“If God is for us” (3) (Romans 8:31-34)

“If God is for us” (3)

 

 

 

[Romans 8:31-34]

 

 

Look at Romans 8:32 – “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?”  Here, “He who did not spare” refers to God who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.  That God is a God who is for us (v. 31).  And the God who is for us is the eternal God (Deut. 33:27; Isa. 40:28; Rom. 16:26), the omnipresent God (Isa. 57:15; Jere. 23:24), the Almighty God (Gen. 28:3; Josh. 22:22; Job 8:3, 5; Ps. 50:1; Isa. 9:6; Ezek. 10:5; Rev. 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19: 6, 15; 21:22), a God of love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16).  The God of love who is for us, but did not spare His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation, and gave Him up to die on the cross for us.

 

In Romans 8:32, “the Son” spoken of by the Apostle Paul refers to Jesus Christ, who is equal to God, the only begotten Son.  God, who loves us and is for us, did not spare His Son, but gave Him up to die on the cross for our salvation.  In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham (v. 1), saying, “"Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (v. 2).  Indeed, Abraham had another son, Ishmael (16:16).  But God said that he was his only son, Isaac (22:1).  Hebrews 11:17 is translated into the Korean version (1956), and it is translated, ‘Abraham, when he was being tested, offered Isaac by faith, who received the promises, but he gave his only son.’  However, in the Korean revised version (1998), it was not translated as ‘his only son’ but ‘the only begotten son’.  To Abraham, Isaac was the only begotten son.  Nevertheless, in obeying the word of God, he did not spare his only begotten son, Isaac, whom he loved and cherished very much.  He obeyed God's word, bound Isaac, laid it on the wood of the altar, reached out his hand, took the sword, and tried to seize his son (Gen. 22:9-10).  God, who loves us and is for us, did not spare His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation, but gave Him up to die on the cross for us (our salvation).

 

In this way, God, who did not spare even His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and gave Him up to die on the cross for us, how can He not also give us everything along with His Son (Rom. 8:32).  God has given and gives us everything with His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  The phrase ‘with Jesus Christ’ here can also be referred to as “in Christ,” “in Jesus,” or “in Him.”  The word “with” can also be said “through”, so the word “with Jesus Christ” can also be said “through Jesus Christ.”  That is, God gave and gives to us “all things” in/through his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  What does “everything” mean here?  In other words, what is “everything” that God has given and given to us with/in/through Jesus Christ?  Look at Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”  ‘Every” blessing that God has given us in Jesus Christ are “every spiritual blessings”, and the Apostle Paul told the Ephesian church some of all the spiritual blessings from Ephesians 1:4.  For example, the Apostle Paul said in verse 4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love.”  This is the same meaning as Romans 8:29, which says that those whom God foreknew or loved beforehand” were “predestined” (elected).  The fact that God predestined or chose us before the foundation of the world is the second stage in the five stages of salvation we have already meditated on.  In short, “all things” in Romans 8:32 are “evert spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3), and all these spiritual blessings include all five stages of salvation.  Here are the 5 stages of salvation: (1) God saves those whom God foreknew, that is, those whom God loved.  (2) God saves those whom He predestined, that is, those whom God chose before the foundation of the world.  (3) God saves those whom He called, that is, those whom God effectively called.  (4) God saves those whom He justified.  (5) God saves those whom God glorified.

 

When we think of God calling us, 2 Timothy 1:9 says: “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”  Even when God saved us and called us, he called us by grace in Christ Jesus from eternity.  Here, “from all eternity” means that God’s plan to save us was prepared from eternity.  In the fifth stage of salvation, God foreknew/loved us and predestined/chosen us before eternity or before the foundation of the world.  And after we were born, God called us.  Look at John 10:3 – “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”  God called each of us individually.  Not only the calling, but also what God foreknew/loved and predestined/chose us before the foundation of the world was individually loved and chosen.  Moreover, God justified each of us individually in Christ Jesus.  He also glorified each of us individually.  God, who loves us and is for us, loves each of us individually in saving us, choosing, calling, justifying and glorifying us.  Who can be against us (Rom. 8:31).  So, we have no choice but to have the assurance of salvation.

 

In Romans 8:32, the second half, the Apostle Paul said, “how will He not  …  freely give us  …?”  What kind of person is “us” here?  Romans 5:6, 8, 10 says three things: (1) We were still helpless.  Look at Romans 5:6 – “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  We were so helpless that we could not and are not able to do anything at all in being saved, in the sense of heaven, and in sitting on thrones with the Lord in heaven.  Salvation is never faith (grace) plus works (good works).  This glorious salvation is of God and we cannot do it.  God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross for us who are helpless and the ungodly.  (2) We were sinners.  Look at Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross while we were yet sinners, not when we were righteous.  We have no righteousness at all.  We, as totally depraved sinners, could not do ourselves any merit to save ourselves.  God did not spare His only begotten Son Jesus Christ for our salvation, but gave Him up on the cross, so that the righteousness of God is imputed to us.  (3) We were God’s enemies.  Look at Romans 5:10 – “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”  When we were enemies, God reconciled us to God by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross.  It is never possible to reconcile our relationship with God through our efforts or works (good deeds).  That hostile relationship can only be resolved by God.  The solution was made possible by having the only begotten Son die on the cross as a propitiation sacrifice.

 

We can never be sure of our salvation if we do even the slightest thing to get us saved.  Perhaps the reason we are not sure of salvation right now is because we are not sure of salvation because we are focusing on our actions, such as to strive for something, to do good, and so on.  But because God saves us, we have no choice but to have the assurance of salvation.  We have no choice but to have the assurance of salvation because God determined and planned to save us, whom He loved before the foundation of the world, and carried out the five stages of salvation.  Here, ‘How will He not also … freely give us?’ (Rom. 8:32) is translated as “How will He not give it to us as a gift?’ if we look at the Korean translation (1956).  In other words, the difference is that the word “as a gift” is in the Korean version, but not in the Korean revised version.  In the original Greek, the word ‘xarizomai’ means ‘to give as a gift’ in Korean.  In other words, the translation of the original Greek was correctly translated as “as a gift” in the Korean version.  This Greek word for “gift” we see again in Romans 6:23 – “… the free gift of God (“xarisma” in Greek) is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Look at Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  …  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  A very important lesson these words teach us is that eternal life (salvation) in Christ Jesus our Lord is God's total grace (Eph. 2:5, 8) and a gift (Rom. 6:23; 8:32), and never comes from us.  Neither is it from our works (Eph.  2:8), nor is it from our works (v. 9).  It is a gift of God's grace (v. 8).

 

The five stages of salvation that God loved and chose, called, justified and glorified us before the foundation of the world is entirely by God’s grace.  That is, God’s salvation is totally by God’s grace.  In other words, salvation is the grace of God in Christ, without our merit.  God allows us to hear the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  We believe in Jesus because the power of the Word, that is, the power of the gospel, works in us.  And even that faith is a gift of God's grace, not our works (Eph. 2:8, 9).  We believe in Jesus Christ because God gives us faith by grace.  So, we can have the assurance of salvation.

 

God did not spare His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and gave Him up to die on the cross for our salvation.  God, who loves us so much, will not also give us all things freely as a gift with His Son (Rom. 8:32).  God loved us so much that He did not spare His only begotten Son (Jn. 3:16) and gave Him up on the cross.  How can He not save us as His gift (Rom. 8:32)?  The God who loved us and chose us before the foundation of the world will surely accomplish this work of salvation by calling us, justifying us, and glorifying us.  Therefore, we must have the assurance of salvation, looking to the God of salvation who loves us and who is for us by faith.  And we should be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord to please God while giving thanks to God for His saving grace (1 Cor. 15:57-58).