4 Questions 1 Answer

One of the most cherished passages of Scripture. Romans is so full of deep, meaty theology. But theology is not meant to be cold, dry, boring. Right here Paul shows us what theology does. It is pastoral, It is encouraging. It is consoling. It is encouraging. It causes you to worship. It convinces, It persuades.

There is one question that ties this to earlier parts of Romans, and it is answered with 4 more questions in this passage.

Each question starts with the same interrogative.

Who

SInclair Ferguson said It’s not, “What can be against us?” or, “What can constitute a charge against us?” or, “What can condemn us?” or, “What shall separate us?” It’s, “Who? Who? Who? Who?” all the time. And that surely can’t be accidental. After all, when he asks his fourth question, he goes on to give a list of potential separators, doesn’t he—tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword—and all of these things are “its,” but he doesn’t ask, “What shall separate us?”

So, there must be a reason he uses the personal pronoun, who, and not the impersonal one, what. Why? Well, you’ve perhaps already guessed the answer. It’s because all opposition to the Christian and to his or her relationship to the Lord Jesus is not ultimately rooted in things, in events, in circumstances—not in whats. It’s rooted in someone, a who—namely the evil one. The one the book of Revelation calls the “ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world . . . the accuser of our brothers”

Paul (under inspiration of the Holy Spirit) will list a series of challenges the Christian faces. But notice while he does address what happens to us, he asks who does it to us.

Few preliminary notes. Paul uses the plural, us.

This is a passage for the follower of Jesus, who Paul calls God’s elect. This is a reminder of the unity, the community of believers, even in our differences. Paul is not talking about what happened to him or others, what God does for him of others, but the challenges and the answer are common to all believers, all who are part of Christ.

For someone outside then these promises carry no hope for you.

A good reminder our enemy is not a political party, a sexual identity, Hollywood, public education.

Our enemy is a person who manipulates politics and sexuality and entertainment and education and so many other things to try and distract, discourage and destroy you.

In this fallen world there will be pain and hardship, but we must not let the pain and hardship deceive us. If we are in Christ, we can be assured that God is for us. In our Christian experience we will encounter spiritual warfare. But though all the powers of the evil one may come against us, they will never prevail since God is on our side

Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Romans (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 147). Holman Reference.

How does the enemy want to deceive and destroy us?

In many ways the rest of the verses in this chapter expound this point. Many will oppose us, but, ultimately, God is for us.

What are the 4 questions?

Who Can Be Against Us?

Who Shall Bring a Charge Against God’s Elect?

Who Condemns?

Who Shall Separate Us?

Paul starts with this transition question.

What are the these things in verse 31?

8 chapters of theology builds to this passage Paul has shown that, we are sinners under the wrath of God, where all have sinned and the wages of sin is death. But Christ. There is the theology of original sin, election, judgment. The theology of salvation.

After the theology of sin and judgment Paul talks more about what happens in Christ. through Christ, we believers are justified before God, we are reconciled to God, we enjoy peace with God, we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, we are not condemned before God, we are adopted by God, we have glorification hope in God, we have help in the Spirit of God, we are called by God, and we have the certainty that all things are working for the good of those who love God, even the suffering and hardships.

So when you get through Romans 1-8:28 What is there left to say? In the middle of all this theology Paul says what do we do with this?

What can we say about this?

God finishes what he starts.

Regardless of the opposition.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Who Can Be Against Us?

The answer is there are plenty of people and things against us. Indwelling sin, persecution, hardship etc.

The key is in the first part of the phrase. If GOd is for us

The truth is you do have an enemy and he is ruthless. The weight of this question is who can succeed at being against us?

Paul doesn’t expect the answer, “Nobody.” We face plenty of opposition; he certainly did. But his logic is this: if God is for us, then ultimately, nothing and no one who stands against us can ever be successful. Nobody who is against us can ever prevail. Satan can’t.

If God is For you. If God is on your side.

How do we know God is for us, especially when we’re facing all kinds of opposition from people or circumstances, and Satan seems to be shooting his fiery darts at us? And if they hit the mark, then they cause panic in our hearts and they destabilize us. We had assumed that God is for us and that He loves us, but now we’re not so sure.

If God did not spare His own son, His one and only, beloved Son. If He gave that, is He going to then withdraw His support?

If He gave His only Son, is He going to let that end in vain?

That is, He will give us everything necessary to conform us to the image of his Son and everything necessary to get us to glory.

But what if God should grow weary of us, forget about us, and move on to something else?” Paul deals with this speculation in verse 32, asking, “He 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?”

Help for temptation. God is there

A Friend through the darkness. OUr abiding God

A counsellor for decisions?

Comfort in death?

Wouldn’t we be right to think that even God might have limits to his grace and generosity? That might be reasonable were it not for the fact that God has already given us his Son. Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, is the greatest thing God had to give. Yet he gave him—and not merely to be with us in some mystical way. He gave him over to death so that we might be rescued from the judgment due us for our sins.

Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, p. 953). Baker Book House.

Peter wrote, the one who is against us, our adversary the devil, goes around like a roaring lion seeking to devour us. But God is greater than our enemy. And if He is for us, then all the devil’s efforts to be against us and destroy us will fail. He may harass us, harm us, or hurt us, but he cannot overcome us if God is for us.

We should not read Paul saying God will give us everything we have ever wanted. This is not a prosperity gospel verse. Paul is saying that God does not redeem us to leave us. He redeems us to conform us. He will continue working out his sovereign purposes in our lives, conforming us to the image of his Son

Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Romans (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 148). Holman Reference.

Well, what gives us this deep, unshakable conviction that God is for us is this: He didn’t spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. If that’s true, if He did that for us, if He did that for me, then I can be absolutely certain He will give me everything necessary to keep me safe and to bring me home to Himself. That’s the irrefutable Apostolic logic of the cross of Christ, and I hope you’re learning to use it day by day

Who Shall Bring A Charge Against Us?

This question and the next sounds like a courtroom trial.

Again, your enemy will do everything he can to accuse you.

That abortion, the drug abuse, the sexual sin, the way you treat your spouse? Yes guilty of it all. But your charges have no standing.

No one can successfully press charges, no matter how hard he may try. Satan is busy doing just that

Revelation 12:10 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

The fact is that many people did bring charges against Christians, the Acts of the Apostles makes that clear enough. And there are several occasions when the Apostles were actually brought before the religious or civil authorities to face accusations. But that’s not, I think, what Paul is ultimately talking about here, and his answers seem to make that clear.

Ultimately, as David said (Ps 51:4), all sin is committed against God, no matter how much it affects others. Therefore, God is the only one in position to bring charges against us. This, Paul is saying, God refuses to do, because he is for us, not against us.

Harrison, E. F. (1976). Romans. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 99). Zondervan Publishing House.

1 John 2:1 ESV

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Yes, guilty of all those crimes and so much more. Yet the advocate stands up and says innocent. All those crimes are forgiven, paid for, wiped clean.

Look all you want in the ledger. There is no longer a record of the sin. God, the judge, the one sinned against, has forgiven and justified.

Every charge the adversary lodges, the Advocate says, that’s been covered. Standing there in your defense before the judge is Jesus proving your innocence.

Justify means declare innocent. It is a legal term

Jesus Christ. It’s God the Son, who could condemn us, who actually saves us

amazing scene in Zechariah 3. There the prophet has a vision of Joshua, the high priest, standing in the presence of God, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And what makes the picture so dramatic is that Joshua is wearing dirty clothes that represent his sinfulness. He’s standing before God’s judgment throne. Satan is accusing him before God, saying: “He has no right to be here. He deserves to be excluded from heaven and sent into the outer darkness that will match the dark stains on the clothing he’s wearing.”

But then something wonderful happens: the angel of the Lord speaks. He says, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments” (Zech. 3:4). So, he commands the filthy garments to be taken off Joshua and then has him robed from head to toe in clean vestments.

That’s surely a wonderful picture of the gospel, picture of the believer’s justification. The Lord Jesus takes our filthy garments of sin and swaps them for His pure garments of perfect righteousness. And when that happens, none of the adversary’s charges of sin and guilt before our God can ever stick to us. And that’s what Paul is talking about in Romans 8:33, “Who will bring any charge against God’s elect?”

When the omnipotent, righteous Judge of all the earth says, “Not guilty,” then you are not guilty.

Believers can face the day of judgment with confidence, for those whom God has chosen as his own will certainly not be accused on the day of judgment. God has declared them to be right in his sight, and thus those who would accuse believers will not successfully establish their case.

Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Romans (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 149). Holman Reference.

Who Is To Condemn?

This carries on the idea of a charge or accusation. If the charges are paid, there is no punishment. And condemn is more than a penalty. Condemn carries the idea of permanence, no hope of coming back.

The accusation is that we are guilty of something. The condemnation is the result of being found guilty.

SInclair FErguson describes it like this

We have complete righteousness in Christ. But the fact is that we still stumble and fall in our Christian lives. We may be justified before God, but we’re not fully sanctified. In fact, we’re still very conscious of our sin and guilt. And some of us, at least, are very easily drawn by the evil one to focus on that sin and guilt. He delights to stimulate us to feel that we are failures. And when that begins to happen, he comes now to accuse us, but not this time in heaven—this time here on earth, in our own consciences. And then what happens? Well, some of us become paralyzed and lose our joy, and we begin even to lose sight of the amazing love of our heavenly Father for us. So, it’s not just a matter of accusation; it’s a matter of feeling that we are undergoing a kind of prison sentence because of our sin.

There’s no way back for you this time.” He was undergoing the sentence that followed the verdict for his sin.

Yes, I was once guilty of horrendous sin. And now forgiven I need not fear retribution.

Any more than if you paid off my house, the bank has no right to demand I pay any more. The bill is paid.

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John Stott writes Christ Jesus … died—died for the very sins for which otherwise we would deservedly be condemned. So I will not be condemned.

He was raised by the Father, demonstrating His acceptance of the sacrifice of his Son as the only satisfactory basis for our justification.

Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (pp. 256–257). InterVarsity Press.

God would be unjust, unfaithful to say that not only did Jesus die for my sin, I also have to pay for it. How cruel would God have to be to say my Son died for this but I want more.

Paul packs four aspects of that work into one great sentence (v. 34b). (1) Christ died and thereby secured the removal of sin’s guilt; (2) he was raised to life and is able to bestow life on those who trust him for their salvation (John 11:25; 14:19); (3) he was exalted to God’s right hand, with all power given to him both in heaven, so as to represent us there, and on earth, where he is more than a match for our adversaries; (4) and he intercedes for us at the throne of grace, whatever our need may be (Heb 4:4–16; 7:25).

Harrison, E. F. (1976). Romans. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 99). Zondervan Publishing House.

He is not up there saying look at him. He messed up again. That’s it pull the offer. Make Him pay. Instead He is there at the throne of God praying. Praying for you while the accuser calls for you to be condemned.

Lord, he is one of ours. The enemy is after Him. Save him, protect him, hold him. John 17 prayer

Sometimes our own hearts will try to condemn us (1 John 3:20). And Satan will try to accuse us as well (Rev 12). Our critics, enemies, or the dark forces of evil may try to condemn us, but again, they will not prevail

Who will condemn us? Not Christ! He died in place of us (cf. Rom 5:8)! He rose for us (cf. 4:25)! He is also interceding for us at the Father’s right hand

You see, we need not only the finished work of Christ for us on Calvary; we need the ongoing work of Christ interceding for us in heaven

Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me

Who Shall Separate Us?

Why didn’t Paul just give another short nobody as an answer? Because Paul wants to drive this home. To increase your love and affection for Him. Again the goal of theology is to increase your love for the Savior.

Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. All these things could cause the believer to say does God really love me? If he did why am I going through hardship?

What Paul wants to get across is as terrible as things are they are not a sign that God has failed or God has withdrawn. Again theology as comfort

So, how can we be so sure that we are secure against such opposition as this?

So not only can we endure these sufferings and be assured of Christ’s love in the midst of them, but we can also know that God is using them for our good and his glory. The phrase “in all these things” is connected back to verses 28 and 32. God is at work in all these things for our good and his glory.

None of these things means God has withdrawn. That God is no longer in control

Divine sovereignty is the ultimate source of comfort for the Christian believer, because it means that God is in control of his destiny. What could be more comforting to the Christian than to know that the outcome of his life is not in the hands of fortuitous circumstances, but is in the hands of a benevolent God?

Sproul, R. C. (1994). The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans (p. 153). Christian Focus Publications.

Those He predestined, He called, those He called, He justified, those He justified, He also glorified. Nothing can stand in the way of the God of sovereign grace as He fulfills His plan and purposes for His people, the people for whom His Son died and whose Spirit transforms into His likeness.

Four Questions and one answer. No one can do this to us.

No matter what they, what he throws at us life and death, government, today's challenges, tomorrows challenges

Nothing in the created universe can separate you from the love of God.

We conquer through the love of God because that love is demonstrated to us in Christ. So, he’s now bringing together everything he’d said earlier and weaving it into a threefold cord that can’t easily be broken. Listen to what he’d said in Romans 8:28–30, when he laid the foundations for these verses.

By saying “loved us,” Paul does not intend to restrict Christ’s love to the past, but rather he is emphasizing the historic demonstration of this love that gives assurance of its continuing under all circumstances

Why can we be so secure

The love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

More than God’s love for you, is His love for His own Son.

And if you are God’s elect, You are in Christ and therefore secure in the love of God in Christ

Conclusion

Does this mean we everything is cotton candy and rainbows? No. Paul is very clear and honest. from life to death, joy to pain, and everything else in this world, Physical, emotional, relational, spiritual. Every human experience.

None of them have the final word.

If you are outside of Christ then there is one against you, charging you, condemning you, separating you. And here is the bad news good news.

The bad news. There is nothing you can do about it.

The good news, Jesus can

God has not given empty promises. He has acted, and what he has done in Christ and by the Spirit constitutes all the proof we need that the glorification will be ours in due season. This is precisely the point of v. 32. God’s activity has cost him dearly—he did not spare “his own Son.

None other than God’s own Son could take away the world’s sin and provide reconciliation. So Jesus had to endure the cross. In all of this God was with him (2 Cor 5:19). Moreover, the Son was not an unwilling victim pressed into sacrificial service. “God gave him up” expresses the Father’s participation, but the same verb is used of the Son’s involvement (Gal 2:20). With the cross before us as the mighty demonstration of God’s grace in giving his dearest to help the neediest, it naturally follows that the same gracious spirit will not withhold anything from those who are his. Such is the assurance given us in 2 Peter 1:3 that everything we need for life and godliness has been given.

Yet it is not due to the greatness of the saints but due to the grace of God in Christ Jesus

Paul triumphantly declares that nobody can ultimately prevail against those who belong to Christ. God is for us; God has justified us; Christ has died, he rose, and now he intercedes for us; we are more than conquerors through him who loved us; and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus

It should stimulate our love and adoration for our triune God. It is a fitting conclusion to a remarkable chapter, a chapter that begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation

“I am persuaded.” Paul now wants the Roman Christians to be persuaded too. He wants them to be convinced that nothing can separate them from Christ’s love. Here we see one of the essential actions of preaching, disciple making, and counseling: working to convince fellow believers of the unfailing love of Christ. But to do this well, we need to be convinced ourselves

Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Romans (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 154). Holman Reference.

Allow these truths to lead you to worship

He not only wants us to affirm that Christ loves us, but he also wants us to feel it, rejoice in it, and celebrate it

Allow these truths to lift you from despair.

If you look back over this text, you find three things that can lead a saint into discouragement: sin, suffering, and death.

Allow these truths to embolden you for mission.

Assurance should never lead us to apathy. Gospel assurance should lead to gospel advancement. Having the promises of Romans 8 should make us bold and courageous

We can plant churches in hard places because Romans 8 is true.

We can testify boldly to the claims of Christ in a skeptical world knowing that God is for us, Christ has died for us, and the Spirit of Christ indwells us.

We can go to unreached people groups and herald the gospel, though we may face opposition, knowing that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can live missional lives, knowing that we can cry out to the Father at any moment and that all things are working together for our good and God’s glory.

We can suffer now because we know glory is coming.

So be filled with hope, Christian! Be set ablaze by the gospel and allow the joy in your heart to spill over into worldwide witness. Romans 8 made Paul the greatest missionary ever, and it can make us more faithful in mission as well if we will embrace these truths wholeheartedly and live in light of them passionately.

Paul started with what shall we say.

Lets close with, what do YOU say about this?

Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Romans (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 156). Holman Reference.

Related Media

Related Sermons