Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Let Jesus Fix it for You”*      Romans 8:26, 27, 28

 

(8:26, 27) “*Helpeth**” is **/sunantilambanō/** (**συναντιλαμβανω**), made up of **/sun/** (**συν**), “together with,” **/anti/** (**ἀντι**) “over against,” and **/lambanō/** (**λαμβανω**), “to take.”**

The word speaks of the action of a person coming to another’s aid by taking hold over against that person, of the load he is carrying.

The person helping does not take the entire load, but helps the other person in his endeavor.

The word is used where Martha says to the Lord Jesus concerning Mary, “Bid her therefore that she help me” (Luke **11:40**).

One could translate, “Bid her lend me a helping hand,” the idea being that Martha would continue preparing the meal but needed Mary to help her.

Just so, the Holy Spirit indwelling the saint, comes to the aid of that saint in his spiritual problems and difficulties, not by taking over the responsibility for them and giving the saint an automatic deliverance without any effort on his part, but by lending a helping hand, allowing him to work out his problems and overcome his difficulties, with His help.

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*“The Holy Spirit is our current and able Helper”*

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*The word “infirmities” is **/astheneia/** (**ἀσθενεια**), “want of strength, weakness**.”

The weakness spoken of here is defined by the context which speaks of prayer, one of the things in the spiritual realm in which our weakness needs His power.

The infirmities here therefore are, not physical, but spiritual.*

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*The weakness spoken of here is the inability of the saint to know what to pray for.

We do know what the general objects of prayer are.

But we do not know what the specific, detailed objects of prayer in any given emergency or situation are.

The definite article is used before the word “what.”

Paul says, “We do not know /the/ what we should pray for, the particular what.”

The words “as we ought” are in the Greek text **/katho/**/ dei/** (**καθο δει**), namely, just what is necessary in the nature of the case to pray for.*

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Denney says, “Broadly speaking, we do know what we are to pray for—the perfecting of salvation, but we do not know what we are to pray for according to what is necessary—according as the need is at the moment; we know the end, which is common to all prayers, but not what is necessary at each crisis of need in order to enable us to attain this end.”

*The Spirit Himself makes intercession.

The words “makes intercession” are **/huperentugchanō/** (**ὑπερεντυγχανω**),* *“to intercede for one.”

Robertson says, “It is a picturesque word of rescue by one who ‘happens on’ (**/entugchanō/** (**ἐντυγχανω**)) one who is in trouble, and ‘in his behalf’ (/huper/ (ὑπερ)) pleads ‘with unuttered groanings’ (instrumental case) or with ‘sighs that baffle words’ (Denney).”

Thayer says, “Although we have no very definite conception of what we desire, and cannot state it in fit language (as we ought) in our prayer but only disclose it by inarticulate groanings, yet God receives these groanings as acceptable prayers inasmuch as they come from a soul full of the Holy Spirit.”

Alford says, “The Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us, knowing our wants better than we, Himself pleads in our prayers, raising us to higher and holier desires than we can express in words, which can only find utterance in sighings and aspirations.”*

*Alford is helpful, “He who searcheth the hearts (God) knoweth what is the mind (/intent/ or /bent/, as hidden in those sighs) of the Spirit.”

That is, God the Father who searches the hearts of His saints, understands the intent or bent of our unutterable prayers, unutterable because we do not know the particular things we should pray for in connection with a certain circumstance, for He knows the mind of the Holy Spirit praying for us and in our stead in our prayers in the case of the above-mentioned items for prayer, the Holy Spirit praying according to the plan of God for our lives.*

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*“The Holy Spirit knows our weakness and aides us with Power in Prayer”*

 

 

(8:28) The text reads, “And we know with an absolute knowledge that all things are constantly working together, resulting in good for those who are loving God, for those who are called ones according to His purpose.”

Alford comments, *“In this further description, the apostle designates the believers as not merely loving God, but /being beloved by God/.

The divine side of their security from harm is brought out, as combining with and ensuring the other.

They are sure that all things work for their good, not only because /they love Him who worketh all things/, but also because /He who worketh all things hath loved and chosen them/, and carried them through the successive steps of their spiritual life.*

The /calling/ here and elsewhere spoken of by the apostle is the working, in men, of ‘the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laid, He hath decreed by His counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom He hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation.”

The Eberhard Nestle text puts /ho theos/ (ὁ θεος) (God) in the apparatus and has “All things work together for good.”

The Irwin Nestle and Westcott and Hort texts include the /ho theos/ (ὁ θεος) in brackets in their text.

Robertson says the words are found in two prominent manuscripts A and B. which read, “God works all things together for good.”

He says, “That is the idea anyhow.

It is God who makes ‘all things work together’ in our lives ‘for good,’ ultimate good.…

Paul accepts fully human free agency, but behind it all and through it all runs God’s sovereignty as here and on its gracious side.”

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*“God the Father Loves us and has chosen to cause all things to work out for our good and for God’s glory”*