Romans 8.31-It Doesn't Matter Who Is Against The Christian Because God Is For The Christian
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday January 22, 2009
Romans: Romans 8:31-It Doesn’t Matter Who Is Against The Christian Because God Is For The Christian
Lesson # 281
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:31.
This evening we will begin a study of the final paragraph contained in Romans chapter eight, which begins in Romans 8:31 and ends in Romans 8:39.
This evening we will begin our study of this final paragraph by noting Romans 8:31 and in this passage, the apostle Paul teaches it doesn’t matter who opposes the Christian because God is for them.
Let’s read this final paragraph and then concentrate on verse 31 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 8:31-39, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let’s now concentrate on verse 31.
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Corrected translation of Romans 8:31:
Romans 8:31, “Therefore, what is the conclusion that we are forced to with regards to these things? If, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument, God the Father is, as an eternal spiritual truth for each and every one of us. Of course, He is! Then, who can oppose any of us (and prevail)?”
“Then” is the “inferential” use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), which denotes that what is introduced at this point is the result of an inference from Paul’s teaching contained in Romans 1:18-8:30.
This indicates that the demonstrative pronoun houtos, “these things” refers to the many spiritual blessings enumerated by Paul in Romans 1:18-8:30.
This interpretation is substantiated by Paul’s statements in Romans 8:31-39 where his statements about God’s love for the Christian and His sacrifice of His Son for them and justifying them recalls his statements in Romans 5:1-11 about these blessings.
The fact that he mentions that the Christian has been justified because of his faith in Christ in Romans 8:33 indicates that Paul is pointing back to his teaching in Romans 1:18-4:25 where he argues that the sinner can only be justified through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
“What shall we say to these things” is a rhetorical question that demands a negative response.
It is a Greek idiom in debater’s technique and it should be translated, “what is the inference or conclusion that we are forced to?”
“To these things” is composed of the preposition pros (pro$) (pros), “to” and the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (ou!!to$) (hoo-tos), “these things.”
The demonstrative pronoun houtos refers to Paul’s teaching in Romans 1:18-8:30 since his statements in Romans 8:31-39 recall his teaching in Romans 1:18-5:11.
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
“If” is the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), which introduces a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
As we noted many times in our studies in Romans, the idea behind the first class condition is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument, then...”
This would encourage Paul’s audience to respond and come to the conclusion of the apodosis since they already agreed with him on the protasis.
Therefore, Paul is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his audience.
Here the protasis is “if and let assume that it is true for the sake argument God is for us? And it is clear that He is!”
The apodasis is “(then) who can be against us?”
The basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.”
The “evidence” is that God is for the Christian.
The “inference” is that it doesn’t matter who opposes the Christian in life.
This would give Paul’s readers encouragement.
The response to Paul’s protasis by his Christian readership would be obvious.
Of course they believe that God is for them!
They would agree emphatically with his protasis.
He is not attempting to prove that his protasis is true rather he is saying with the first class condition that we agree that God is for us based upon the blessings I’ve enumerated thus far in this epistle.
The first class condition would then persuade them to respond to the conclusion found in the apodasis that it doesn’t matter who or what opposes the Christian in life when God is for them.
Therefore, Paul’s audience would have to come to his conclusion if they submit to this line of argumentation.
He wants them to come to his line of argumentation because he wants to reassure them and give them encouragement, which will serve to motivate them to make every effort to experience sanctification and become like Christ.
Therefore, it is essential that they agree with him on this point since it will help them to experience sanctification and give them assurance of their salvation.
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
“God” is the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to God the Father and this is indicated by its articular construction, which is “anaphoric” meaning that the word’s synonym was used in the previous context, which is the third person singular form of the verbs proorizo, kaleo, dikaioo and doxazo that appear in Romans 8:30.
“For us” is composed of the preposition huper (u(peVr) (hoop-er), “for” and the genitive first person plural form of the personal pronoun hemeis (h(mei$) (hay-mice), “us.”
The personal pronoun hemeis refers to Paul and his fellow Christians.
The word is used in a distributive sense meaning “each and every one of us” emphasizing that there are no exceptions.
The preposition huper is used with the genitive form of the personal pronoun hemeis, “us” and functions as a marker of participants who are benefited by an event.
Therefore, huper with the genitive form of the personal pronoun hemeis, “us” marks Christians as “benefiting” from the work of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
“Who is against us” does not mean that the Christian has no opponents since it is clear by Paul’s statements in Romans 8:31-39 that the Christian does have adversaries.
Rather, he is saying that it doesn’t matter who is against the Christian when God is for the Christian.
No one can prevail over a Christian when God is for him.
The promises that God has given the Christian which are enumerated up to this point in the Roman epistle give the Christian eternal security.
Therefore, this rhetorical question that demands a negative response indicates quite clearly that God is for the Christian, thus it doesn’t matter who or what opposes the Christian.
What God the Father has done for the Christian in eternity past, and what the Son has done for the Christian with His death and resurrection and what the Holy Spirit is doing now in time for the Christian and will do for the Christian in the future in giving the Christian a resurrection body should give the Christian confidence regardless of what adversity that the Christian might face in life.
God is for the Christian since as the Christian’s judge, the demands of His holiness that the Christian be judged have been satisfied by the death of Christ.
He is for the Christian since as the Christian’s judge He has declared the Christian righteous as He is as a result of the Christian’s faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
The Father is for the Christian since He demonstrated His love for the Christian by sending His Son to the Cross for the Christian while the Christian was His enemy.
He is for the Christian since in eternity past, He knew in advance the Christian would have faith in His Son Jesus Christ and therefore predestinated the Christian to be conformed to the image of His Son.
The Father is for the Christian since the Father formulated a plan for the Christian in eternity past before the Christian existed.
When Chrysostom was brought before the Roman Emperor, the Emperor threatened him with banishment if he remained a Christian. Chrysostom replied, “Thou canst not banish me for this world is my father’s house.’ ‘But I will slay thee,’ said the Emperor. ‘Nay, thou canst not,’ said the noble champion of the faith, ‘for my life is hid with Christ in God.’ ‘I will take away thy treasures.’ ‘Nay, but thou canst not for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.’ ‘But I will drive thee away from man and thou shalt have no friend left.’ ‘Nay, thou canst not, for I have a friend in heaven from whom thou canst not separate me. I defy thee; for there is nothing that thou canst do to hurt me.’”
Psalm 27:1-3, “The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.”
Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam.”
Psalm 56:4, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
Psalm 56:11, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Psalm 118:6-7, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.”
Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 20:11, “But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.”