Sermon Central
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The Unalterable Evidence Series
Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Feb 20, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: Could anything be a stronger encouragement to faith than the unalterable evidence of what God has already done for the salvation of His people of faith? God who gave so amazingly to provide salvation will certainly give continued & final salvation.
THE UNALTERABLE EVIDENCE
Paul has been making a triumphant presentation of the reasons for the certain sanctification of the Children of God. He has just reached the c1imax of sanctification which is glorification. But as Paul commonly does he lets the objector have his say also. Paul’s response provides the grandest passage on Christian assurance in the Bible.
Could anything be a stronger encouragement to faith than the unalterable evidence of what God has already done for the salvation of His people of faith? God is the Sovereign Lord and it is from Him that our salvation comes and with Him that our salvation rests. God who gave so amazingly to provide salvation will certainly give continued and final salvation (CIT). To those who are "in Christ Jesus" there is no ground for apprehension for their salvation is secured.
I. ON OUR SOVEREIGN’S SIDE, 8:31.
II. OUR SOVEREIGN’S SACRIFICE, 8:32.
III. OUR SOVEREIGN’S STAND, 8:33-34.
Paul begins his climatic conclusion of the first half of Romans with a volley of rhetorical questions beginning in verse 31. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
Having set forth in chain-link fashion the comprehensive scope of God’s redemptive purposes; His foreknowing, predestinating, calling, justifying and glorifying, Paul asks what shall we say to this? The assuring answer which closes out the eighth chapter is one of the most beautiful pieces in all literature. He starts with a comprehensive statement packed with uncomprehendible force: "God is for us." The controller of events, who works all things after the counsel of His own will has saved us; and His love is as unchanging as it is infinite. He will allow nothing to separate His Children from Himself.
Friends, God is for us, not against us. He has reconciled us. He is not our enemy but our friend. He is on our side against all our enemies; on our side in reference to all our undertakings (Ps. 37:4). Who is He but the Almighty, the Sovereign Lord, the infinitely powerful One with infinite wisdom to guide.
This first class condition "if" carries Paul’s challenge to all doubters. If (and He is) or since God is on our side, as the Bible has clearly proven by what God did and does "for us, who is against us?" Not as if all the enemies have already been swept away but what will be the outcome if God is for us?
Yes we have enemies of flesh and blood and obviously the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:11-13; 1 Peter 5:8). Yet does not this statement imply that none can successfully oppose us or safely attempt to injure us? They cannot ultimately prevail and triumph over believers. For those who would destroy us must be stronger than the Omnipotent and wiser than the Omniscient. And if God permitted them to do their worse all they could take is our physical life and even that we offer up as a spiritual sacrifice to God.
II. OUR SOVEREIGN’S SACRIFICE, 8:32.
The Apostle now supplies the evidence that God cannot be doubted when we reflect on what He has already done for us. God the self-existent One and the Sovereign Creator is for believers to the extent His faithful love and un-calculateable sacrifice in verse 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?"
What greater demonstration of God’s love and willingness to give us full sanctification can He demonstrate than His giving up His only begotten Son to accomplish it? The greatest gift and sacrifice possible for God to make, His own Son, is the promise and pledge that God will with Christ freely give to us the all.
The language is an allusion to Abraham’s willingness to give up his only son (Gen. 22:12). The word "spared" (epheisato, from pheidomai) is used only one other place. It is found in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. When Abraham took his son Isaac to Mount Moriah (today called Golgotha, or Calvary), God said, "Abraham, lay not your hand upon the lad. Neither do anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me" (see Genesis 22:12). The word "withheld" is the same word translated "spared" here in Romans. So there God directed Abraham to spare Isaac and to offer a ram as a substitute (Gen. 22:2-14), whereas God offered His own Son as the Sacrifice for sin (John 1:29).
[Could the reason be that God could pour out so many blessings on Abraham in so many ways was because Abraham was ready to sacrifice the one thing in his life that mattered most. In so doing, Abraham said, "I’ll plunge a knife into my son’s chest, even though I don’t understand, because I love You, Father, more than I trust my ability to figure out what’s going on."
