The Believers' Confidence
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession 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?
As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
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.
Intro:
Intro:
AG: God’s pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from his love.
John Robert Walmsley Stott (English Preacher)
TS: Paul ends this part of Romans with reminding us of the confidence we have in our salvation. This confidence isn’t in ourselves, but in our Loving Father who saves us and keeps us!
This passage is familiar and has often been used to remind us to keep our eyes on the finish line of standing before God some day.
RS:
I. God’s Divine Plan
I. God’s Divine Plan
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
God’s benevolence
God’s benevolence
all things work together for good
God, in His providence, orchestrates the events of our lives to accomplish HIS purpose
It is ultimately for our benefit
NOT all things are good
All things work for good
some lessons hurt!
But they are for our own good
It is similar to what HE did fro Israel
who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;
who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—
The best thing for us is salvation!
God works in our lives and brings about His purposes.
Paul goes through that next
Chain of Salvation
Chain of Salvation
-Past Tense Verbs: The verbs "foreknew" (προέγνω), "predestined" (προώρισεν), "called" (ἐκάλεσεν), "justified" (ἐδικαίωσεν), and "glorified" (ἐδόξασεν) are all in the aorist tense, which in Greek often indicates a completed action.
-Theological Implication: Using the past tense for these actions conveys a sense of certainty and completed reality from God's perspective. Even though from the human viewpoint, glorification is future, from God's eternal viewpoint, it is so assured that it can be spoken of as already accomplished. This provides immense assurance to believers about their salvation; it's not contingent on future events but is as secure as if it were already done.
2. The Chain of Salvation:
The sequence from foreknowledge through to glorification in these verses is described in the past tense, suggesting a completed and unbroken chain. This implies that each step is guaranteed by God's unchangeable will:
- Foreknew:
God's intimate knowledge of individuals.
He knows every detail about us. He knows everything we think or might think under any given circumstance
He knows all that we will do and what we might do.
He knows everything!
- Predestined:
God's sovereign decision for their destiny.
He decided that all who call upon the name of the Lord would be saved.
Specifically- it is the destiny to be conformed to Christ.
- Called:
God's calls us to repent
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
God has genuinely offered a call to all men everywhere to repent!
Jesus’ work on the cross was universal in that it applies to and makes possible salvation for all, but it it is specific and applied to those God foreknew and predestined, and in this context, the called whom God knows already.
God knows not all will repent.
It is effective only for those who repent.
- Justified:
God's declaration of righteousness upon faith.
We have covered this a lot in the first 3 chapters.
God declared us righteous before we were born!
By grace
- Glorified:
The future state of believers with Christ, treated as past to emphasize its certainty.
God sees us as we will be
Implication: This sequence underscores that salvation is a work of God from start to finish, not dependent on human ability to persevere. He saves us and keeps us saved and one day will Glorify each of us.
This should lead us to confidence in our salvation, reducing anxiety about worthiness or the future, encouraging a life of gratitude and service.
II. God’s Unstoppable Love
II. God’s Unstoppable Love
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
In light of God seeing us as we will be, glorified, Paul reminds us that His love is unstoppable.
He does this by addressing several questions which might be raised. He is going through the “what ifs”
There are many who raise concerns and scenarios where they envision falling short and not reaching the finish line.
Charles Spurgeon rightfully said, “If we could lose our salvation, we would!“
Paul points out several things to reassure us:
God is for us
it doesn’t matter who might come against us and accuse us. From fellow humans to Satan Himself, GOD is for us!
The whole world can be against us, but GOD is greater!
God gives us all
Salvation is chief among “all things”
He saves us, it is HIS gift to give
Provision for our needs
Like the model prayer, He gives us our daily bread, our needs to go through life for His glory..
God justifies
He declares us righteous!
Nobody can lay a charge against us and cause us to be under condemnation
Jesus
There are 4 reasons the believer can never be found guilty:
1) Christ’s death
2) His resurrection
3) His exalted position;
4) His continual intercession for them.
AP: Believers can face challenges knowing they have divine support; this can bolster courage in evangelism, personal struggles, or when facing opposition.
We didn’t drift into salvation and we cannot drift out!
III. God’s Overcoming Love
III. God’s Overcoming Love
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
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.
Paul concludes by showing no external force can pull us away from Him.
-Grammatical Analysis: Emphasis on no condition separating believers from God's love.
Look again at this list!
It is comprehensive!
Yet nothing on (or off) the list can separate us from God’s love
Paul gives us assurance against all forms of adversity.
Nothing can seperate us from HIS love for us!
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God demonstrated His love in an amazing way!
He initiated it!
By sending the son
We responded to HIS love!
That is why nothing can seperate
IN all we overwhelmingly conquer
It is a Greek compound word which means over-conquer completely, without any real threat to personal life or health
It is like swatting away a fly… less annoying actually!
- Application: In times of crisis:
Believers can draw strength from the unchangeable love of God,-Grammatical Analysis: Emphasis on no condition separating believers from God's love.
Concl:
Concl:
God has an amazing plan for us. OUR GOOD
His love is unstoppable
His love overcomes all opposition
References:
Outline Bible
Grok
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proleptic
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
John Robert Walmsley Stott (English Preacher)
