Romans is a unique book, unlike any other book in the New testament. A basic outline of the book could devolve into three points: man is sinful and needs salvation; law is inadequate to accomplish that; Christ is absolutely adequate to procure man’s salvation. This takes 8 chapters, and then in chapters 9-11 Paul deals with the Jewish problem resulting from their rejection of the gospel. This completes the ‘theological’ section followed by the practical considerations based on a response to the earlier section. Chapter 8 is known as the jewel of the book, whilst verse 28 of that chapter is known as the sparkle in the jewel – the high point of the book. All things work together for good……….Can this be true? It is often said that appearances can be deceiving. This saying is perhaps as true of Biblical truths as anything else: for example there is something awfully incongrous about God saving the world by a man hanging on a cross – which of the onlookers of that scene knew that?
But the pain and agony of the cross – that being the defining moment of God’s response to man’s plight – raises the question as to whether life was meant to be easy (as a late P.M. famously stated). If that was a part of Christ’s life, what does that mean for the rest of humanity? It is assumed that life was meant to be easy. Arguments against God’s existence because of the evil in the world have this assumption at their core. But there is nothing in the Bible or out of it to suggest life is to be without suffering. There is more to life than fun: it has a nobler purpose.
Life has many challenges:- to live in a fleshly body; to survive in a dangerous world; and to fight the good fight of faith. But what chance do we have? What is arrayed against us? We have powerful enemies. And when we see a brother or a sister fall by the wayside, get picked off by the Devil, it’s saddening, but also a reminder, a discouraging reminder, of the pitfalls of this dangerous realm in which we are sojourning.
I don’t know whether you watch nature programs, but one I enjoyed watching some time ago was The Big Cat series in Africa. Lions are called “King of the Beasts”, but the dominant male must fight for that position, and then only hangs on for two or three years before being ousted by a younger male. Is our fight any less difficult. What are the odds we will make it to Heaven? The Deist position is all wrong: Paul is so plain on this and Romans chapter eight destroys the idea of an indifferent God. God can’t afford to be indifferent!!! God can’t even afford to be neutral!
When Paul wrote this letter the brethren lived in another place, another time, when another set of circumstances existed. We stand on their shoulders, even as we do upon the pioneers and settlers of the land. Note verse 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Go on to verses 38,39: For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. These words were not to take up space, but were present realities then. But more than those “outward” things, there are those “inward” things which are a present reality today.
Then in verses 33 and 34 we have some parallelism about charges and condemnation against the Christian. Charges can be levelled by the law of God and by the Devil himself since the Christian is not perfect. If God was neutral we wouldn’t have a show at all. He would have no option but to condemn us fair and square. But in v.31 Paul utters this great truth, God is for us! Kenny Rogers had a song years ago called “The Gambler” and there is a line in the song that says, In his final words I found an ace that I could keep. Now, Rom. 8:31 is an ace we should keep – God is for us, not against us.
God told the false prophets and fortune tellers He was against them (Ezek. 13:8). What ominous words! It would be like us being told we were to play as a wild card in the Australian Open: our opponent? Jochevich! You can’t win. If God is against you you can’t win no matter who or what you get on side. But if God is for us, who can be against us? There can be many things against us but to no avail. None of them can beat us unless we let them – unless we throw the match. He is for us! Isn’t that great?! And all that He is, has and does is for His people. He is FOR His people even when it seems He is against His people.
How do we know, especially when life can get so problematic? Look at verse 32. HE DID NOT SPARE HIS OWN SON! He didn’t hesitate – He made Him to be sin for us – it pleased the Lord to bruise Him – to charge Him with the whole debt. Why? He wants us to succeed on this venture we call life. This thing that God did stands alone and complete in itself. (Just as Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac stands alone – it wasn’t like a bay offered to Molech – this was a full grown man – not just any son – the son of promise – the son of his love – in seeming contradiction of God’s purpose).
God struck down His only begotten Son – the Son of His love – His anointed – His beloved Servant. What else has got to do to prove He is for us? What does the sacrifice of Christ lack? Can we really say “if Christ really loved me He’d give me more money, a bigger house, and better health etc.?” What do we mean IF God loved me?! – and how could a few dollars make the sacrifice of Christ better? How does it lack anything?
Let Satan do his worst (he is chained anyway – 1 Cor. 10:13). Let the world do its worst (it is conquered, is so patently short-sighted and has nothing of eternal value to offer); principalities and powers are spoiled and disarmed and triumphed over in the cross of Christ.
God is for us – He’s not trying to see how many He can keep out of Heaven – rather He’s trying to see how many He can get in: He lifted up His Son on the cross to draw all men unto Him, and he provided the plan of salvation.