God is For Us

This is a thought that will change your life, and help you to love the Lord more. One of the guy's in my dorm, Josh, reintroduced me to this truth and it helped so much.

Romans 8:28-33
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

In the book of Romans, we are given a glimpse into mind of Paul and a revelation of the heart of God. Paul was a very logical and analytical person; he tended to state the facts and draw conclusions from them (This is way we ought to think, but usually we train ourselves not to – it brings up too many “issues.”). In the eight chapter of Romans, Paul gives us tells us the God is for us. He spends most of His time stating and proving this fact, and then draws some conclusions from the truth he has just proven. Let’s look at some of the truths we learn from this chapter (set aside, for a moment Paul’s method and focus on His message).

First, we are told of our forgiveness. In the first verse Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us “There is now therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” If you look in the third chapter of John, Jesus tells us “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (v.18).” Later we hear Jesus, speaking to the woman caught in adultery, ready to be stoned, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:11).” Paul tells us that there is now NO condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. The law brought condemnation; Christ brought justification. The law said, “Stone her”, The Lord said “Save her.” I am thankful that God’s mercy endureth forever. Just previous to this verse, Paul exclaims, “O wretched man that I am!,” and then he tells us, that there is now therefore no condemnation. How? Why? Because God is for us! Paul tells in his epistle to Timothy, that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I (Paul) am chief.” So what does it mean to us that Christ come to be sacrificed to save sinners? It means that God is for us!

In the 11th verse of Romans 8, we read, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Here we see, our freedom. Paul, is his typical way, gives an if…then clause and explains to the readers that our bodies will one day be raised up. In the preceding verses Paul is explaining the difference between the flesh and the Spirit. He tells us in verse number 9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.” As Christians, we are delivered from the flesh, and brought into the land of the living, and are now to live after the Spirit.

Paul knew of the indwelling Spirit of God living inside of Him. Unlike us, as 20th century believers, early New Testament Christians were not immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Looking at the life of Paul, we are told of his glorious encounter with Christ, the light of the world, the light so bright, Paul was blinded by it. It wasn’t until he was met by Annanias; we don’t know how long it was, but a definite period of time had eclipsed between Paul’s meeting with Christ, and his meeting with Annanias. So this indwelling of the Holy Spirit would have definitely stood out in the minds of Paul and his readers. What Paul is saying though, is that, as believers, we are not in the flesh, we are in the Spirit.

From all this, Paul tells us that, as Spiritual creatures, our fleshly body will not hold us back from eternity. We will be freed from this carnal flesh, and raised, just as Christ was raised, to be with the Father. Our mortal bodies will be quickened, made alive, and we will know the power of the resurrected Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Verse 21 says, “The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Jesus tells us, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” As a believer, I have true freedom – it is liberation from corruption.” I am made dead unto sin, and alive unto Christ. Resurrection represents a death to one nature, and a life to another. We will be raised up, turning our backs eternally upon sin, death, and Hell, following He, who conquered them into Heaven. What does this show? It shows that God is for us!

We have seen our forgiveness, and our freedom, and in the 15th verse Paul begins to speak about our Father. He tells us that now that those who are led by the Spirit (and He has just told us that, as Christians, we are), they are the sons of God. We have been adopted into His house and we are made His children because God is for us. We were once the orphans of sin, but we are now forgiven, we are given God’s Holy Spirit, and will one day be raised from our carnal grave, and we are adopted into the family of God. This is the story of a Christian - from abandoned to adopted. Paul goes on and tells, that because we are children, we are joint heirs with Christ. All of God’s children – from Christ, to even you and I, may partake in all of the Father’s riches, and they will never run dry. (You might think well, the more believers there are, the more God’s riches will be divided. Well, how many times does Infinity divide? Oh yeah, infinite times, and the number never decreases. Don’t think about that too long, your head will start to hurt. In Ephesians, Paul uses the phrase, “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” And for sure, God’s riches are unsearchable, unexplainable, indivisible, but completely attainable. All of God’s blessings are available to all of His children.)

At the end of the chapter, Paul, in proof of the same truth, that God is for us, now tells us of our future.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

This is my future, a future of eternal oneness with Christ. It is a relationship that cannot be severed. Christ’s relationship with us as believers is often symbolized in His written Word as a bridegroom and His bride. Most of the time when we hear the words, “What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder,” we think of earthly marriages between a man and his wife. But let’s take in terms of Romans 8., No man, creature, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angel, principality, power, anything present, anything to come, height depth, or anything else anyone could ever think of, will never put asunder what God hath joined together. We are eternally unseparatable from Christ. What a future for the life of the Christian.

Let’s leave the Biblical metaphor of Christ and Believer to a husband and wife. This tie has become much too loose in the eyes of most people in our day and time. Let’s think about the relationship between father and son (Oh yeah, Paul has already mentioned that.) Once a Father begets a child, the relationship will never be broken. Their communication may cease, but the child has the same Father. Fellowship may cease but the child still has the same Father. The father or the son may die, but the child has no other father. As a child of God, we are signed into the most unbreakable, eternal contract ever known by man. What does all of this mean? It means that God is for us.

We have been given sufficient evidence to testify that God is for us – he is for our good. We have been shown our forgiveness that removes condemnation, our freedom that liberates us from the bondage of flesh, our Father that has adopted us, and our future that keeps us forever binds us to Christ and His love for us. Now, Paul draws certain conclusions from this truth that God is for us.

First, we find that out of God’s goodness, all things work together for good for us. This should leave our minds with a sense of peace, no matter what may come in our lives. Why? Because all things work together for good. Without all of the good things, all of the hard times, and all of the unexpected events that God places in our lives, it wouldn’t be all that God intended. Paul tells us that all things work together for good. When things seem to be going wrong, remember that God is for your good, and these things are working together for your good.

Next, we see that “if God be for us, who can be against us.” Paul tells us that any one believer and God makes a majority. If God is for us, no one could ever stand against us. This reminds us of the people of Israel. When they had the Ark of the Covenant, representing God’s presence, none of their enemies could stand against them. With God, no person, creature, or circumstance can stand against us.

Finally Paul tells us, because God is for us, He will not withhold from us any gift. In the 32nd verse, the Bible tells us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Using his characteristic logic, Paul tells the Romans, that if God is for us, for our good enough to sacrifice even His own Son, then out of that goodness, he will not withhold any good thing from us. Do you think that someone who would give up their own son for another, would not give them anything they asked for. If God would give us His Son, He would give us anything.

This is the principle that God wants us to learn. It is based on solid evidence that we have forgiveness, a new freedom, a Heavenly Father, and an eternal future with Christ. We know that God is for us. And now, what does this mean for us? It means that all the events of life work for our good; it means nothing can stand against us; and that God will not withhold from us any good gift. If we could learn this truth, I mean truly learn this truth, it would change the way we look at things, and would help us to love the Lord as He ought to be loved. May God help us to learn this truth that God is for us.