Romans 8:31 is one of the most comforting verses in the Bible: “If God is for us who can be
against us”? It is a powerful statement on Christian
assurance.
Why do we need assurance?
We need assurance when we are unsure or insecure. Insecurity is a huge human problem. A massive industry has been spawned to help our insecurity or lack of assurance.
Why?
The Bible says that our identity is derived from God, who has created us in His image (Genesis 1&2). Furthermore, the Bible says that the fall of man into sin (Genesis 3) has severed mankind from their Creator. Like Cain we have become restless wanderers (Genesis 4). We have become unsure of ourselves, because our true identity, our true purpose, our true origin is obscured. We are no longer sure who we are. Our soul (which is a God-shaped vacuum) cries out, Who am I? What am I here for? Where am I going?
Our fallenness generally causes us to look
for answers in the wrong areas, and while we may find temporary relief in that guru’s
teaching, or in various wellness strategies, and in various therapies, the ultimate
questions won’t leave us alone. Augustine
(AD 354-430) the North African Church father correctly concluded , “Oh Lord our hearts are restless until they are found in you[1].”
Ultimate assurance can only come from God, the One who has made you and I.
Following Paul’s great exposition on the nature of the fall and the effects of sin upon us (that which produces disconnectedness and ultimately lack of assurance / lack of hope/ purpose), he provides us with the remedy - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel restores assurance, by restoring us to a God centered view of life. This is a process called sanctification.
One great reason (there are others) why many Christians lack assurance is that they do not take the Bible, and the gospel in particular, to heart. Their hearts may be saved, but the mind is not engaged, and the soul is not fed on the richest of foods. They do not meditate on the precepts of Scripture. They have not learned to preach the gospel to themselves. The gospel takes us into the arms of Jesus, and once you are with Jesus, you are safe! His presence and His Word is a balm to our soul.
If you want to learn about Christian assurance get to terms with Romans 8. Romans 8:31-39 in particular is
very affirming. In summary we
learn:
i.
8:31 Who can
be against God’s people? ANSWER: No conceivable power can stand against
God
ii.
8:32 If God
gave us His very best – Christ (Is that enough?) ANSWER: will He not give us all things?
iii.
8:33,34 Who
can bring any charge against, or condemn God’s people: ANSWER – If you are justified
by God no one can bring any charge against you.
iv.
8:35-39 Who
can separate a believer from the love of Christ? ANSWER: “nothing will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (repeated
in 8:39)
By means of these 4 questions and affirmations Paul summarizes the main teachings of his letter and in so doing he is dealing with the doctrine of assurance of salvation.
If Romans 8 is that great majestic mountain, called Assurance, then 8:31-40
is the mountain peak.
THE 4TH QUESTION CONSIDERED: WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE
LOVE OF CHRIST?
It is useful to consider the times in which this letter was written. The letter was written in AD 57. Very soon, in AD 64 (7 years later) these Roman Christians were going to face a severe persecution under the Roman emperor Nero.
In AD 64 Rome suffered a terrible fire that
burned for six days and seven nights, destroying almost three quarters of the city. Rome then was densely populated and not prepared
to effectively deal with large scale disasters, including fires. Such an event
was inevitable. Rumour also had it that Nero may have set fire to the city,
because he wanted to rebuild the city. According to Tacitus[2],
a Roman historian, Nero then blamed the Christian community for the fire. This
began the first large scale persecution of the Roman state against Christians. Many Christians were put to death in the most horrific manner, and
even for the amusement of the citizens of Rome.
Their dead bodies were covered in pitch and used as human torches.
You will appreciate that people who suffer such trials need
strong assurance that God indeed loves them!
3 ASSURANCES ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD IN TIMES OF TRIAL
1.
8:35 No
tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword will
separate us from the love of Christ.
The emphasis here (and in the rest of the text) is on Christ’s love (which is synonymous with God’s love – cf. 8:31,32) for His people. Truly, if our assurance, or our faith depended on our love to Christ, I should very much doubt whether I could withstand any of those circumstances described here. I remind you that Peter did not manage to withstand the temptation to disown Christ, while He was interrogated by the Sanhedrin (Jn 18:15ff).To his credit, it grieved him bitterly (Matt 26:75; Lk. 22:62; Mk 14:72), and Jesus spend good time with Peter in John 21 to reassure Peter of His love for him.
In fact, none of the disciples stood up
for Jesus when He was on trial. They all had deserted Him Christ in His hour of
trial (Matt. 26:56). But Jesus loved them to the end.
Paul experienced desertion – see 2 Timothy 4:16. In
response to strong opposition to the gospel, probably in Ephesus, Paul says, “At
my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me… but the
Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”. At that time
Paul received an inner assurance that His Lord was with him in this
forsaken moment.
The point is this. We
are being kept by virtue of His love for us, and on the basis of this fact we
continue; it is on the basis of Christ’s love for us that we are secure. Nothing
can separate Christ’s sheep from His love (see John 10:27-30 & 17:12).
His keeping power is real.
Paul reminds us here of seven difficult situations in which Christ's love is sufficient to keep us: tribulation (outward pressures), distress or inner turmoil (inward pressures); persecution; famine, nakedness, danger, sword. Paul himself knew about all these experiences. For a catalogue of his sufferings see 2 Corinthians 11:23ff.
According to
early Christian tradition and historical records, Paul was killed by beheading
in Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero around AD 64. It is this same Paul that says that none of
these things can separate us from the love of God. Even death, our worst enemy
cannot do that. Death will usher the
believer into God’s presence. Christ – His love - is ours in life and death. That
is the first thing that Paul wants us to understand.
2. 8:36 -37
Christians are more than conquerors in all these things
We begin with 8:36 : “for His sake we are being put to death all day long.
Like sheep we are being led to the slaughter." This is a quotation from Psalm 44:22.
This Psalm reminds us that God’s people always have suffered much in every
generation. When Paul wrote in AD 57
this would soon (i.e. within 7 years) be
true of himself and many Christians he was writing to.
I remind you that persecution with death as a consequence is
not a past thing for most Christians in our world. According to Open Doors[3],
a Christian monitor of current persecution, 1 in 7 Christians experience persecution
in the world.1 in 5 Christians in Africa experience persecution! North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea
are the top 5 persecutors of Christians. Nigeria is #7. Five of
10 persecuting nations are on African soil! Remember your
brothers and sisters who are currently sharing in the fellowship of His
sufferings.
Back to Paul. He had been involved in the persecution of Christians. When the ascended Lord Jesus had met him on the road to Damascus, He did not say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute my Christian people? “He said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The persecution of believers was ultimately a persecution of Christ. Believers are in Christ and therefore they are united to Him. Their sufferings are His sufferings, and His sufferings are our sufferings. Suffering persecution is a result of our union with Christ. Even in countries like ours where we are not physically killed, we suffer when we stand for the truth as it is in Jesus. In my calling as a pastor I have experienced that, and have suffered in my soul on account of numerous hard-hearted men and women.
Be that as it may. Paul wants us to know that in our resisting of sin and temptation and of many adversaries we are conquerors, in fact, MORE than conquerors.
We are not simply
survivors. We are more than conquerors.
Polycarp (69 – 155 AD) the bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir in Turkey), had been a
disciple of the apostle John. In the reign of the Roman Caesar Marcus Aurelius
he was arrested for being a Christian. He
was 86 years old. The Roman officials urged him to save his life by denying
Christ and confessing Caesar as god. He famously replied, "Eighty-six
years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my
King who saved me?" He was sentenced to be burned. His death and the
surrounding circumstances were a remarkable testimony. His was the death of
more than a conqueror. Like the martyr
Stephen in Acts 7 he exhibited the glory of God in death. It is not
his remarkable courage in the
face of death; he was a man in God’s hand and the grace of God worked
in His trial. Nothing separated him from the love of Jesus. In death he conquered the grave. He is with Jesus.
It is true that not every person responds like this. We know people who have gone through terrible
trials, and these trials have made them bitter, angry and cynical. Trials do not always make us better people. But
here is the assurance - for those who rest in Christ, and who keep His word – those
He will also keep from (or in) the hour
of trial (Revelation 3:10 – Philadelphia). He makes them more than conquerors.
3.
8:37-39: Not death nor life,
not angels nor rulers etc. can separate us from God’s love.
No time bound event (death/life), no heavenly powers (angels/rulers/things
present/ things to come/ powers) no distance (height/depth), nothing in all
creation can separate us from the love of God, which is ours in Jesus Christ. He repeats what he has said before, in 8:35. Paul
expresses here a strong, unshakable confidence in Christ’s love. He says, “I
am sure of it”!
Dear Christian,
The Word of God teaches us that there is more to life than meets the eye.
Looking at life at face value can be intimidating, but it is not reality. Looking at life through the lens of Scripture is reality. The book of Job confirms that. The book of Daniel and Ezekiel and the book of Revelation confirm that. Jesus confirms that in the gospels.
How do you evaluate reality - your life events? A pastor once he talked to a man, and he wanted to see if he had any spiritual realities. They were sitting in a church building. He asked him: "What you see in this room?" The man said, "I see hymnals, pews, a communion table, a pulpit."
"What else do you see?" "I see an organ, windows, a balcony." The pastor asked, "Is that all you see?" And the man said "Yes!". The pastor said, said, "I’ll tell you what I see. I see powers and principalities and forces in high places at work. And I see a man not at peace with his realities..." In so doing he was reminding the man that there are greater realities at work – and they are as real as the chair you’re sitting on! Many things we do not see do in fact exist. God's love exists. And this love is able to keep you in all situations, even worst case scenarios, such as Polycarp experienced. Of that you may be sure.
Dear believer, may God with the help of His Word and the Holy Spirit give you new eyes to see true reality. That will provide you with a new level of assurance, which you shall need as you face your unique trials in the world. May your confidence be rooted in the love of Christ for you. May you be helped by the Holy Spirit Himself as you look to Jesus.
Rest in Him.
Let Him be your
ultimate assurance. Amen
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