notes

Main point summary

Nothing can separat the elect of God form the love of Christ. God is for His people. He has given them all with Christ. He has justified them. They are more then conquers through Christ.

Arc

editing

NT

Romans 8:31-39

nkjv

na28

mine

What then shall we say to these things?

Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα;

Given the fact of God's salvation - from His foreknowledge of us to our glorification - we conclude the following:

If God is for us ,

εἰ ὁ θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν,

Since God is for us,

who can be against us?

τίς καθʼ ἡμῶν;

no one can be ultimately against us.

inference

He who did not spare His own Son,

ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο

because God who did not spare His own precious Son,

but delivered Him up for us all,

ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν,

but delivered Him up for us all,

negativepositive

how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται;

gave us with Him also freely all things.

ground

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?

τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ;

In other words, no one can ultimately charge God's elect,

It is God who justifies .

θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν•

because God is the one who justifies.

Who is he who condemns ?

τίς ὁ κατακρινῶν;

Therefore the elect of God cannot be condemned,

It is Christ who died,

Χριστὸς [Ἰησοῦς] ὁ ἀποθανών,

because Christ died for their offences,

and furthermore is also risen,

μᾶλλον δὲ ἐγερθείς,

and furthermore is also risen for their justification,

who is even at the right hand of God,

ὃς καί ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ,

and is presently at the right hand of God,

who also makes intercession for us.

ὃς καὶ ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.

where He makes intercession for us.

locative

progression

ideaexplanation

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ;

Nothing can seperate us from the love of Christ.

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

θλῖψις ἢ στενοχωρία ἢ διωγμὸς ἢ λιμὸς ἢ γυμνότης ἢ κίνδυνος ἢ μάχαιρα;

Be it therefore trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword,

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι ἕνεκεν σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς.

as it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughter."

comparison

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors

ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς.

So all theses things cannot cause a separation from the love of Christ, but on the contrary we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us.

through Him who loved us.

actionmanner

concessive

For I am persuaded

πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ οὔτε ἄγγελοι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλλοντα οὔτε δυνάμεις

Because I am convinced

that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.

that neither death nor life, nor angels nor heavenly rulers nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God

will be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

bilateral

discourse

Notes

With the first of six rhetorical questions, Paul points back to the great work of God for us and in us from foreknowing to glorifying us. Verse 32-39 is the inference of God's amazing work with His people. The inference is that God loves us and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Rhetorical questions Rhetorical questions are used to make an obvious point. They can be used in a motivational way. It makes the listener think and encourages them to come to a conclusion before the answer is given. Sometimes also, if there is no valid answer to someone's thought, a rhetorical question can be used to make a point of wrong thinking. Paul uses rhetorical questions and answers them to make obvious points to strengthen the Christians in Rome. Romans 8:32 - God is for us in giving His one and only beloved Son for us. The cross is the final proof that God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love. At the cross, the love of God is displayed most vividly. If Christ were not totally committed to loving His Father and us, He would not have gone to the cross because of the horrible pain that he endured there. The pain that was inflicted on His body was terrible, and even worse was the pain that was brought to His soul. If there was a time where God's love for us was tested most, it was in the garden of Gethsemane when the Lord felt the terror of the cup of wrath that He would have at the cross. That cup was the wrath for our sin that God would lay on Him to suffer for us on the cross so that we receive the forgiveness of sins. If there was a time to give up, Gethsemane was the time. But He did not give up, He fully endured to the end, looking ahead to the glory that lay before Him after the cross. Not only are we now accepted but we receive all things freely with Christ. God would not withhold anything good from us. Nor would He allow anything that should not work for our transformation to Christ-likeness. Our greatest good is to belong to and be like Christ. In Him, we are complete and satisfied. We have all things in Him. Romans 8:33-34 - God is for us in justifying us so that no charge can be laid against us nor can we be condemned Paul inferred that God is for us and explains that fact now in the context of a courtroom. Before a perfect judge, a charge against a guiltless person will not stand. How come the elect of God are without guilt? Is it because they are nice people? No, they cannot be condemned because their charges were transferred to Christ. Christ paid their charges in full. He died for them and in shedding His infinite valuable blood for an infinite weight of offence, He released the recipients of their charges. The resurrection of Christ goes together with His death. His death releases the elect of God of their charges and Christ's resurrection brings the elect into the full blessing of Christ. They are declared righteous in the sight of God because Christ rose from the dead. He also intercedes for the elect. Intercession is necessary because there is a strong enemy after the elect seeking to destroy what God is doing. That enemy is also called 'the accuser'. Now Christ is at the right hand of God. His presence and the marks, like the wound in His side, hands, and feet, are reminders that the charges that were against the elect are paid for now. So, the enemy is defeated. You would think that a defeated enemy would give up, but not so with Satan and his demons. They get even more furious as their time is soon over and they'll be thrown in the lake of fire forevermore . Romans 8:35-39 More than conquerors through Christ Now that Paul explained how God is for us, he infers further that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. He speaks of how the most troubling life circumstances and the most powerful things are unable to separate us from the love of God. On the contrary in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. Some application We have all things in Christ. How real is that to me? How do I react when I'm offended and hurt? Why am I so over-sensitive to get hurt when Christ is my all? What happens when my wishes don't seem to get fulfilled? Can I say honestly: "I have enough in Christ!"? Or in fact: "I have all things in Christ!"? How easy can our vision be blurred by difficult life circumstances! My experience is that in these times I get tempted to doubt the goodness of God and that is followed by walking a very dark path. My stubborn pride (which is to be reckoned dead) is then in the way to simply surrender to God's perfect way. Thank God that these times seem to be not as long anymore as the roots of Gospel truth and promises grow deeper.

Phrase

Romans 8:31-39

What then shall we say

Rhetorical question #1

to these things?

Reference

If God is for us,

Basis

who can be against us?

Rhetorical question #2

He

Negative

who did not spare

Subjective

His own Son,

Content

but delivered Him up

for us all,

Advantage

how shall He not ... also ... give us all things?

Rhetorical question #3

with Him

Context

freely

Manner

Who shall bring a charge

Rhetorical question #4

against God’s elect?

It is God

Answer

who justifies.

Who is he

who condemns?

Rhetorical question #5

It is Christ

who died, and furthermore is also risen,

who is even

at the right hand

Locative

of God,

Possessiv

who also makes intercession

for us.

Who shall separate us

Rhetorical question #6

from the love

Source

of Christ?

Attributive

Shall tribulation,

Circumstance

or distress,

or persecution,

or famine,

or nakedness,

or peril,

or sword?

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Illustration

Yet

Concessive

in all these things

Sphere

we are more than conquerors

Assertion

through Him

Agency

who loved us.

For I am persuaded

that neither death

Means

nor life,

nor angels

nor principalities

nor powers,

nor things present

nor things to come,

nor height

nor depth,

nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us

from the love

of God

which is

in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

phrasing