Reading through Romans

Reading Through Romans

Chapter 8B

The certainty of God’s love:
a study of Romans 8:18-39

Throughout the book of Romans, Paul has argued that God counts us as righteous through faith in Christ. Even though we sometimes sin, those sins are counted against the old self that was crucified with Christ; our sins do not count against who we are in Christ. We have an obligation to fight sin—not in order to be saved, but because we are already children of God. In the last part of chapter 8, Paul turns his attention to our glorious future.

The Christian life is not easy. Fighting sin is not easy. Enduring persecution is not easy. Coping with day-to-day life in a fallen world, with corruptible bodies, has its difficulties. Nevertheless, Paul says, our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (v. 18). Just as there was for Jesus, there is joy set before us—a future so wonderful that our current trials will seem minor.

But we are not the only ones who will benefit. Paul says that there is a cosmic significance to God’s plan being worked out in us: The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed (v. 19).

The creation not only wants to see us in glory—the creation itself will also be blessed with change when God’s plan is brought to completion, as Paul says in the next verses: For the creation was subjected to frustration … in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God (vv. 20-21).

The creation is now in decay; it is not the way it was designed to be. But at the resurrection, when we are given the glory that rightly belongs to God’s children, the universe will in some way also be freed from its bondage. The entire universe has been redeemed by the work of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19-20).

Even though the price has already been paid, we do not yet see everything the way God wants it. The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (Rom. 8:22). The creation is burdened, as if in pain, as it forms the womb in which we are being birthed. Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies (v. 23). Even though we have been given the Holy Spirit as an advance payment of salvation, we also struggle, for our salvation is not yet complete. We struggle with sin, we struggle with physical limitations, pain and sorrow—even while we rejoice in what Christ has done for us.

Salvation means that our bodies will be made new, no longer subject to decay (1 Cor. 15:53), and transformed into glory. The physical world is not junk that must be tossed aside—God made it good, and he will make it good again. We do not know how bodies are resurrected, nor the properties of the transformed matter, but we can trust the Creator to complete his work.

We do not yet see a perfect creation, neither in space nor on earth nor in our own bodies, but we have confident hope that it will be transformed. As Paul says: For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently (Rom. 8:24-25).

We wait, with both patience and eagerness, for the resurrection of our bodies, when our adoption will be completed. We live in the situation of “already but not yet”: already redeemed, but not yet completely redeemed. We are already freed from condemnation, but not yet completely freed from sin. We are already in the kingdom, but it is not yet in its fullness. We live with aspects of the age to come, even as we struggle with aspects of the old age.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (v. 26). God knows our limitations and frustrations. He knows that our flesh is weak even when our spirit is willing, so his Spirit intercedes for us, even for needs we cannot put into words.

God’s Spirit does not remove our weakness, but helps us in our weakness. He bridges the gap between old and new, between what we see and what he has declared us to be. For example, we sin even though we want to do righteousness (7:14-25). We see sin, but God declares us righteous, because God sees the end result even while the process has just begun.

Despite the discrepancy between what we see and what we want, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit does what we cannot. He will see us through. He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God (8:27). God is on our side, helping us, so we can be confident!

Even despite our trials, our weakness and our sins, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (v. 28). God does not cause all things, but he allows them and works with them for his purpose. He has a plan for us, and we can be confident that he will complete his work in us (Phil. 1:6).

God planned in advance that we should become like his Son, Jesus Christ. So he called us through the gospel, justified us through faith in his Son, and united us with him in his glory: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Rom. 8:29-30).

The meaning of foreknowledge and predestination is vigorously debated, and this verse does not resolve the debate, for Paul is not focusing on these words here (nor does he elsewhere). Paul is not commenting, for example, on whether God allows people to reject the glory he has planned for them.

Paul’s purpose here, as he nears the climax of his presentation of the gospel, is to assure readers that they do not need to worry about their salvation. If they want it, they’ll get it. And for rhetorical effect, Paul speaks even of being glorified in the past tense. It is as good as done. Even though we have struggles in this life, we can count on glory in the next life.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? (vv. 31-32). If God went so far as to give us his Son even when we were sinners, we can be sure that he will give us everything else that we need to make it. We can be sure that he is not going to get angry at us and take away his offer.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies (v. 33). On the day of judgment, no one can accuse us, for God has declared us not guilty. No one can condemn us, for Christ our Savior is interceding for us: Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (v. 34). We have not just a sacrifice for our sins, but also a living Savior who continues to help us in our journey toward glory.

Paul’s rhetorical skill shines in the stirring climax of the chapter: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (vv. 35-37, quoting Ps. 44:22). Can our troubles separate us from God? Even if we are killed for the faith, have we lost the battle?

Absolutely not, Paul says: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Even in pain and suffering, we are not losers—we are better than conquerors, because we share in the victory of Jesus Christ. Our prize—our inheritance—is the eternal glory of God! The prize is infinitely greater than the cost.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv. 38-39). Nothing can separate us from the plan that God has for us. Absolutely nothing can separate us from his love. We can be confident in the salvation he has given us.

The certainty of God’s love: a study of Romans 8:18-39

The certainty of God’s love:
a study of Romans 8:18-39