Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons


Romans

God did not spare his own son. 8:31-34

[Seed logo] Introduction
      This passage begins to round off the argument of the book, so far, by describing the blessings that are ours through faith in Christ. In that sense it serves as a stepping stone into the next stage of Paul's argument where he defines God's new community of faith.

The passage
      v31. "So what can we draw from all that has been said so far?" In chapters 1 through 8, Paul has developed his argument concerning the right-standing that is ours through faith in Christ. Both the "weak" (those who are tied into law-obedience as a means to confirm their standing before God, please God and/or advance their perfection) and the "strong" (those who have found freedom from the law through faith in Christ), are equally sinners. Yet, it is those who have faith in Christ, apart from the law, who experience God's righteous vindication (salvation), rather than his righteous judgment, Rom.3:21-24. By being identified with Jesus in his death and resurrection we stand before God shrouded in the righteousness of Christ, justified - just-if-I'd never sinned. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ", Rom.5:1. As for this present state of ours in Christ, through the indwelling renewal of the Spirit we are shaped into the person we already are in Christ, and this through faith, Rom.6:14. Through the indwelling power of Christ we are set free from the power of sin and led toward holiness, Rom.6:22. "We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code", Rom.7:6. This process having begun, glorification is assured, Rom.8:28-30. So then, what conclusion can we draw from all this? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Seeing that God has done all this for us, our standing in his sight is totally secure. Nothing, no person or circumstance, can "prevail against" us. We can have complete assurance of our place before God.
      v32. If God was willing to give up his dear Son as a sacrifice for rebellious humanity, undertake an action of immeasurable cost to achieve our right-standing in his sight, it is obvious that he will complete this work by giving us all that is necessary to perfect our salvation in glory.
      v33-34. Who then can lay any charge against God's people, or who can condemn us? Imperfection still resides in our lives. We may have asked for mercy, but still each day we can only but aim at perfection, always falling short. Yet, no one can condemn us, or bring any charge against us before God for our sin. We have an advocate before God who speaks on our behalf at the throne of God, cf. 1John.2:1, Heb.7:25. So no one, either ourselves, others, or even the powers of darkness, can bring any sustainable charge against us. In Christ we are perfect, so no charge of imperfection can stick.

Perseverance
      Little or no assurance is one of the most substantial problems facing believers today. Gladly, our passage for study affirms assurance and therefore has much to say on the issue of perseverance.
      Some believers are not at all confident in their salvation because they are just not fully convinced of the existence of God and/or of the person and effective work of Christ. Yet, this problem is probably not as widespread as we may think it is. Most often our confidence in the existence of God grows as our belief is confirmed through the experiences of daily life. Mind you, we have to accept the danger of selective reasoning - we absorb what is supportive of our belief and discard what is contrary. None the less, life does seem to assure our step of faith. Stepping out for Christ is like stepping out on a pathway covered by mist. We become confident that the path is there as we step out on it. Having made those first steps, our confidence grows. The scene in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Indiana has to fulfill the last test, the leap of faith, well illustrates this truth.
      The prime lack of assurance in the Christian life is much more subtle. We are often not quite sure that we are truly acceptable to God, given that sin is constantly with us. We can easily doubt our salvation in the face of recurrent sin. Yet, when we understand the simple truth of the gift of "righteousness that is by faith from first to last", we can then identify with the confidence expressed by Paul in Romans 8:31-34. There is no force, no power, no circumstance, no person, no anything that can undermine, interfere, intervene, obstruct, destroy our relationship with God in Christ. Our standing in his sight is totally secure, because we stand perfect in Christ. There is nothing we can do to add to it, or to detract from it. Indwelling and habitual sin is no longer seen by God, and as for overcoming it, that's something he deals with. There is no circumstance or trouble that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Not even death can take us out of his hand.
      Our assurance rests on the person and work of Christ, not on our imperfection, or the limitations of our existence.

Discussion
      1. "I am persuaded that he is able"........ to do what?
      2. Discuss the issue of assurance. Are there any areas where you feel unsure in the Christian life?


Notes

Textual notes   Abbreviations,   Bibliography
 
      Paul's letter to the Romans is an exposition of the gospel set against law-bound believers (mainly Jewish believers - judaizers, the circumcision party) who regard submission to the law (primarily the law of Moses) as the means of maintaining and/or advancing their standing before God. For Paul, this heresy (nomism / pietism) not only undermines the substance of the gospel, but actually undermines a believer's standing before God, a standing which rests wholly on the covenant faithfulness of God appropriated through faith in the person and work of Christ.
      Paul, having stated his thesis in 1:16-17, that right-standing in the sight of God (covenant compliance) is appropriated through faith, proceeds in 1:18-2:11 to establish the universality of sin, reminding self-righteous Jewish (law-bound) believers ("the weak", 15:1) that they too are infected by the stain of sin, 2:1-5, the consequence of which is divine condemnation, 2:6-11. Then, in 2:12-29, Paul examines the place of the law in the righteous judgment of God, making the point that those Jewish believers who have retained their standing under the law, even though circumcised, actually break the law and thus face the curse of the law and the "wrath and fury" of God's condemnation. In 3:1-8 Paul answers two objections to his rather negative view of the standing of Jewish believers under the law, namely, that he devalues the covenant/law and that he promotes libertarianism. Then, in 3:9-20, Paul drives home his conclusion, namely that the human condition of universal sin and its consequence is not avoided by submission to the law, for the law only serves to make sin more sinful. In 3:21-30 Paul draws a conclusion from his argument so far. When it comes to the covenant faithfulness of God, whether in judgment or vindication, there is no "distinction" between a person under the law, or a person outside the law. All have sinned and stand condemned, and all who believe are justified, and this because they rest, not on their own faithfulness, but the faithfulness of Christ - his "sacrifice of atonement." So, for believing Jews, like Paul, there is no ground for "boasting" about their faithfulness under the law, for a person is judged in the right with God ("justified") by faith and not by obedience. From 3:31 to 4:25, Paul explains, with reference to the life of Abraham, how his gospel of right-standing in the sight of God by faith does not "nullify" the law, rather, it "fulfills" the law; faith "fulfills / completes" the justification to which the law of Moses pointed. Then in 5:1-11 Paul draws together the consequence of his argument so far, namely, a believer's "reconciliation with God."
      Having dealt with the business of justification, of right-standing before God, Paul, in 5:12-8:39 examines the business of living right before God, of possessing the fullness of life which belongs to those who are in Christ. In 5:12-21 Paul explains how Christ's saving death has brought eternal life to all humanity by overcoming the curse of Adam's sin and then in 6:1-23 he explains how "newness of life", right-living before God, apart from the law, is expressed in the life of a believer as a natural consequence of their right-standing before God. In 7:1-25, Paul examines the place of the law in the Christian life. First, in v1-6, he explains that a Christian is no longer "under the law", is "discharged from the law", has "died to the law." Then in v7-12 he "deals with a possible misunderstanding by repudiating the suggestion that the law is sin, asserting that, far from being sin, it is that which makes him recognize sin", Cranfield. In v13-25 he goes on to answer the question, "did that which is good (the law) become death to me?" That is, is the law responsible for our death? The answer is, sin is responsible for our death; the law serves only to highlight our sinful state. Paul then illustrates this condition in v14ff.
      In chapter 8 Paul explains that justified believers, though plagued with sin and the troubles of this world, no longer face condemnation, defeat or separation from God (the covenant privileges of the true people of God). Paul begins, in v1-4, by restating the truth that in Christ Jesus, through his death on our behalf, we are free from the condemnation of sin and free from the oppression of the law and thus are free to live for God. Therefore, v5-11, the believer is faced with two alternatives in the Christian life, a natural alternative and a spiritual alternative. We may strive to fulfill the law and find ourselves controlled by sin, or we may rest in faith on the renewal of the Spirit and find ourselves beginning to live out the righteousness we posses in Christ. In v12-17 Paul explains what it means to be led by the Spirit in the Christian life. Paul then moves in v18-30 to compare the present existence of believers with the future glory that awaits us. There is difficulty in the present, but this cannot be compared with the coming glory. Finally, in v31-39, Paul summarizes the full blessings of the gospel that belong to those who live by faith. As Denney put it, "the Christian's faith in Providence is an inference from Redemption."
      The summary statement of the consequent blessings that flow to the children of faith, 8:31-39, which blessings are a product of the covenant fidelity of God expedited through the redemptive work of Christ, is outlined in a series of rhetorical questions shaped into two units, v31-34, 35-39. Two points are made in our passage for study: with God on our side everything is ours, v31-32; if God has acquitted us, no one can condemn us, v33-34.

v31
      "Because of what God has done in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the believer has nothing to fear either in the present condition of the world from evil men and evil spiritual forces, or in the world to come", Denny. Note the common Pauline introduction, "what can we say?"
      oun "then" - Here drawing a conclusion. "Therefore".
      proV + acc. "to" - to, toward. Transferred sense, "concerning / in view of", Moule.
      tauta "this" - these things. "What shall we say in response to this argument, "the whole argument of the epistle so far", Cranfield. "With all this in mind, what are we to say", REB.
      ei "if" - Developing a logical argument, "if (as is the case)", Morris.
      uJper + gen. "[if God is] for [us]" - for. Taking a participatory sense, as of acting for our benefit; "on the side of", Cranfield.
      kaq + gen. "[who can be] against [us?]" - against (in the sense of opposing). Not so much in the sense of just "against", but rather "prevail against." "If God is on our side, who is there to prevail against us", Cassirer. Possibly "there is no one whose hostility we need fear", Cranfield.

v32
      "If having done the inexpressible in choosing to provide salvation, will not God freely give us every gift relating to this salvation?", Dumbrell.
      oJV ge "he who" - who indeed. This construction (rel. pro. + particle ge) is disputed. Best taken as forming a causal clause, "seeing that he spared not", Argyle. Other possibilities include: as NIV, ref. BDF, where the particle is viewed as a meaningless appendage, or "the same God who ..", Lagrange, where the particle serves to give emphasis to the pronoun.
      ouk efeisato (efeidomai) aor. "did not spare" - In the sense of "did not prevent from suffering", TH. Probable allusion to Abraham's intended offering of Isaac, the difference being, that God went ahead with the offering of Christ. "God did not keep back his own Son", CEV.
      tou idiou adj. "his own Son" - the son of him. Adjective as a substantive. Underlining the filial relationship between the Father and Jesus.
      paredwken (paradidwmi) aor. "gave [him] up" - gave over. In the sense of "gave over to die", so "offered up as a sacrifice." The verb is used of Judas betraying, giving up, Jesus. The word expresses strong intent.
      uJper + gen. "for [us]" - on behalf of. Substitution is probably intended, "instead of us", Lenski, although something softer is possible, "for our benefit", Cranfield.
      pwV ouci "how [will he] not" - how not. In a rhetorical question pwV, "how", will "call an assumption into question, or reject it altogether", BAGD, although here the negation produces the opposite sense, "most surely." So, as a rhetorical question, "how can he now not do the less?", Morris. "Surely he will give us everything besides!", Moffatt.

v33
      The punctuation of v33 & 34 is not overly clear (possibly a set of questions without answers is intended, see Moffatt), but probably v33b answers the question posed in v33a, while v34b+ answers the question posed in v34a. The question in v34a is simply a reworking of v33a. The answer to the first question reads "who dare lay a charge against us when God the Judge pronounces our sentence of acquittal", Hunter. The answer to the second question reads "there may be many who condemn, but their case will not stand in the heavenly court", Schreiner.
      tiV "who" - who, what. The question expecting a negative answer. egkalesei (egkalew) fut. "will bring" - A legal term referring to a charge brought against someone in a court of law. Paul obviously has in mind a court scene.
      kata + gen. "against" - against, down.
      eklektwn gen. adj. "those whom [God] has chosen" - the elect, chosen [of God]. The translation "chosen" is misleading. The word refers to God's elect people, the faithful remnant of Israel (actually "an old name for Israel", Black), the membership of which is by identification with Christ, through faith. The lack of the article indicates Paul has in mind, not so much this people as such, but those who are such as these, "whose characteristic is to be elect", Morris. "Who will come forward to accuse God's elect", Cassirer.
      qeoV "God" - The position in the Gk. is emphatic. "God himself declares them not guilty", TEV.
      oJ dikaiwn (kidaiow) pres. "who justifies" - the one who justifies. Participle as a substantive. The verb "to be" is supplied by the NIV. Again we have this word, so central to the argument of Romans, although this is actually the last time it will be used by Paul in this letter. Of course, we bring to the word our own framework of systematic theology, but leaving aside all the imputed/imparted issues we are left with the base sense of "puts right", or better, "sets right", Jewett. If God sets us right with him, then who dares to bring a charge against us? Jewett rightly notes that the use of the word in this context reminds us that God's justification of the sinner is not simply the forgiveness of the sinner. "Through the death of Christ, God rectifies the relationship between God's self and humans, transforming those who accept the gospel into God's elect", Jewett. When it comes to eternal verities, a believer cannot be pronounced guilty since "God himself declares them not guilty (innocent)", TEV; "gives a verdict of acquittal", Dumbrell.

v34
      oJ katakrinwn (katakrinw) fut/pres. part. "[who] is he that condemns" - the one condemning. In the sense of "pronounce guilty before God." The participle as a substantive. Sandy and Headlam note that "justifies", v33, being a present tense (although it could be a futuristic present, so Black, "God is the one who will justify"), suggests present, rather than future, here. This can only be determined by the word's Gk. accenting, which markings were not part of the original text. So, either is possible, although future seems more likely. Who is the one condemning? Punctuation is the determinate here, see above. If this verse consists of two questions and a statement, then Christ is in mind, in that he is the only one capable of condemning us and yet his intention is the opposite; "Who is the one with the authority to condemn? Will Christ? No! For he is the One who died for us", LB, cf. Morris, Hunter, Jewett ("that Christ who died for the sake of others should now become a condemner is so preposterous that it would invoke the response of believers in Rome, 'No way!'"), Mounce, Fitzmyer. If we have one question followed by a statement then the reference may be to God, "who alone can give sentence of condemnation", Dunn, or more likely undefined persons/powers who might bring a charge against us on the day of judgment, but whose charge will not stick, since Christ is on our side; "who will condemn? No one [implied]! For Christ Jesus has ......", cf. Dumbrell, Schreiner, Best, Barrett ("Satan must be meant"), Moo. "Who can say that God's people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died .....", NCV.
      oJ apoqanwn (apoqnhskw) aor. part. "who died" - the one having died. The participle may be functioning as a substantive, but it is possible that both "having died" and the participle "having been raise" are adjectival, describing "Christ Jesus", as are both the clauses "is at the right hand of God" and "intercedes on our behalf." Note how the NIV takes this particular approach. The aorist tense expressing punctiliar action. "Can anyone condemn them [God's elect]? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life and now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us", CEV.
      mallon "more than that" - more, rather. Often taken in an alternate sense, "rather I ought to say", Barrett, but better in a surpassing sense, as NIV. "Yes and more, who was raised ...", NJB.
      egerqeiV (egeirw) aor. pas. part. "who was raised to life" - having been raised. Taken as a divine passive, God being the agent, although, a disputed classification. Possibly, although unlikely, Jesus is the agent so "the Christ who died, and yes, rose from the dead!", Moffatt. As is typical of the NT gospel, the resurrection and ascension is underlined; we are not left at the foot of the cross.
      en "at [the right hand of God]" - in, on, by. Here taking a local sense. Expressing the idea of Christ reigning with authority and power because of his privileged position at God's right hand. "Christ reigns in power for us", Phillips.
      entugcanei (entugcanw) pres. "intercedes" - The present tense expressing a durative sense, ongoing intercession. Intercede here in the sense of speaking on our behalf on the day of judgment. "Pleads our cause", REB, "as our advocate", Bruce.


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