Romans 8:31-39
Who Dares to Bring a Charge against God’s Elect?
And here is the triumph of our God on our behalf. This is what Paul has been straining to reach from the beginning of his letter. Paul has just spoken of our being foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (notice that “glorified” is in the past tense). And so now after acknowledging all these things God does for us, Paul comes to the place where he says, “What then shall we say to these things?” In other words, “What more can I say? This is too wonderful to even describe!”
But more he said, so let us list those things:
- God is for us; thus, no one can stand against us. Or what does it matter if someone does?
- If God spared not His own Son, well then, what else would He not give us—as if we needed more than His Son in the first place.
- Who can bring a charge against us of wrongdoing? The devil? The one we have wronged, maybe? But God says, “No! I have justified you in my sight, not because you are worthy, but for the exact opposite. It is my gracious will to make you right before my eyes, and my will shall be done.”
- Who shall condemn us? No one because Christ died and was raised for us and there is absolutely nothing more efficacious for us than his blood and the new life he gives us through his resurrection. Our sins are forgiven. End of story.
- Not only so but Christ is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us; that is, he is there on OUR behalf pleading our case before the Father. And needless to say, the Father heeds the Son because He loves the Son and loves us through the Son.
- Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ—NOTHING. Good, bad, ugly—it doesn’t matter. God has chosen to save us out of His abundant grace and that settles it.
- Rather than sheep for the slaughter, we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” And whereas before, Paul noted tribulation and distress as unable to separate us from the love of Christ, now he mentions intangible things like height and depth, powers, and finally says, “nor anything else in all creation.”
Jesus said of his sheep, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-29).