Romans 8:31-39
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Five Unanswerable Questions
Five Unanswerable Questions
Have you ever been part of a conversation where everything you said was the truth and you knew there could not be a valid response? “With everything we talked about, what is left to say?” “We did not raise you that way, what were you thinking!” “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Some of us have delivered this line of questioning, most of us have also been on the receiving end of questions like this. Often, there is nothing we can add without sounding moros or foolish. Paul opens up the final section of Romans chapter 8 this way. God knows that we all need this reminder sometimes. Life can get us down, we can let people rob our joy. We all need ongoing sanctification and edification. Paul presents five questions that we can not answer, yet these questions show the absolute love, grace, mercy, provision, and care of Abba Daddy in your life and mine.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Paul is asking: "With the knowledge of the LORD that you posses, knowing everything we have discussed, knowing what you know, believing what you believe, seeing what you have seen, what more can you add to what He has done.”
If you review the last eight chapters, this is the climactic point. The full force of the work of God for us in Christ escapes finite comprehension and explanation. Do you ever find yourself standing in absolute awe of God, kind of blubbering? What is there left to say?
Paul poses the first unanswerable question. “If God is for us, who can be against us.”
We could say “nobody,” but nobody is nothing and void. Paul is asking us to name someone who can come up against the power of God.
If Paul had asked “Who is against us,” there would be a barrage of replies. We have formidable enemies against us. There are hardships, the unbelieving persecuting world, the indwelling of sin, death, you get the point.
Paul started this with “if” meaning that not all people can lay claim to having God for them. Throughout the OT, God uttered “I AM against you” to Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, and Edom. Imagine hearing that, “I Am against you!”
The point is that God has called us, justified us, sanctified us, and glorified us through Christ Jesus. All of the powers of darkness may come against us, but they will never prevail because God is on our side.
Question 2:
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
In his second question, Paul is making a connection that the Jews would recognize. Paul is bringing the thought process back to Abraham. Abraham lived somewhere around 2000 B.C. About a thousand years before the Greek writer Homer, and 2000 years before Christ.
God told Abraham “You have not withheld your only son...” 4000 years ago, Jehovah Jireh, the LORD provided a ram in place of Issac. 2000 Years later, God gave His son to be that sacrifice. Jehovah Jireh, the LORD provides and He does not hold back.
Paul points us to the cross. Yeshua, Jesus, the atoning sacrifice for all who would place their faith in Him. What more can we demand of God? To what end will God not go for you or for me? Think about this for a moment:
“Who delivered Jesus to die?”
“Who delivered Jesus to die?”
Judas for money?
Pilate out of fear?
The Jews out of envy?
God delivered Jesus out of Love!
God delivered Jesus out of Love!
30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The Greek word for “It is finished” is tetelestai. This same word appeared on Greek business documents meaning “paid in full.”
Notice what else scripture says. It was not until Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and was satisfied that He had done what He had come to do that HE GAVE UP THE GHOST. He entrusted His spirit into the hands of the Father in His seventh utterance from the cross fulfilling Psalm 31:5.
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
Question three brings us into the courtroom as the defendant. Our conscience accuses us. The devil never stops accusing us. Did you know that the devils title, diabalos, literally means slanderer and accuser? Of course there are numerous human fingers accusing and pointing. If God has banged the gavel and justified us through Christ, The allegations of this world, of diabalos, of our own hearts and minds, can not be sustained when we are acting in the likeness of Christ.
I really like how the prophet Isaiah put it, 700 years before Jesus Christ.
8 He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Where are my accusers? Let them appear!
9 See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!
Love me some Isaiah! Paul goes on to say:
34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
The Greek word for condemn is katakrinō. It means “to give judgement against.” Again, the “pat” answer is “no-one.” When we are walking in the LORD, people may try to condemn us, special interest groups try to condemn Christians today, diabalos tries to condemn. If we are being honest, there are times where our hearts try to condemn us, our minds try to condemn us, and we will at times slip into believing the lies!
Why does condemnation fail then against those who are walking in the Spirit of Christ? Because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died for the very sins by which we should be condemned. God Himself condemned sin in the humanity of Jesus Christ. That saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross was not the end. His resurrection proved God’s acceptance of his sacrifice. And it does not even end there. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, pleading for humanity. Jesus prays for you, me, and the unsaved.
With all of that being said, with all that our Savior has done and continues to do, with God declaring you and me righteous, redeemed, and spotless through the blood of the perfect lamb of God, give me one name that can overrule God! Who then condemns us? If God is God, then no one can condemn you or me when we are acting in the likeness of Christ.
You and I have been judged through the blood of the risen Christ, the perfect son of God. The Apostle Paul now poses his fifth and final question:
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
As I was putting this teaching together, I pictured all of us climbing a grand staircase. This, this right here, is the top of the staircase. What can separate you from the love of Christ? NOTHING! What he did, he did for you and for me. What he continues to do, he does for you and for me.
His love is the one truth we can count on in this world. Paul lists out some things that could happen, have happened, and will happen. None of it changes His love for you or me.
36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
When this blip of time we call our lives is done, we are going to our true home with the Father, in the presence of Jesus Christ. Nothing is going to stop Him from bringing us home. Every tear wiped away, eternal victory with the King of Kings!
Paul leaves us with this amazing, earth shattering, absolute truth of God:
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul begins these verses with the unstoppable truth of God’s love. He gives us a list of polar opposites and all things between that will not get in the way of God’s love.
I love how he goes into verse 39. Rather than continue an exhaustive list, he says to you and me: “Okay, nothing absolutely nothing, can separate you from His love.”
The love of God in Christ cuts through all things! He is the immovable yet unstoppable uncaused first cause. The beginning and the end. For those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior, there is no end to God’s love. People will point their fingers, the devil will continue to whisper, others will speak ill against you and me. The next time the voice of condemnation enters your heart or mind, remember, God has already passed His judgement. Amen?