ROMANS 8

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

NO SEPARATION

Apart from our beloved Saviour, the person who has suffered most for the gospel of Christ, was the Apostle Paul.

Everything that man could throw at him, was thrown at him. He suffered beatings, was whipped, was placed in prison and he was stoned till he was near death.

If anyone could ask this question it was Paul.  If anyone could give the answer then it was him.

In Verse 37 the word Nay means No, nothing at all can separate us from God’s love, nothing that man can do to us, will separate us, nothing that the devil will accuse us of will separate us from His love.

Remember who he was writing to, and he is quoting directly from Psalm 44:22, he is writing to the church in Rome, where Christians were daily been eaten by lions and under severe persecution. To them these words, must have been the most amazing comfort and likewise they are of the same comfort to us.

Remember that we cannot be separated from God’s love, He has set his love upon you believer, you are his beloved son/daughter, and nothing will ever change that.

In verse 37, Paul states that we are conquerors through Christ, we have victory over sin, over death, over circumstances and over the devil, not because of ourselves.. but because of one person and his sacrifice on Calvary.

AND HIS NAME IS JESUS

AMEN

Keith

ROMANS 8

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 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.

FULLY PERSUADED

WOW.. what a finish to these verses.

Paul states once again the theme running through these verses that nothing or nobody can take his salvation from Him.

He was an educated man and it took a vision from God to open his eyes, Paul before his conversion had been persuaded that these Christians were awful and that their faith was a disgrace, but here he is fully persuaded that the gospel is the truth.

This is what happens when someone meets God in a personal way and comes to trust Jesus. They become fully persuaded.

These words are the ones that every Christian can say, every one of you who is reading this and trusts in Christ, can repeat these words and know them to be true.

The question is are you fully persuaded?

Believer have you the same confidence that nothing can separate you from God’s love.. You need to believe these words and let them go deep into your spirit.

Maybe you have never trusted Christ as your Saviour, you aren’t persuaded at all, you can be, God offers salvation to all who are willing to humble themselves and admit that they are a sinner and come and kneel at the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness.

Matthew Henry says this

A direct and positive conclusion of the whole matter: For I am persuaded, v. 38, 39. It denotes a full, and strong, and affectionate persuasion, arising from the experience of the strength and sweetness of the divine love.

Mr. Hugh Kennedy, an eminent Christian of Ayr, in Scotland, when he was dying, called for a Bible; but, finding his sight gone, he said, “Turn me to the eighty of the Romans, and set my finger at these words, I am persuaded that neither death nor life,” etc. “Now,” said he, “is my finger upon them?” And, when they told him it was, without speaking any more, he said, “Now, God be with you, my children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night;” and so departed.

In His closing letter to Timothy, Paul said these words

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Job said these words in Chapter 19 of his book

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth

Can you say these words.? I know that I can.

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

WITHOUT CHARGE

Paul starts this amazing chapter, with the words

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

To be justified in Christ, is to be like one that has never sinned. Note is does not mean that we will never sin again, but that we have Christ’s righteousness, it is nothing at all to do with ourselves.

Let me illustrate, If I drive very fast in a car and break the speed limit, the judge says you will pay a fine of $1000 and someone comes and pays that fine and says, I will take the rap for Him and that offence is counted to me.This is what Christ has done at the cross, he has taken my sin and instead of it being on my account, it says paid in full by his blood and sacrifice.. Amen

If we go back to Zechariah chapter 3, we see Satan in his role as accuser of the brethren, he stands in God’s courtroom, but the charge sheet against us is empty.

Likewise, with Job, after the first two chapters, where was Satan.. nowhere. It was God who justified Job and God who justifies us.. Amen

Satan cannot lay one finger of accusation on us, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try. He is constantly slandering and accusing us, but we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We have his white robe of righteousness.

In Ephesians 6, it is put very well.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness

The breastplate covers the front and the back of the soldier, it is one of his most important pieces. For the soldier it is essential and also for the Christian. 

A Christian is a justified sinner, he is one to whom God can say

I see you just as if you have never sinned.

No one can lay a charge against you; the charge sheet is empty and it is because it has been paid full in full by Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary

What wonder and what glory …AMEN

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

NO CONDEMNATION

Paul starts this great chapter by saying there is Now No Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.

When Sin came into the world, through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, man came under the condemnation of God. 

Man had over him a death sentence, man was under a curse. He was alienated totally from God.

But Jesus has become a curse for us, as it says in Galatians.. Cursed is everyone that hanged on a tree.

Jesus took our place, he stood in the place of us, taking our condemnation and God’s wrath, and both of these things were placed on HIM.

The hymn writer says this

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood

Paul puts this beautifully in Ephesians 2

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

The death and resurrection of Jesus remove God’s condemnation from us, but also there is the ministry of Intercession, that he does for us. 

What a tremendous comfort to the Christian that Jesus is constantly praying for him/her.. Amazing

We are not under God’s condemnation and curse.. we are free

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION?

Romans chapter 8 is an absolute masterpiece in the rich tapestry of scripture and it paints a vivid and beautiful picture.

As Paul brings this chapter to a climax, he asks this amazing question.

What can we say to these things, what things you may ask? Well, the first 30 verses of the chapter to be precise.. The answer is to shout HALLELUJAH.. amen.

Read Verses 1-30 of this chapter and the only answer is one of unending praise, wonder, amazement and joy, that God would justify you, call you his son and daughter.

The second question is this, If God is for us, who can be against us?  Again, Paul leaves it up to us, to answer the question, and the one answer is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OR NOBODY.

Christian you have to look in the light of scripture and see what God says. God says you are under no condemnation, that you are his child, that he hears your prayers and that the present suffering you are going through is just a little pinprick compared to the glory that will be revealed in heaven.

God stands in your corner believer, he is your rear-guard, your strong tower, your refuge and your all in all. He says that you are justified before Him through the blood of his Son shed on Calvary. He has graven you on the palms of his hands.

It is time to shout Hallelujah to the first question and to say nothing or no one to the second.. amen

As ever I refer to the great bible commentator Matthew Henry

The ground of the challenge is God’s being for us; in this he sums up all our privileges. This includes all, that God is for us; not only reconciled to us, and so not against us, but in covenant with us, and so engaged for us—all his attributes for us, his promises for us. All that he is, and has, and does, is for his people. He performs all things for them. He is for them, even when he seems to act against them. And, if so, who can be against us, so as to prevail against us, so as to hinder our happiness? Be they ever so great and strong, ever so many, ever so might, ever so malicious, what can they do? While God is for us, and we keep in his love, we may with a holy boldness defy all the powers of darkness. Let Satan do his worst, he is chained; let the world do its worst, it is conquered: principalities and powers are spoiled and disarmed, and triumphed over, in the cross of Christ. Who then dares fight against us, while God himself is fighting for us?

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

A FREE GIFT

If we look back to Genesis 22, we see the picture of Abraham obeying God regarding Isaac his son. What God said to Abraham was that he had not withheld his son from God. Isaac was the special son and his true treasure but he didn’t withhold Him from God.

We now go forward over two thousand years and see that in the same way, God did not withhold his Son to be our Saviour. He knew it would lead to his death on the cross.

He gave his son to be delivered in to the hands of the Jewish rulers and the Romans. He gave the ultimate gift to us. His SON to be our Saviour.

Why then do we doubt God when He doesn’t give us what we want?  If God gave us everything our hearts required then believe me, we would be in a very sorry state. He gives us all things, but those things which are needful and will lead us closer to HIM. Sure, he blesses us with material gifts, but the spiritual gifts he gives us, will never fade away amen.

Never doubt God, he gave up the most precious thing he had, his Son. for us.

He did not spare him, God the father’s heart was broken at the cross, some of you have lost a child, which is heart-breaking, maybe you can understand the true pain of the father’s heart.

Believer, He gave you Jesus. And he gives everything that amounts to life and godliness.

Jesus.. what a gift.. amen

If God has given us salvation through Christ, giving his son for us, do you think, he will withhold any good thing from us?. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.. amen.

 The reformation study bible says this:

He who did not spare his own Son. Paul’s words are an effective echo of the Septuagint (Greek translation) text of Gen. 22:12.

gave him up. The phrase is used elsewhere of active participation in the judicial condemnation of Christ (Matt. 20:19; 26:15, 16; 27:2, 18, 26; cf. Is. 53:6, 10).

for us all. Even for the worst of us who now believe (3:9–18; 5:6–8). Once more, as in 5:9, 10, Paul reasons from the greater to the less: for God to give His Son to die for us was the supreme gift, guaranteeing the subsequent gift of everything else that we need for our full and final glory (v. 30).

God bless you

Keith