By Editor Bob Terry
If it hasn’t happened yet, it will. At some point, the core of one’s commitment to God will be tested by life’s experiences. It might be in an experience like the recent tornado in Enterprise. It might be a more private experience of personal tragedy. But it will happen. That is when it is vital to know that God is for us.
The apostle Paul declared this truth in Romans 8:31 when he wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” This was not a new idea. The psalmist had written, “I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4). In Psalm 56:9, the writer declared, “This I know, that God is for me.” Again in Psalm 118:6, the writer said, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.”
The apostle was convinced that God is for us. The word “if” does not suggest that God might or might not be for believers. The Greek word conveys the idea that “since” God is for us or “in view of” God being for us. There is a certainty in Paul’s words that make the statement more of a declaration than a question.
The reason for Paul’s confidence was what God did through Jesus Christ. God “gave Him up for us all” (v. 32). The writer makes an allusion to the story of Abraham and Isaac by introducing the concept of “sparing his own son.” Abraham had been willing to sacrifice Isaac, Genesis teaches, but God allowed the lad to be spared.
But not Jesus — God did not spare His own Son. Earlier the apostle Paul wrote, “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood” (Rom. 3:25). This is more than allowing something to happen. This is God taking the initiative, and He took the initiative “for us all.”
In Romans 3:22, Paul wrote, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
His later references to “us all” are understood in light of the clear teaching that “righteousness from God” or “sacrifice of atonement” comes “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Those who believe in the atoning death of Jesus Christ are the “us” of Chapter 8.
Because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, Paul asserted that God will give believers “all things.” Some read these words and conclude that God is obligated to give His believing children wealth and prosperity.
Such a reading is a perversion of the gospel message. God is not a magic genie who can be summoned to help us accomplish our own purposes.
God is always with us as Lord. Jesus did not come to increase our bank accounts or decrease our trips to the doctor. He came to offer us salvation, life eternal in the presence of God. Paul logically argued that since God has already done the most costly thing — He “did not spare His own Son” — God will provide all that is necessary for our life with Him.
In light of all that God has done, Paul asked, “Who will bring any charge against” those who believe in Jesus? It is a rhetorical question for the clear expectation is no one.
In Job 1 and 2 and Zechariah 3, Satan is pictured standing in the presence of God to bring charges against the faithful. But in Romans 8:33–34, Paul said that not even Satan himself can indict believers because of what God in Christ has already done.
Verse 33 declares, “It is God who justifies.” God took the initiative to make things right between Himself and His creation. God “presented” Jesus “as a sacrifice of atonement” (Rom. 3:25). If God has taken the initiative in behalf of believers, what chance does Satan have? None.
Satan cannot condemn because Jesus has already paid the price for sin through His death on the cross. But Paul wanted to emphasize that Jesus did more than die a physical death. Paul added that Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God.
He ascended into heaven where He sits in a place of honor and power at the right hand of the Father. And in that position of honor, Jesus makes intercession for all who believe on Him.
The apostle John picked up this theme in 1 John 2:1. He wrote that believers should not sin and then added, “But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ the Righteous.”
Satan is stymied again. God has taken the initiative in behalf of believers. Jesus intercedes in their behalf. Satan is defeated because God is for us.
God being for us is grounds for the forgiveness of sin. God being for us is the reason God’s Spirit dwells with believers. God being for us is why Christians can live as “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37) no matter life’s circumstances. God being for us is the reason that all who believe in Jesus Christ have the promise of everlasting life.
God is for us. He is for us in times of joy and times of sorrow. He is for us in health and sickness. God is for us whether life seems to grant us victory or defeat. Remember — God is for all who believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus. God is for us all the time and in all situations. Praise be to God.
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