More Than Conquerors (Part 3), Romans 8:38-39 (Part 9 of God for Us series)

NOTE: There is a glitch in the recording at about 4 minutes in, and the subject matter missed is:

active voice—the subject does the action. [Billy threw the ball].

passive voice—the subject is acted upon. [Billy was hit by the ball].

"Persuaded" in v. 38 is passive voice.

Since God for us

• No enemies—v. 31b

• No lack—v. 32

• No guilt—v. 33 (no one can file a charge)

• No judge—v. 34

• No catastrophe—vv. 35-36 (he lists several possibilities)

• No separation—vv. 37-39

Romans 8:38-39

• Settled conviction—for I am persuaded

• Universal search—then he will take a run through the universe to see if there is anything that can separate from the love of God in Christ—v. 39 (4 groupings & 1 single item)

o Death and life—no condition of existence can separate

o Angels and principalities and powers—no super-natural being

o Present things and future things—no dimension of time

o Height and depth—no dimension of space

o The one single item—nor any other created thing (the catch-all)

• “I am persuaded”

• Perfect tense—completed action

• Passive voice—something outside of himself

Three elements necessary to grow—(all three is called firm conviction)

• Existence of truth

• Teaching of truth

• Believing of truth

• There is absolute propositional truth

Death

• Fact of death—we all die

• Manner of death—no disease discriminates

• Process of death—all bodies decay

• Resurrection of the body—both believer and unbeliever will rise (John 5:28)—the only difference is outcome

Relationship of soul and spirit

• OT—Job 19:25-26—he will see God without his body

• NT—three ways:

o It is sleep

o It is departure

o It is exodus