The Proclaimer

God Is For Us

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against?  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31, 32).

To ask these rhetorical questions is to answer them.  Paul has just referred to the glorification of those justified in Jesus Christ (v. 30).  He now wants to dispel any doubts in the minds of such individuals concerning God’s provision for their ultimate salvation.  While it is true those called by the gospel and justified in Christ will face certain opposition and may not have an easy time of it, we certainly should not stand and lament as though ours is a sad lot.  In fact, we ought to be ashamed of all doubt or complaint, because, “If God is for us, who is against us?”  Paul is not suggesting that we have no opposition, for such is certainly not so.  But he is saying that it doesn’t make one particle of difference who is against us.  Bring em’ on, because God is greater and mightier than they are.  And more than that, He’s on our side!

The next rhetorical question gives further evidence, for what God has done seals what He will still do.  Paul argues from the greater to the lesser.  God has already given the greatest of all gifts, His only begotten Son to die in our stead that we might find pardon from our past sins and stand justified in His sight.  This being so, the giving of “all things” needed in the future to reach that eternal glory will most certainly be provided.  The “all things” in verse 32 reflects the “all things” of verse 28:  “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good.”  God has provided everything we need to get to heaven.

We sing: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!  O what a foretaste of glory divine!”  But do we really mean it?  I fear we sometimes forget just who it is that is for us!  Paul continues to emphasize that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God, for “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:35-39).  We need to get the message: God wants us to spend eternity with Him. “For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thess. 5:9, 10).

This “blessed assurance” does not, however, preclude the possibility of one justified in Christ not entering into that rest (cf. Heb. 4:1-11).  The possibility of apostasy continues to threaten.  Nothing is more clearly taught in scripture.  For even Paul, an inspired man and an apostle of Jesus Christ said, “I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected” (1 Cor. 9:27). 

Nevertheless, if we should be rejected it’s not God’s fault, but ours.  For it only means we did not avail ourselves of all He has provided for our salvation.  If you don’t study, you don’t pray, you don’t worship regularly, you don’t associate with God’s people, if you don’t put on the whole armor of God the fault is not God’s.  He’s done all He can do, the rest is left up to you.

The fact is, God is for us.  And as long as we remain faithful to him, He will remain that way.

                                                                                            -- Clark Dugger

The Proclaimer