Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

In May 2016, Forbes Magazine posted an article called, “The Top 8 Things People Deperately Desire But CAn’t Seem to Attain” by Kathy Caprino (https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/05/24/the-top-8-things-people-desperately-desire-but-cant-seem-to-attain/?sh=45e02f2e7086).

771 People answered the survey. The key question being, “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” There were 8 most common answers given.

1. Happiness

“In my work with professional women, I’ve seen that happiness continually escapes them because, first, they don’t understand exactly what will make them happy. They just don’t know themselves well at all. Secondly, they search outside themselves for happiness – in a job, a husband, a family, a title, a paycheck, a fancy house. As a result, happiness is constantly out of their control and a perpetual moving target that never stands still long enough for them to grasp. I’m not saying that these things don’t bring happiness – of course, they can. The key point is that if everything you’re searching for remains outside of you, you’ll always be chasing and scrambling.”

2. Money

“I’ve worked with millionaires, as well as people who earn mid-six figures and far, far less. Isn’t it fascinating that no matter what we earn, we somehow feel we never have enough? I know people with literally over a million dollars in their retirement accounts, yet they live in such a constant fear state around money that they never have a moment’s peace and can't enjoy spending for anything, even for family vacations that are supposed to be joyful.”

3. Freedom

“We want to “feel” free, yet are scared to muster the courage to do what’s necessary to “become” free.”

4. Peace

“We long for peace, desperately. Peace from noise, chatter, pressure, responsibilities. We also want peace from the painful thumping inside our own heads – the conflicts and strain we inflict on ourselves every minute to be better, stronger, smarter (prettier, thinner, better parents, _______ [you fill in the blank]).”

5. Joy

“Biggest challenge: “How to find the right role or position for me now that will bring joy in my work.”

6. Balance

“I’ve researched work-life balance extensively, and believe that it’s doable only under one condition: that you understand clearly what your top life priorities are, and you defend and honor those priorities fiercely, every minute of the day.”

7. Fulfillment

Fulfillment can be defined as this: “Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities or character.” We simply can’t experience fulfillment if we’re not living up to what we know is our highest and best potential.

8. Confidence

“I’ve seen in working with thousands of professionals, and in my former therapy and corporate work, that we humans only see what’s at the tip of our noses. When we’re in situations that are hurtful, demeaning, challenging and worse, we lose confidence. We get rocked and we stay rocked. We forget who we are, and what we are capable of, and see only the boss in front of us who’s yelling or the colleague or family member who’s tearing us down.”

Source: Kathy Caprino, Forbes Magazine, May 24, 2016

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

Caprino states something that is more significant than she probably even realizes herself. She's looking at all of this on a professional level, but the core of this is spiritual. The core of this is understanding our identity in Jesus Christ. Happiness, money, freedom, peace, joy, balance, fulfillment, confidence do not come from within us. All of these things are given to us when we become alive in the Lord Jesus Christ.

People need to be loved. The problem is the things of this world, the systems of this world, and people in this world, fail to meet that love need. And so as we find ourselves feeling unloved we turn to escapes through drugs, alcohol, sensuality, changing our very identity, and sadly the final escape of suicide. That is why this passage touches our hearts so tremendously.

Romans 8:31 ESV

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

The question in verse 31 “What shall we say to these things?” Is taking us all the way back through the last 8 chapters demanding we give a response to God's amazing salvation. Remember how Chapter 8 begins: Romans 8:1Now we come to a climax in Romans 8:30. What then shall be our response to all of this?

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

You can respond indifferently. As if it is too good to be true. That there's no way that God could possibly love you. You are weary of life, disappointments. You are overwhelmed by the transgressions. You've been hurt in church. People have let you down and you feel as if God is intentionally working against you. By the way, that's the danger of the false preaching of the prosperity gospel. Because when you're giving all you have and you're still receiving nothing but disappointment in life, then you have to reach the conclusion that God is not interested in you.

But the second-half of verse 31 seems to put all that away. Because the truth Paul is teaching us is that God will never reject his own. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” is one of the greatest statements in all of Scripture. God is for you. That is the most precious truth of the gospel.

Psalm 27:1 ESV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

That is the kind of confidence that cannot come from within you. It has to come from above. And so Kathy Caprino working with professionals writes in Forbes magazine, “When we’re in situations that are hurtful, demeaning, challenging and worse, we lose confidence. We get rocked and we stay rocked. We forget who we are, and what we are capable of, and see only the boss in front of us who’s yelling or the colleague or family member who’s tearing us down.” Is the reality of a lost soul Or someone that has drifted far from God. The believer faces hurtful situations, Challenges, gets rocked by life, or people who want to tear us down. The sting of those realities do not change, but our confidence no longer comes from our circumstances or even from within us. Our confidence is from God and our confidence is from above.

Psalm 46:1 ESV

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:7 ESV

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 46:11 ESV

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Isaiah 54:17 ESV

17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:28 ESV

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Now someone may say, that sounds all great. But I need proof. Look at verse 32

Romans 8:32 ESV

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

How do you know that God loves you that way? Because he sent his own son. He gave his own son as a best sacrifice on our behalf. He did not spare his own son. Remember propitiation? Remember redemption? Remember justification? All of those things are dependent upon the very suffering and death of Jesus.

Romans 5:6 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

Who delivered Jesus to die? Who was the one that sent him to death? It was not Pilate. It wasn't Judas. It wasn't the Jews. It wasn't the Romans. It wasn't even us. It was God the Father. And the motive was love. God's love for you.

Ephesians 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

That is the staggering reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that reality ties back to verse one. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:33–34 ESV

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

Now the first question we must ask is who is the “who” that Paul is talking about? Your boss? Your neighbor? Your husband? The biblical answer is found in Revelation 12:10 “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

Satan is your accuser. Satan once you condemned. Day and night he attempts to pull you away from God. The way he does that is by convincing you that God doesn't love you. But as we look at Romans 8 what charges can he bring against us? God has already given the final verdict. He's already justified us. He's already declared that our sins have been paid in full. So what kind of charge can he bring against us?

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

John 11:42 ESV

42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Psalm 110:1 ESV

1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

Now we come to one of the greatest assurances I think we can find in all of scripture. It's like Scripture.

Romans 8:35–39 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

If God promises to never leave us, and if God promises to never stop loving us, and if God is all powerful and refuses to hear the accusations of Satan because our sins have been paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ what is in this world or in heaven that can separate us from God and His love?

Your sin? Difficult circumstances? Tribulation? Pressure? Torture? Persecution? Are these the indicators of the absence of God's love? Or are these the indicators of the enemies hate for us who at the same time tries to convince us through these things that God does not love us?

The revelation of God's love for us and the depth of that love will bring you to a confidence that there is nothing this world can throw at you that will shake your faith. In fact as you grow in your faith when these things come your way, the believer will rejoice.

Psalm 44:22 ESV

22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Our Confidence in the Glory of Christ

I heard the story of pastor George Matheson. He was one of the most beloved clergymen in the church of Scotland. When he was just a young man, he began to go blind. His fiancée at that time broke off the marriage, saying that a blind man would not be able to care for her. Out of the pain of his loss came the realization that God would never leave him and he wrote the hymn, “Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” (www.christianmusicandhymns.com)

1 O Love, that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.

3 O Joy, that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain That morn shall tearless be.