“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39)
Do you ever have days when, even though you know that "there is therefore now no condemnation in Christ", you still find yourself feeling “condemned”? How about days when, though you know that "nothing can separate you from the love of God" and "no one can snatch you out of His hand", that you still feel pulled and “separated” from God? Are you ever in “tribulation, distress and persecution”? Ever sensing that you are being “slaughtered” ? Sure you have, as have I. Yet in all of this, through Christ Jesus our Lord, we will "overwhelmingly conquer". Christians, the enemy cannot mortally wound us. We will not be forever crippled and unable to serve our King. Matthew Henry’s opening paragraph regarding this section is poignant.
“The apostle closes [chapter 8] with a holy triumph, in the name of all the saints. What shall we say to these things? What use shall we make of all that has been said? He speaks as one wondering at the height and depth, and length and breadth, of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. The more we know of other things the less we wonder at them; but the further we are led into an acquaintance with gospel mysteries the more we are affected with the admiration of them. If ever Paul rode in a triumphant chariot on this side of heaven, here it was. He here makes a challenge, dares all the enemies of the saints to do their worst: If God be for us, who can be against us? This includes all, that God is for us. All that He is, and has, and does, is for His people. And, if so, who can be against us, so as to prevail against us? Be they ever so strong, ever so many, what can they do? While God is for us, and we keep in His love, we may defy all the powers of darkness. Let Satan do his worst, he is chained. Who then dares fight against us, while God himself is fighting for us?”
What shall I say?
Lori
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