Romans chapter 8 verses 31 through 34. If God is for us, who can be against us at verse 31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? When Paul asks who can be against us, he is not implying we have no enemies. Chrysostom writes," Why? Who is there who is not against us? The whole world is against us, kings, peoples, relatives, and fellow countrymen." As Peter warns," Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful.
Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Origen points out that Paul is not saying that we will have no enemies, but that we should not fear these enemies. That is because God is on our side. As long as God's people remain faithful, no one can prevail against them by stopping the forward march of God's kingdom.
Tertullian told the Romans," We conquer in dying, we go forth victorious at the very time we are subdued." He also declared," The more often you cut us down, the more in number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed. For whoever contemplates it is eager to inquire what is at the bottom of it. Who, after inquiry, does not embrace our teachings. However, when he has embraced them, who does not desire to suffer so that he may become a partaker of the fullness of God's grace.
Mark Felix writes," Boys and young women among us scorn crosses and tortures, wild beasts, and all the horrors of punishments with the inspired patience of suffering.
However, do you not perceive, oh pitiful men of the world, that there is nobody who either is willing to undergo punishment without purpose or who is able without God to bear tortures?" Irenaeus adds," The prophets foretold that all those on whom the Spirit of God rests, and who would obey the Word of the Father and serve Him according to their ability, would suffer persecution and be stoned and slain." So the early Christians did not imagine that since God is for us, no one opposes us.
They realized we have a whole host of enemies, both visible and invisible, who war against us and often kill us. But these enemies will never defeat the kingdom of God.
As Jesus said," My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." Romans 8:32," He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for all of us, how will He, along with Him, not also freely give us all things?" When Paul says God did not spare His own Son, this does not represent any harshness on God's part toward Jesus. Rather, Paul is saying that for our sake, the Father was willing to deliver up His most precious possession, His own beloved Son.
The cost incurred by the Father was tremendous, but He has already sustained that cost. Accordingly, for God to now bestow, glorious rewards on us costs Him virtually nothing. And Ambrosiaster writes," God has already provided for us what is greater and most costly. That is, He has given up His true and dearest Son for us when we were still ungodly." That being the case, why would we not believe that He is going to give something less valuable to those of us who believe in Him?
For the rewards are already prepared for those who believe. Giving us these rewards is far less costly for God than was delivering His Son to death for our sakes. For all of us, the Father delivered His beloved Son for all, including God's very enemies. Chrysostom notes," He who has already given the greater thing to his enemies, how can he do anything else than to give the lesser things to his friends?" Romans 8:33 and 34." Who will lay anything against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies.
Who is the one who condemns? It is Christ who died. Yes, it is he who is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Our main accuser is Satan. Revelation says," The accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them before our God day and night." At our initial salvation, God freely forgave our past sins, and He justified us, giving us a new righteous standing. In light of that, we need not worry about Satan's accusations concerning our past sins.
They have been forgiven. Chrysostom writes," Paul does not merely say," It is God who forgave our sins. Rather, he says what is much greater? It is God who justifies." For when the sentence of the judge declares us righteous, particularly when he is the supreme judge of all, what does the accuser have left to say? Who also makes intercession for us? Forgiveness does not end after our initial conversion. As to our present sins, when we are repentant, we have both Christ and the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf.
Christ's love for us is so great that He not only died for us, but He continues to intercede on our behalf. So again, who dares to bring a wrongful charge against us? However, if after we have been cleansed, we return to a sinful life and do not repent, then Satan will be able to rightfully bring accusations against us.
Origen writes," Nevertheless, after these things, if you sin again and do not wash such sins away through the tears of repentance, you will provide grounds for your accuser." However, He will bring an accusation against you. To be sure, Jesus intercedes for us, but even Jesus cannot call darkness light or bitter sweet.