Romans 8.36-Paul Quotes Psalm 44.22 To Remind His Readers That They Should Not Be Surprised If They Suffer Martyrdom
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday February 4, 2009
Romans: Romans 8:36-Paul Quotes Psalm 44:22 To Remind His Readers That They Should Not Be Surprised If They Suffer Martyrdom
Lesson # 287
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:31.
This evening we will complete our study Romans 8:36 and in this passage, Paul cites Psalm 44:22 to remind his readers that they should not be surprised if they suffer martyrdom.
Let’s read this final paragraph and then concentrate on verse 36 for the rest of the morning.
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 36.
Romans 8:36, “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.’”
“Just as” is the comparative conjunction kathos (kaqwv$) (kath-oce), which is used with the indicative mood of the verb grapho, “it is written.”
Together, they introduce a comparative clause that indicates a comparison with the last category of undeserved suffering listed in Romans 8:35, namely, the “sword,” which refers to capital punishment.
The conjunction kathos, “as” with the indicative mood of grapho, “it is written” introduces an Old Testament passage, namely, Psalm 44:22, which supports Paul’s assertion in Romans 8:35 that martyrdom is a category of undeserved suffering that some Christians will be exposed to.
Psalm 44:22, “But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
To suffer martyrdom for the cause of Christ is experiencing underserved suffering and identification with Christ in His death, which was Paul’s ambition in life.
Philippians 3:10, “that I come to know Him experientially and the power from His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings by my becoming like Him with respect to His death.”
So to validate his assertion that his readers could face martyrdom, Paul quotes the Septuagint translation of Psalm 44:22.
“It is written” is the third person singular perfect passive indicative form of the verb grapho (gravfw) (graf-o).
In Romans 8:36, the perfect tense of grapho is an “intensive” perfect emphasizing the results or present state produced by a past action.
Therefore, it emphasizes the present permanent and authoritative state of the Old Testament Scriptures that was produced by the past action of the Holy Spirit supernaturally guiding the writer of Psalm 44:22 to record in writing with perfect accuracy.
Psalm 119:89, “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.”
Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
The passive voice indicates that the subject receives the action of the verb.
Thus, it indicates that the human authors of Scripture received the inspiration from the Holy Spirit to write in perfect accuracy God’s complete and connected thought to man.
Therefore, the passive voice indicates that God the Holy Spirit inspired Psalm 44:22.
The doctrine of inspiration contends that, God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human authors of Scripture that without destroying their individuality, their literary style, their personal interests, or their vocabulary, God’s complete and connected thought towards man was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture.
Therefore, the Bible in its original languages is the exact record, the mind and will of God and contains the very words of God, and therefore, bear the “authority” of divine authorship.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
2 Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Romans 8:36, “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.’”
“FOR YOUR SAKE” means that it is because of being identified with Jesus Christ that some Christians suffer martyrdom.
John 16:2, “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”
2 Corinthians 4:11, “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
Romans 8:36, “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.’”
“WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH” is the first person plural present passive indicative form of the verb thanatoo (qanatovw) (than-at-o-o), which means, “to kill, to cause to be put to death, to deliver over to death.”
The verb thanatoo is used in a figurative sense and means, “to be put to death” referring to the Christian experiencing identification with Christ in His physical death.
The first person plural form of the verb does not refer to Paul and his audience since obviously both were still alive when this epistle was written.
Rather, Paul is identifying himself and his readers with their fellow Christians who were suffering martyrdom for their identification with Christ at the time of writing.
“ALL DAY LONG” refers to the church age, which began at Pentecost (Acts 2) and will end with the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57) and was a mystery meaning that it was not known to the Old Testament prophets (Ephesians 3:9; Romans 16:25-26).
“WE ARE CONSIDERED” is the first person plural aorist passive indicative form of the verb logizomai (logivzomai) (lo-gidz-o-my), which means that the inhabitants of the cosmic system of Satan “hold a view or an opinion with regards to” Christians in the first century, namely that they are as sheep to be slaughtered.
Romans 8:36, “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.’”
“AS” is the relative adverb of manner hos (w($) (hoce), which functions as a comparative particle introducing a comparison between the martyrdom of Christians during the church age with that of the slaughtering of sheep.
This comparison was the viewpoint of the inhabitants of Satan’s cosmic system throughout the extent of the church age.
“SHEEP” is the nominative neuter plural form of the noun probaton (provbaton) (prob-at-on), which is used in a literal sense for domestic sheep used for religious sacrifice, food and clothing.
Therefore, this word indicates that for the entire period of the church age the inhabitants of Satan’s cosmic system are characterized as considering Christians as sheep to be slaughtered.
Isaiah 53:7 describes the Lord Jesus Christ during His first advent in the same way.
Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”
“TO BE SLAUGHTERED” is the genitive feminine singular form of the noun sphage (sfaghv) (sfag-ay), which is used of the martyrdom of Christians.
Therefore, Paul is saying that people in the devil’s world during the church age regard the killing of Christians as equivalent to “slaughtered” sheep.