talking bad about him or her), reflecting how the opposition affected you. Were you able to rest in the truth that God is for you? If so, how did it help you move past the situation?
If not, how did the situation resolve itself? How do you think you might handle this situation differently today?
4. How does God ultimately show that He is for us?
Will He Not Graciously Give Us All Things?
ROMANS 8:32 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?
Think about Abraham and Sarah who had to wait decades, for a child despite the fact that God had promised them offspring. Then in there old age, their son Isaac was born.
Genesis 17:19 ESV God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Genesis 21:1-3 ESV The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
They were obviously overjoyed—until God told Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering.
Genesis 22:1-2 ESV After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
But Abraham set out to obey God. He took Isaac up on a mountain, prepared to make the sacrifice, and was just about to kill Isaac when an angel of the Lord told him to stop (22:12). The angel directed Abraham to a ram as a substitute sacrifice, and Isaac’s life was spared.
Yet Godhad an eternal plan to sacrifice His own Son for the sin of the world, and He didn't spare either Himself or Jesus. Just before He died on the cross, Jesus cried out, “El Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His Father could no longer be in His presence because Jesus had taken and become “sin who knew no sin” This was the ultimate sacrifice.
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
To add salt to the Savior’s wounds, Jesus didn’t die for friends, for people who loved Him, or for the godly. Instead, He willingly died for wretched sinners:
Romans 5:6-8 ESV For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In view of this great sacrifice, Paul asks an important rhetorical question in Romans8:32: “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?” There is no greater sacrifice than parent to give up a child—nothing. If God was willing to sacrifice His Son for us, why would we ever doubt anything else that God says or does? Why would we not trust His promise to give us “all things”?
“All things” in our text refers to both physical and spiritual provision. That doesn’t mean that God is going to provide everything we want.
2 Peter 1:3 ESV 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,
In other words, God will provide all we need, and ultimately what we need most is a right relationship with God. That’s exactly what God has provided through His Son. There is nothing we need that hasn’t already been accomplished for us.
REFLECT
1. In what ways does the story of Abraham and Isaac relate to God’s sacrifice of Jesus, and in what ways does it not compare? How are these similarities and differences important to the story of redemption?
2. Often when we think of the cross, we go straight to Jesus taking our sins away, butso much more was going on. Reflect on the full sacrifice the cross represents—includingGod’s sacrifice of His Son, Jesus’ pain in the garden of Gethsemane, and the last words of Jesus.
3. What are some areas in which you struggle to believe the Lord? How does God help you with this struggle?
4. How does God’s sacrifice prove that He really is for us?
Who Shall Bring a Charge against God’s Elect?
ROMANS 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Paul asks another rhetorical question: Who can bring a charge against God’s elect? In other words, who can accuse those whom God has chosen? The answer is obviously “no one.” But that doesn’t mean that no one attempts to bring charges. In fact, we are charged one way or another almost daily.
Who brings these charges?
The first one who tries to charge us before God is Satan, who is actually called “the accuser” in the Bible
Revelation 12:10 ESV And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
He goes around planting seeds of guilt and doubt. Right before Job was stripped of all he owned, Satan accused him of only following the Lord because of his wealth.
Job 1:9-10 ESV Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
And Peter warns us of just how vicious Satan’s accusations can be: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
This adversary wants us to stand charged and guilty to the very end. He wants us tostand before the Lord defeated.
And who is the second accuser? Our own hearts!
I’m talking about the false guilt that grows out of the assumption that we must perform for the approval of God, that failure is unacceptable, and that sin is unforgivable. If we fall for any of those lies, we may wrestle with self-accusation.
But none of those accusations carry any weight before God—not if we are in Christ! Whoever accuses us—even ourselves—and whatever charges are brought against us, wecan rest in knowing that it is God who judges and that the elect—those God has chosen and Jesus died for—are justified before the Lord. So none of the charges leveled against us before God can stick.
Since it is God who justifies, the believer’s justification can never be overthrown. What incredible news! Your standing before the Lord cannot be overthrown. Not by Satan, the accuser, and not by your own heart.
If God is for you, who can be against you?
REFLECT
1. Have you ever felt charged with something, either by Satan or your own heart? What Is it?
2. Why is it important to remember that we have an accuser (Satan)?
3. Have you experienced the kind of false guilt or worldly sorrow described above? Howcan you tell the difference between this and true godly grief?
4. How does a right view of sin and a right view of guilt actually lead to freedom andgrace?
5. Do you believe strongly that your justification can’t be overthrown, or do you sometimes believe you are hanging on by a thread? What might you pray right now to help you believe God’s Word?
Who Is to Condemn?
ROMANS 8:34 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.
Paul again reassures us that no one can condemn us if we are in Christ. Why don’t we need to worry about being condemned? Because “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” (8:34).
Jesus died for our sins, satisfying the wrath of God; therefore, no one can condemn us.
Jesus defeated death and is at the most powerful position in the universe, at the right hand of God; therefore, no one can condemn us.
He is not sitting idly by. He is interceding right now for you and for me. Jesus lives to make intercession on our behalf
Hebrews 7:22-25 ESV This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
The gospel, the good news, assures us that no one can condemn us.
REFLECT
1. Have you ever struggled with a sense of condemnation? Why is it such a serious offense or problem before the Lord?
2. Ultimately, when we feel condemned, we are forgetting the gospel. What are some ways you can remind yourself of the gospel daily?
3. Why is Jesus’ resurrection so crucial to the message of this chapter and to our faith?
4. Why is Jesus’ position in heaven—seated at the right hand of God, right next to His Father—significant?
5. Notice that Romans 8 says that both the Spirit (vv. 26–27) and Jesus (v. 34) intercede on our behalf. In what ways are these intercessions alike? Different? What is your response to knowing that both the Holy Spirit and the Son of God are actively involved in connecting you with theFather.
Who Shall Separate Us?
ROMANS 8:35–39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ForI am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.
We have come to the end of this great chapter on salvation. Everything that we have read and studied so for reaches it climax in these last few verses and we see now for the first time that all this is about love: “the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Everything that we have been learning has been wrapped up in this divine love. Every act of God is motivated by His love for us. God’s love is the guarantee of His staying power—His love is everlasting.
But there are times when we doubt God’s love for us. So Paul asks a series of pointed questions to assure us just how faithful this love is. Can any of these things separate us from the love of Christ?
• Tribulation or distress or persecution?
John 16:31-33 ESV Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
In our troubles and trials, we can have peace because we know that God is with us. We know that He is for us and that Jesus gives us His peace.
• Famine or nakedness?
Matthew 6:25-30 ESV “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
God provides for all our needs. He doesn’t promise us riches, but He does promise to take care of us. Neither famine nor poverty can separate us from the love of Christ.
• Danger or sword?
Jesus tells of His everlasting love through danger or sword
Matthew 10:28-33 ESV 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
How are we conquerors?
Romans 8:37 ESV No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
We are not conquerors because of our will to succeed. We are not conquerors because of our strength. We are not even conquerors because we have faith. We are conquerors because of God’s love for us.
Paul emphasizes his conviction, based on the nature and character of God, that nothing—absolutely nothing!—can cut us off from the love of God in Christ Jesus. All our challenges in life—and all the good things, too—have a single purpose: to draw us near to the God who is for us.
Not one thing we might think could separate us from God will be able to. And that's the essence of our victory. We are victorious in Christ Jesus and in His love, which is “steadfast, faithful and persevering.”
Insecurity is written across all human experience. Christian people are not guaranteed immunity to temptation, tribulation or tragedy, but we are promised victory over them. God’s pledge is not that suffering will never afflictus, but that it will never separate us from his love.17His love will never fail, will never let go, and will never allow us to be trampled.
God will be faithful to us to the very end of time. With confidence and great assurance of faith, we can proclaim from the mountaintops: God is for us!
REFLECT
1. How have you interpreted the phrase “we are more than conquerors” in the past? In what ways (if any) has this study changed your understanding?
2. Why do you think Paul lists suffering in this list of things that can’t separate us instead of sin?
3. Paul ends this incredible section of Romans 8 on the love of Christ. Why?
4. Where else in Scripture do we see a focus on the love of Jesus? Use a concordance (or other Bible study aid) to search the Scriptures, and write down any texts that directly mention the love of Jesus—as many as you can. Then take note of what is surrounding those texts (the scene, other text, what the writer is addressing). What did you learn about Jesus’ love from this brief study?
5. How does Jesus’ love secure our victory?
6. Have you ever felt insecure in your relationship with God? In what ways?
7. In what ways (if any) do these verses build your assurance in the faith?
8. Sum it all up. Why can we say with confidence that God is for us?
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