Romans 8:31-39

Outline

Work back through the guilt cycle. Probably chart it out like on my board for David Bower

Dont trust feelings, trust truth.

This passage is the truth

When im in sin, i feel seperated from God. Truth-not seperated

Exegete

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.

Verse 31 ties this passage to the previous verses. He saying I know all this previous stuff is so good, so what else can we say now? Im really, whats else could we say that makes this deal any better? How about, that if the same God that did all those things is for us, I mean really, who can be against us?

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If God doesnt condemn us, can anyone?

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?

So if God would give up his son for us, what else would possibly be harder for him to give up? Why would we even assume that he would withhold something else from us?

He wont.

Verse 33 reiterates that previous argument from beginning that if the one (God) that can condemns us, doesnt, then really, who else could? The answer is nobody.

Romans 8:35–36 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.”

But we arent just talking about condemnation trying to seperate us from God. NOTHING CAN SEPERATE US!!!!!

Romans 8:37 ESV

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Moo says this is a shout back to Romans 8:28where it says, all things work to good. Not only do we win and survive through all these things that try to conquer and/or seperate us, but because of the love of God, those things literally begin to work for our good.

That is a profound concept. God using evil for good.

This makes me think of how God takes the sting out of death by actually using it to purify the sin finally out of our bodies. What sin and death meant for our destruction, God uses it for our good.

This passage is a little short, so I may try to be a little more creative for this, and make it more of a teaching session than a preaching session.