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Romans 8:32
32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
After meditating on the Spirit's role in our salvation throughout the bulk of this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul returns to the preeminence of the Cross and the wonder of God's love (see vv. 2, 32). The Lord has gone to the greatest length to redeem humans, even to the point of planning and procuring our spiritual lives to every end by the ministry of His Spirit. Yet it is through Jesus' act of washing away both sin and condemnation by atonement that the Spirit is thereby ours to receive in faith. When the Spirit has only begun His work in us, all of God's promises are already ours to claim in and by Christ (2 Cor. 1:18-22). While the Father lavishes His love on us through the work of the Spirit, that love is displayed for all by Jesus on the Cross and it is therefore the Cross to which we look for our soul's security (rather than the Spirit's apparent or unapparent work in us). Paul, then, is reiterating what the Lord said to the disciples in John 14 -- Jesus remains with us and will bring about our salvation through the work of the Spirit. In light of this great offering of the Son of God on our behalf, we are told to approach God boldly with our requests (Heb. 4:14-16). Jesus also follows the comforting message of His continued presence by the Spirit with the promise that "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do" (Jn 14:13-14). It remains for us to respond with faith in these great promises -- to walk by the Spirit and to ask for all things in Jesus' name. May God be glorified as we do!
Bookmarked 7 months ago.
Romans 8:31
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
What shall we say to God's love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us? This is the love that, Paul tells us, was pledged to us before creation came to be (v.30; see also Eph. 2). This is the love that will see us through all sorts of trials and suffering and make us more like Jesus (vv.26-29). This is the love that brought Christ our Lord to the Cross with joy in offering up Himself to ransom our souls from sin, death, and hell (vv.1-4). Indeed the Cross is God's ultimate sign of His unfailing love, in that He would not let our deserved ruin, misery and destruction go on forever (1 Jn. 3:16). In Israel He chose a people to be *with*, and through Israel brought forth a Savior who is Immanuel, *God with us*. If God is for us in all of these things, who can be against us? We must accept His word of promise, understand His purpose revealed in His word, and we must pray for spiritual insight into this unfailing love of God so that we can understand in Spirit and Truth (Eph. 3:14-19). For we will produce greater and greater fruit for God the deeper our hearts and minds dig into this central Gospel truth -- for it is not something that can be moved beyond. Instead, we must continue to grow in this understanding until we see Him face to face and are caught up in His fullness.
Bookmarked 7 months ago.
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