Eternal City Church Sunday Sermons

We all suffer in various ways; pain is a universal experience of all peoples, everywhere. As Christians, God calls us to help one another out of hard places, whether due to our failure or not. This helping is called bearing one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2 ESV). This endeavor takes skill and practice. Sometimes we hurt people when trying to help, and sometimes we hurt ourselves trying to help others. May this introductory message to spiritual helpers be a pointer in the right direction.

A sweeping declaration of the Christian's security: if God is for us, who can be against us? There is nothing in all of creation able to separate us from God's love (not even ourselves). If God has foreknown, predestined, called, and justified us, then we are safe and sound in Jesus. We cannot lose our salvation once we have been given it.

Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)

As was stated in prior discussion guides, Paul has been laying out the case for the believer to have assurance of faith. In these verses, Paul explains the reason why there is no more condemnation for those in Christ, there is hope in the middle of suffering, and the promise that all things work together for good is true. It all ultimately points back to the love God has for those who trust Him. Paul has reached the climax of the letter and uses this paragraph to end his arguments from chapters 5-8.

Paul uses a pair of rhetorical questions in v31 to highlight the believer's confidence. This all-powerful God who has declared us righteous (5:1), granted us peace and access in hope (5:2-3), removed our condemnation (8:1), provides us future glory (8:18), and works all things for our good (8:28-29) all by His grace, is on our side against anyone opposing us. This reality should leave the believer confident that we have a God who is for us.

In v32, Paul gives the deepest evidence that God is for the believer. He gave up His Son Jesus for all believers.

The phrase "gave him up" suggests the active nature of the Father's action in salvation. Jesus' death for sins was not an accident or something God just allowed. Instead, God as Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit) each played a role to bring about salvation for His people sovereignly.

The verb choice in v33 is interesting as "shall bring a charge" is future tense. Paul has in mind final judgment when believers stand before God. Nothing, not Satan or our sin, can claim that a believer should be condemned.

God's elect are guaranteed future glory (8:28-30) because of God's justification. The verb "justify" is present tense, meaning that present accusations from Satan or our flesh are impotent in the reality of our status as declared righteous.

In v34, Paul quotes Ps 110:1 to highlight Christ's current role in the believer's assurance. While accusations may come against a believer, Jesus stands before the Father and points to His death and His resurrection as the foundation for the believer's justification.

The question in v35 is meant to represent any conceivable "opponent" that wishes to remove the believer from the love of Christ. It is suspected that these are all things Paul had endured at one point or another, with the "sword" representing execution that Paul faced at the end of his life.

As Paul does on occasion, he interrupts his writing pattern in v36 to quote Ps 44:22 to make explicit that the believer should expect suffering to occur especially at the hands of ungodly people.

Paul's response to the question in v35 is a definitive no because victory has been won through Christ.

The phrase "more than conquerors" is a rare verb in the NT. The translation dates back to the Geneva Bible translation in the 16th century and has persisted into even modern-day translations. The idea is "overwhelming victory."

Having explored the depths and riches of God's plan for salvation (past, present, and future), Paul points to his own testimony of assurance that nothing can separate a believer from God's love.

The phrase "I am sure" has an intensive present focus meaning Paul is certain without any doubt.

Questions

Why do believers struggle so much with assurance of faith when the Bible makes clear to us the security there is in Christ?

What would you say to someone who says they are a Christian but believes they have lost their salvation due to sins they have committed?

How would you respond to an unbeliever who sees a Christian's sin and questions how sinful people can claim to be going to heaven?

This passage has been called "the golden chain of redemption" because, in it, we see God acting and accomplishing his people's salvation independent of their doings. Though this passage is hard to receive for some, it really is a great ground for security.

Romans 8:29-30 (ESV)

Having just reviewed the ministry of the Spirit in the life of the Christian and God’s providence in making all things work together for good, in vs. 29-30, Paul is going to give the purpose and reason behind God’s providence and the “good” that comes about in v28.

The word “for” in v29 is a connecting word in Greek. It signifies some relationship between the word or words right before and the words immediately after. In this case, “for” is being used to point to a relationship between “purpose” in v28 and the content of vs29-30.

In summary of vs. 29-30, Paul is making clear that the sufferings, groanings, and pains from vs. 18-28 find ultimate purpose in God’s providence to “conform us to the image of His Son.” So, the purpose behind our trials is to make us more like Christ, and as we are changed, we have greater hope for future glory when we are made new.

Paul uses a number of theological terms in these two verses that need to be properly defined and understood in the context:

Foreknew: to know beforehand carries the idea of God knowing believers and probably includes knowing intimately or knowing in love.

Predestined: to determine or appoint ahead of time – this goes a step past foreknowledge in that Paul is giving attention to God’s election and grace. The good purpose of God’s determination is that those He foreknew would be conformed to the image of Christ. There is an implied difference between being in Adam and in Christ. So, rather than looking like Adam (sinful), believers are to look like the second Adam.

Called: to summon particularly to a relationship – the phrase “those he predestined” help make some connections. God’s calling to a relationship with Him is not for everyone but only the predestined ones. Also, all those predestined will be called. It is not a situation where God predestined individuals only to not call and ultimately save them. So, God intimately knows believers beforehand, determines (chooses) them beforehand, and calls them.

Justified: to declare as righteous – Paul has stressed justification in the first few chapters of Romans and has always connected it to faith. Here Paul is making clear that it is God who justifies those He calls.

Glorified: to be made perfect and free from sin – in keeping with the theme, this word should be understood from God’s standpoint. While we are not yet in our glorified bodies, the believer’s glorification is already complete. The believer waits to experience what God has already settled.

Questions

There is a lot of debate about the word “foreknew.” What is it about believers that God foreknew? Is it a general knowledge? Is it the believers’ faith?

When does the believers’ “conforming to His image” take place? At conversion? Future glory? The other times this word is used it has an eschatological (end times) meaning.

We learn that within five verses: Romans 8:22-26: the creation is groaning, we who are Christians are groaning, and the Holy Spirit is groaning on the Christian's behalf. This groaning is unexpressed suffering in the hope of being liberated from bondage to decay and frustration. There is, in addition, a glorious truth that God is at work on behalf of those whom he has called to himself. God will work out all things in their lives for their ultimate good. This truth should cause us to look forward in the hope of one day seeing how God used all the events in our own lives we experienced as terrible and destructive (or good) to shape us and keep us clinging to God, helping us to persevere until the end.

When our first parents (Adam and Eve) sinned against God, God responded by cursing the ground and, by extension, breaking his "very good" creation as a judgment. Since that fateful day, the whole creation has been "groaning" with labor pains, anticipating a new creation. Eagerly awaiting God's children to be revealed. This day will fulfill old testament prophecies such as Isaiah 11:1-10 and Isaiah 65:17-25.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Every person suffers. This is part of our human existence. We are subject to living in a fallen and broken world and being subjected to the consequences of our sin. Sometimes suffering is mysterious. We don't understand what is happening or why. Sometimes we can't imagine that God is involved in our suffering. The good news is that God has entered into our hell by becoming one of us and willing suffering on the cross in our place. He has not left us to ourselves. He has taken on ultimate suffering and won.

Ephesians 4:29 exhorts Christians to "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." This means that we as believers must be intentional about how we speak to one another. Being deliberate in encouraging our brothers and sisters for their good and God's glory as well as the strengthening of God's church.

In Isaiah 54:1 the prophet says “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD. Paul quotes this verse in Galatians 4:27 referencing the true children of God. The implication is that all those united to Jesus are the sons and daughters of God. We are family. This familial dynamic is by grace, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Our first parents Adam and Eve, had the unhindered and unbroken presence of God. He was face to face with them. Tragically their rebellion broke this union they enjoyed. Thankfully, God always pursues his children even when they run away and hide from him. God has made a new way for his children to have unbroken access to his presence once again. Let's draw near through the body broken and bloodshed of Jesus that we may know God more intimately and better (John 17:3).