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Romans Chapter 8 Scriptures are taken from the New Living Translation Commentary by Gary Jones
GOD’S FIVE-PART PLAN FOR CREATION
I. EXPUNGE THE SIN DEBT
1. So now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Reprieved … Free at last … Praise God … He did it all! The Plan contains the process of buying the elect from the depth of sin and then giving them freedom from the penalty of sin. Thereby, God has solved the sin problem by taking on personally the curse of the sin debt in the painful sacrifice of His Holy Son. All who have been given the nature of Christ Jesus are alive and perfect in God’s sight and freed from the control of the dying and evil sinful nature. This act by God is guaranteed in the eternal “now,” which is in the spiritual domain, and it is permanent without any possibility of losing this gift. Those who belong to Christ Jesus are righteous in God’s sight just as Christ is righteous.
2. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
The nature of Christ is more powerful than any power [Colossians 1:17]; it is the creative force of everything. He is life and in Him life is eternal, [John 1:3, 4]. The nature of Christ is God’s Spirit, who is the spiritual manager of those who are in Christ [John 16:13]. The power of sin, which is in all of humanity, as an inherent nature, is nothing compared to the power of God’s “life-giving” Spirit. The penalty of spiritual death, which is a necessary judgment of sin, has been paid for all who are in Christ Jesus, thus rendering the power of sin impotent. The freedom resulting from this payment is given in order for The Spirit to begin His transforming process, sanctification, from slavery in sin, to the development in God’s love.
3. The Law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
The law was but a definition of those things that were contrary to God’s righteous requirements and it had no power to do battle with the powerful sinful nature. The law was a light that shines on the inherent human nature and brings a contrast to the righteous nature God has planned for His family. God used the law to expose the sinful nature as the evil thing it is and to demonstrate how weak and helpless all humans really are when bound in the slavery of their inherent nature. Then God sent His Son, who has the power in God’s Spirit to defeat the power of the sinful nature, He became a human living a sinless life and personally paying the sin debt for all of the elect. His sacrificial death met the full requirement of the law. The fulfillment of the law destroys the power of sin over all who are in Christ.
4. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Those who are “in Christ,” His elect, have the power of God’s Spirit in them and are made righteous in God’s sight. The sinful nature is relegated to a dying and diminishing influence in this temporal life. Having the superior and more powerful Spirit of Christ as a guide and manager provides not only a righteous position before God but also the power to defeat the inherent evil in this temporal body. During this temporal life, there is a natural conflict between the old sinful nature and the new nature, which houses God’s Spirit. This conflict rages throughout this life, but under The Spirit’s powerful management of the new nature eventually triumphs over the old dying nature. The Spirit teaches those who are in Christ how to listen to God’s requirements, decrees, laws, and commands in the development of love [Deuteronomy 1:1]. This listening results in following The Spirit’s guidance in seeing the truth where freedom from anxiety, fear, and guilt is present. This is being free indeed [John 8:32-38].
5. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
An indicator of the Spirit’s presence is found in the thoughts as the mind functions. If our thoughts do not change into thoughts about those things that please God, then the Spirit is not influencing our minds. If our thoughts and our desires begin to conform to the things in the law then the Spirit is in control. Our attitude towards the law changes from our hatred of the law, because of perceived restrictions, into a love of the law, because of our understanding of its benefits. How do we view the law? This is the telltale question. The Spirit and all Scripture are compatible and uniform. Those things in Scripture that once were thought foolish are now wise. Those things in Scripture once thought unpleasant are now seen as evidence of God’s Sovereignty. Are we thinking about what is the truth, what is truly right, or lovely [Philippians 4:8, 9]?
6. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
The thoughts in our mind are indicators of our position before God. If our thoughts are persistently dwelling on the desires and acts of our sinful nature [Galatians 5:19, 21], without any remorse, then our spirit may not be right in God’s sight, we may not be born of The Spirit; therefore, we are still under the penalty of eternal death. If we have thoughts consistent with the fruit of The Spirit then The Spirit is working on us and we are assured of freedom from the penalty of death. Peace is a clear indication of the presence of The Spirit. No peace or constant discontentment is an indicator of our sinful nature’s control over us. If the Spirit is in us then a simple call for help and His peace is not far away. This verse is a statement of fact; it is not an offer to accept life and peace. The tension between two natures, the old nature that harbors sin and the new nature that desires God’s goodness, indicates the presence of God’s Spirit. Where there is no tension, it is unlikely The Spirit is working on any development of a new nature. We need to examine ourselves continuously to monitor The Spirit’s work [2 Corinthians 13:5] because such contrasting helps us to listen to The Spirit and grow. Do we feel greater tension and less peace? This means we are not listening.
7. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
This is another statement of fact. Being hostile towards God is our natural state and is characteristic of our sinful nature, where our defiance to God resides. The sinful nature is incapable of doing anything good, even the acceptance of life and peace, if that was possible. No inherent sinful nature can be saved by any self-propelled intention or action. It takes God’s power to bring about the new birth of the new nature [John 1:13, 3:6] delivered through God’s Grace [Ephesians 2:8, 9] and it is all made possible by the cross. Our cursed nature, the sinful nature, always hates God and cannot conjure up real love for anything but itself. This inherent nature is evil, and it is always wrong and it can never be good and right [Romans 3:10-20].
8. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Those who are controlled by the power of sin may pretend to be holy and right by acting the part of being law-abiding citizens. Their pretense is motivated by selfish desires to gain respect from others in order to escape punishment or to manipulate a personal advantage. They may pretend so strenuously that they even convince themselves they are keeping the law, but their nature is just as evil as any other sinful nature that has ever lived. It is all about the nature and not about the sins. God judges the nature and never places a particular sin above another. The sins like the law are indicators of the condition of the nature. No one can change his or her inherent nature by performing to some standard. God’s plan requires a change in nature through the gift of the new birth, which brings the new nature into the new life. This contention is contrary to the popular belief that there is some good in everyone and change for the better is just a matter of being more disciplined, self-control, and trying harder to do the right thing. A person who lives a good life and claims they believe in God is considered by the majority to be a good person, even a Christian. This verse and this passage disagree with the consensus opinion. If the nature is not born by the action of The Spirit then the inherent sinful nature is in control. Such an inherent nature does not have the ability to conform to God’s plan. Such a nature is literally considered dead in all transgressions [Ephesians 2:1]. All actions taken by anyone who has not been born anew through God’s Grace are futile and useless in God’s sight. The desires and acts of the sinful nature are the reasons God predestined the expunging of the sins from those He had elected to His family.
II. EXPAND THE DESIGNED NATURE
9. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.)
More facts and a critical provisional contrast are given here. God’s children, Christ’s brothers and sisters, have the Spirit in them and He is controlling their lives according to God’s Plan. They have been born anew, a new life, without any condemnation. Having the Spirit and being controlled by the Spirit are things God has established and put into motion. Conversely, those who have not been given the Spirit of life are still inescapable prisoners of the sinful nature and inherently and unavoidably incapable of living by faith. Without the God given new life, we are by nature not righteous in God’s sight and we are by nature defiant of God’s purpose [8:8]. Without this gift of life, it is spiritually useless to pretend to be Christians. The specifics of this contrast are not widely taught in today’s churches because such an advocacy as this is not politically expedient. It is thought it would be better to make the “human will” responsible for the implied separation between those born anew and those who are called unbelievers. The intention of this deviation from God’s word apparently is to relieve God of any responsibility for this evident separation. Since most of our culture believes that each individual has a responsibility and right to choose his or her own destiny, the scripturally stated principle that God separates the spiritually dead from the living is not easily accepted as a fact. Our consensus training promotes the belief that it is up to the individual to accept or reject God’s Grace. There is no scriptural support for this promotion. In lieu of scriptural justification, a complex doctrinal process has been established where supposedly God woos some to accepting grace and condemns others for a conscience personal rejection. Along with this doctrinal puzzlement, they exaggerate foreknowledge and suppress predestination. At the same time, they believe everyone has an opportunity to accept God’s grace. Yet, in the final analysis, it is up to the individual to make the decision. It is so much easier to take God’s word for what He is saying and not try to understand all of the convoluted logic invented to protect God and make us humans responsible. God is perfectly capable of assuming all of the responsibility [Colossians 1:15-20].
10. Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God.
Having the Spirit of Christ living in us as a new nature brings the benefits of His loving management expertise and His personal ministry, and a diminishing affects of the old sinful nature. While the physical death is still a reality, the power of sin is continuously dying. The new alive nature is becoming more and more powerful everyday. With the developing of the new nature, a new life is becoming more robust seen through a stronger faith and a diminishing anxiety. There is a joy in knowing we are right with God and growing in His will. We begin to rely on God’s power for our needs while our selfish desire for control passes away. Notice it says, “you have been made right,” which is much different from, “we have made ourselves right.”
11. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.
Not only does the temporal life benefit from the indwelling Spirit but you have the promise of eternal life because the power of Christ’s Spirit has power over even death itself. Since God has solved the problem of sin, the products of sin, sins and eternal death, are eliminated by the power of The Spirit. The Spirit of Christ, the new nature in this mortal body, has “now” [8:1] the capability of defeating the power of the sinful nature through the power of The Spirit. This is an expanded capability to the original design in the old nature, inherent in all since Adam.
12. So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
The indwelling Spirit has made us free from the control of the sinful nature. Now, with the leading of the Spirit, we are taught how to decide between right and wrong. When the traps of the sinful nature appear, we will begin to recognize them for what they are and we can draw upon the power of God’s Spirit to deny them of any conquest [1 Corinthians 10:13]. When caught unaware, we can know The Spirit is teaching us another lesson. The uncontrollable needs are now replaced by controllable desires, which are then replaced by a submission to God’s Will only. We begin to understand that God’s loving guidance is leading us by the still and peaceful waters [Psalms 23:2].
13. For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live.
Succumbing to the old desires of the sinful nature causes pain, suffering, and even is the cause of our physical death. The Spirit always is able to keep the residual temptations within a manageable limit, so we need to turn to Him for help when facing a struggle with one or more of the old traps of the sinful nature. Once defeated our old trap become less threatening and more manageable [1 Corinthians 10:13]. The power of the Spirit that grows our resistance also grows our recognition of evil things. Remember our inherent condition is devoid of these attributes of listening and learning. This is not easy to remember because the residual sinful nature does not want us to remember, and it uses a lot of clever ways to interfere with The Spirit. In our legacy training, we hear from those who have their own agenda, which is meant to help only themselves. One common method used is a delusion that maintains we are becoming self-sufficient and we do not need to trust The Spirit as much as we once did because our self-control is developing. Think positive, they say, and then we can achieve anything we want. The Spirit does work within us during our exposure to these suggested delusions about ourselves and the misconceptions fed to us by our environment. In all types of temptations we should always be aware that The Spirit is working to conform us to His model, Jesus [Romans 8:28]. The Spirit, over time, does develop in us a living attitude that actually hates sin and grows a love for God’s righteousness. This is what having an abundant life really means. The “will live,” in this verse, is literally in the Greek, sarx zao, which means living in the flesh. This is not implying that that we have to change our nature in order to live, but it is saying in this context and through The Spirit that our temporal life will become more livable. This is a cause and effect kind of statement; because of The Spirit’s work, the cause, we will learn how to rejoice in this life, the affect.
14. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Living by Faith is a life that is becoming righteous. This is another statement of fact, and it is not implying any self-controlled contingency. This is what God’s children learn to do naturally. When the Spirit first comes into one of God’s children, the child is in a state of complete deprivation and ravaged by the evil of the sinful nature and deserving of death [Romans 3:12]. God makes the child alive [Ephesians 2:4, 5] because He is pleased to do so. God sends His Spirit into the child’s life to teach, protect, and conforms the new God given nature into its destined condition, to be like Jesus.
III. EXALTED TO A NEW STATE
15. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family --- calling him “Father, dear Father.”
The process of changing nothing into something is something only God can do, and the process requires many episodes of trials and painful experiences. We sometimes call this our life’s struggles. The child often suffers through periods of havoc, confusion, and doubt before the infant faith of the child grows into a great or controlling faith. The meaning of this promised adoption cannot be immediately appreciated. The way we learn is not conducive to gaining appreciation of our present time experiences, which we assume is our reality. Over time, we begin to see how these experiences have benefited us. Our past memories are a mixture of a lot of disinformation, which limits our ability to appreciate what God is doing. Of course, we cannot see at all into the future and thereby we cannot gain any real appreciation of God’s plan. With such information gathering handicaps, our learning anything is limited mostly to trial and error experiences. The contrasting of these experiences does lead us to the formation of opinions, which are modified as new experiences are encountered. Our beliefs are naturally influenced by this growing and learning struggle. The Spirit is our only hope for a progressive healthy growth. This guided and managed growth leads us towards the peace and maturity predestined in our purpose; this purpose is to be conformed to the image of Jesus [Romans 8:29]. This is where the Spirit wants to take each of God’s children.
16. For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
Spiritual communication between the Father and His children is usually very different from the temporal communications that influence us in this world. God uses things like His written Word, other people, experiences, and sometimes various media outlets, but the most common and frequent communications are soundless feelings in our hearts and minds. We do not hear the word, but we know His is speaking. We do not necessary comprehend what He is saying, but we learn to listen to what He is telling us. We do not even have to agree with Him, but we learn, over time, He is always right. These communications always encourages us and tell us we are His and He is taking care of us. This encouragement often comes in the midst of our troubles. The Spirit speaking through His word is our most reliable source of information. Any communication that is in conflict with this source, which is The Spirit’s revelation, is in error and can be classified as disinformation.
17. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
This is like one of those good news and bad news announcements. It is wonderful to think about all the treasures that we would like to share with God’s Son, like seeing the heavenly marvels in the outer reaches of space, or like experiencing the joy in the City of God’s Eternal Peace. It is all beyond our imagination, but to share in Jesus’ suffering is not a pleasant thought. Paul is emphasizing something that can be discouraging here; the unpleasant reminder of Christ’s suffering. Jesus suffered many things during His pilgrimage into this temporal domain as a living and breathing man, some of which we suffer in our lives, like hunger and fatigue. Jesus understands about our more perplexing problems, trials, ridicules, and injustice because He suffered and defeated the same problems in extreme circumstances. It is encouraging to know that our Counselor, Jesus’ Spirit, is intimately familiar with our suffering.
18. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
The depth of spiritual pain Jesus suffered in overcoming sin is beyond all comprehension, such as seeing all evil in its full reality. The incomparable anguish He must have experienced when He took the burden of the nature of sin into His Holy Nature. No one could nor will we be asked to endure or understand such suffering. In His Grace, His Glory is made available to His children without such suffering. For this, we should praise His name.
19. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
The names in the book of life have not been published, since the book has not been opened yet, [Revelation 20: 12]. Evidently, the angels and “a great cloud of witnesses,” [Hebrew 12: 1], are not sure who all of the children are. More likely, this verse means, they are not anticipating the “who,” but the “when” is the reason for their anxious waiting. The revealing of the “when” is tantamount to the final Judgment before the Eternal Glory, which is significantly more important than the “who” question. All of creation is suffering because of sin and the evil results of sin and to expect the end of this injustice is something for everyone to be eager about happening, sooner rather than later [Revelation 22:20].
20. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse.
The nature of sin affected all creation. This fact highlights the reality that the problem is the nature of sin and not just the commission of sins. God’s curse was levied against the nature and not against the sinners, since only humans are guilty of sins and the rest of creation is not guilty. This distinction is not often made. Trees or animals do not commit sins, yet they all suffer and die. The nature of sin infected all creation when the disobedience of Adam occurred. Therefore, all temporal creation since the beginning and some spiritual creation is diseased and must be destroyed [Revelation 21:1]. The sinful nature is the enemy and not the products, or the results, or those contaminated by the nature. Ignoring this fact contributes to the invention of a number of fantasies that tend to blame various symbols of evil. We are wasting our efforts in blaming Satan for evil; he was the initiator of the nature but not the instigator of our evil experiences. Our nature causes us our problems. God’s curse is always directed towards the nature and not towards the victim. God’s Grace is given to the imperfect individual so that growth can be developed in His chosen ones, into the image of His Son; this is a process in the actions of The Spirit over time to bring about the planned results [Romans 8:28-30]. This is the theme --- found in all of the scriptures.
21. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
The new heaven and the new earth where all of God’s promises come to pass with all of the goodness and beauty represented in the first Garden. Eternal life without any disease or struggle with the nature of sin, employed in some fulfilling service in His presence, always in the light of His wisdom without any darkness of doubt, and reigning like a king, [Revelation 22:1-5]. This is the picture we are given indicating some clues about the eternal day after “the day.”
22. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
Pain and struggle is an integral part of this temporal creation. In God’s wisdom, this is what makes things grow. It is a process, a preparation, a developmental environment, for the Eternal Plan. All parts of God’s creation share in the tensions of change that accompany pain, struggle, and death. We humans tend to expend our energies in the effort of gaining and sometimes securing temporal happiness, which is so meaningless in light of the Eternal Plan. In God’s creation, those of us in this temporal domain must be viewed by those in the eternal domain displaying pity due to our limited perspective.
23. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
The Spirit teaches us that the world’s urgency of seeking happiness is a waste of time and nothing more than symptomatic of the residual sinful nature’s traps, such as discontentment. At the same time, The Spirit is creating a holy anticipation of Christ’ return, and therewith all of God’s promises are fulfilled. In this temporal life, we are taught, by The Spirit, to see the true nature of evil, and we learn to develop a sincere hope for the coming of the new world. As we develop, our attitude changes from discontentment into peace. We are trained to understand that God’s will is what matters and our will is just foolishness [1 Corinthians 1:18, 2:12-16]. The promises surrounding our inheritance are for the most part beyond our understanding, but we learn that these promises mean something far better than anything we now know.
24. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it.
Paul once wrote, “Faith, Hope, and Love, but the greatest is Love,” [1 Corinthians13: 13], are the essence of this life. Love is truly the greatest because God’s Love is Eternal. The other two elements, Faith and Hope, are not a part of the new world because all anticipations will be realities and visible. Faith is unnecessary when all things are seen and known, and Hope is meaningless in the timeless domain. Everything is then in God’s Love.
25. But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
This is a definition of Faith. The complementary verse, [Hebrews11:1], contains also a condition of mind and emotion. The assurance in the mind, as if it was a known fact, is coupled with an emotional certainty about an unseen reality. Thus, we look towards the unknown with a confidence implanted in our minds as if it is a fact. This confidence gives us an emotional certainty in our hearts that God loves us and is caring for us. This confidence and this certainty is what faith is all about. Both the confidence and the certainty is an indication that God’s Spirit has done His work in us. Being so certain about a future hope and having such confidence in something that cannot be proven or seen is viewed in this world as being unreasonable, illogical, and capricious. The very existence of this kind of faith is indicative of the new nature given to us by God’s Spirit. Faith by its very nature is foreign and inconsistent with anything found in our sinful nature. There is nothing in our inherent nature that can conjure up such a life giving force as true Faith.
IV. EXCELLED IN OUR PURPOSE
26. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
The struggle with the sinful nature is a continuous experience in this life and it witness to the presence of God’s Spirit. The Spirit knows how hard it is; He helps us, and uses this experience to strengthen us. Comprehending what is happening is difficult to recognize and even more difficult to verbalize. Prayer is a great benefit during the stress found in our situations. Words are unimportant because The Spirit can give us the needed help without requiring us to understand or even to describe what we need. Most of the time, The Spirit is working even without our awareness. Our prayers are being answered before we can assemble the words in our petition. Our prayers serve an important part, however, in our growth and adjustments to what The Spirit is doing. The more we pray the more we comprehend the workings of God’s Spirit in our lives. The Spirit accurately diagnosis’s our problems and administers the treatment according to God’s Plan, which is usually independent from our plans and often different from our desires and prayers. This is why we must be sincere when we pray, “Your will be done.”
27. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
The Spirit looks past our wants into our real needs and the details of God’s Will. We are incapable of evaluating accurately our situation anyway. Our prayers are primarily for our benefit and do not affect God’s Will. This thought is contrary to much of the consensus thinking, but a study of Jesus’ prayers will reveal that Jesus always referred to The Father as the controller of all things. Prayer helps us to see and appreciate what God is doing. Prayer helps us to contrast our wants against God’s Will. Prayer helps us to feel we are a part of God’s Plan. Prayer helps us to lean on God’s understanding, and to follow Him in all things [Proverbs 3:5]. Prayer helps us to measure our own growth and gage the differences between our wants, our needs, our will, and God’s will.
28. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
The context of this verse is very important in appreciating what the Spirit is telling us in this verse. The two previous verses and the next two verses are in the same context as this popular and often misquoted verse. God does not work everything out for what we think is good! In fact, a lot of God’s Plan is not what we would call “good” or even acceptable. The Spirit helps in our suffering, [8:26]; this implies that the “everything” may include some things we do not characterize in our perception as being “good” or even justifiable. Our “everything” is interpreted and managed by the Spirit according to God’s Will, [8:27]. All of this control and management is restricted and limited to those who have been called according to God’s Plan. God’s separation policy, for example, is often ignored even though it is clearly stated in this verse. “Those who love God” is an explicit reference to this separation policy. Only God’s calling produces a love for God that is completely independent from the inherent hate the sinful nature advances [8:7, 8]. This calling is emphasizing how irrevocable God’s call really is [Romans 11:29], which initiates the excelling of the elect to a place in the eternal plan. Even this capability to love is dependent upon God’s love in us manifested by His Spirit [1 John 4:13-17]. During the times that we might consider “good” it is easier to think about how kind God is, but when times are filled with pain and suffering we tend to blame God for His unfairness. This kind of struggle between what we want and the way our sinful nature defines what we want can be termed our time of discontentment [Romans 715-24]. Very often, these times are marked by acts of the sinful nature, which results in more pain. Much of this battle is caused by not believing this verse or misinterpreting the truth The Spirit gives us in this verse and its context. The fundamentals are: (1) God does the calling; (2) The Spirit controls; and (3) It is God’s Will that matters.
29. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.
It is ironic that the prior verse is one of the most popular and this verse is one of the least popular recognized in The New Testament. This verse could be called one of the most ignored and divisive verses, or it could be called one of the most profound. This verse seems to give us an insight into God’ Purpose, Plan, and Process for His entire creation. God evidently wanted to create a family that had been made free from the nature of sin. This family would have a nature like His Son, who would have authority over the family like the eldest Son. This family was Planned in every detail down from the identity of specific individual in all of life’s experiences, which are represented in each and unique individual [Psalm 139:16]. The Plan was detailed before the beginning just the way it had to be [Ephesians 1:4-14], Colossians 1:15-20]. The Process had to include character-building experiences that would contrast good and evil so that God’s righteousness would forever be appreciated and honored [Hebrews 12:10, 11].
30. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.
It follows that those who God selected before time began would have to be made right in God’s sight by Grace through the gift of Faith [Ephesians 2:4-9], which produces a life of righteousness [Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11]. This righteous standing with God [8:1] is made possible by the justifying act of the Son’s Sacrifice. Since God has done it all, as He is Glorified, His whole family is glorified, excelled to a position even above the angels [1 Corinthians 6:3].
V. EXTRICATED FOREVER
31. What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
The picture is clear. God is doing it all. We are but sheep in His Sheep Pen. The creator of the universe is telling us through His Spirit, He is totally in Control. It is obvious we have no influence over this process any more than we have the power to select our parents [John 1:13]. It is all according to God’s Power and Choice. Praise God that He is Sovereign, and there is nothing that can change this fact.
32. Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
The price God has paid already for this Plan is so enormous that we cannot begin to comprehend it. We try, actually, to ignore how painful some of God’s decisions really are. Many even try to invent defenses in an effort to dismiss the reality of this verse. They try to blame the assumed power of the human will for the brutality of the human nature. We have assurance in the high price He paid for the sin debt as an indication of God’s resolve to keep all of His promises. We have assurance in this painful work by God that He will continue all His works to completion [Philippians 1:6].
33. Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself.
Evil by its nature accuses God’s work because that is what evil is all about. Whether evil is a part of an individual’s sinful nature or collectively a part of a society it emulates the originator of pride, Satan, it is by its nature against anything God does. A common position held by many is that evil has the power to influence that which God controls, like all the details in individual lives or like selecting His children, this is not scriptural, its only power is a deception. Evil, in any of its forms, tries to offer more plausible and pleasing alternatives to God’s Sovereignty. Evil, in any of its forms, tries to dilute God Plan with suggestions about human rights and choices. Evil, in any of its forms, will advocate that the human contributes to his “right standing” before God. Evil, in any of its forms, will gloss over these verses as too divisive to discuss in an open fashion; let the theologian determine what it all means, besides it is all open to interpretation --- wrong! The problem is --- these verses contradict the advertised position of most of the theologians. We need to read these verses carefully and ask God’s Spirit to guide our hearts and minds. If this is done, a new abundantly free life is ahead.
34. Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.
God according to His Rules purchased us and we are made right in His sight because of His Gift [8:1]. This is all according to the Plan. There is no force or power strong enough to interfere with God’s Plan. The concern about Satan, the accuser, trying to influence our Father is trivialized in the light of the high price God paid, in Christ sacrifice, and the power represented by God’s creation. Satan’s role in The Plan seems to be limited to the background and given a minor casting role. God is the director/producer and His Son has the leading role of this play that is produced for the benefit of God’s family.
35. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?
Being “in Christ” means we are living in Him and He lives in God and because of this we know the love God has for us [1 John 4:15, 16]. Love is one of God’s attributes; therefore, we cannot be separated from this love if we are in Christ. The environment and the harshness experienced in this life is all a part of The Plan. Growth and development depends upon proper conditioning [Hebrews 12:10]. Pain and suffering indicates discipline, which indicates real love. If there were no disciplines then there would not be any love. It is good for the human to suffer in order to learn how to be free from the sinful nature, which dies in the presence of pain and suffering. This is all part of the original plan and design.
36. (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
Suffering in its extreme is imminent death. The greatest irony in life is learning how to die. When our value for our physical life has depreciated below our desire to please Him is when we are free indeed. The beloved sheep has value in being slaughtered, particular when it is a commanded sacrifice. Pain, suffering, and even death have a purpose when it is all being directed in Love. Always remember the Purpose for it all, [8:29].
37. No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Jesus suffered in this life filled with pain with the expressed purpose of dying in order to pay the sin debt for those He gives freedom and eternal life. He brought victory out of death. We must suffer and even die in order to appreciate the freedom we have been given. We are forced to conform into the image of the Son not because we choose but because He first loved us. The path to victory may be hard but the prize is promised to be worth it.
38. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.
The power in God’s saving Grace is so underestimated. Our sinful nature attaches itself to the traditional errors so easily and puffs up images of all kinds of irrelevant things. False doctrines are cheered on as facts and sworn to as truths. For example, “Salvation can be gained and lost in one’s volition.” “Demons can steal your faith.” “Satan is whispering in your ear.” Our sinful nature relishes the support of these delusions and deceptions provided in our legacy beliefs because they promote system control, increase our fear, and inhibits our growth in true faith. These heresies are like life-support systems for the sinful nature. The fear of death, demons, supernatural powers, and the unknown future are used by those who manipulated our thoughts and our beliefs. When we harbor such fears, we tend to follow those who promise peace and prosperity in the confines of particular set religious rituals. The Bible tells us to focus on Jesus because He has the answers since He wrote the plan and is administrating its fulfillment [Hebrews 12:2, 3]. Remember those who are “in Christ” are in God’s perfect love and perfect love drives out fear [1 John 4:18]. God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness [2 Peter 1:3]. Applying God word to our thoughts and to our life renders all these false teachings, coming from all the world’s manipulators, into a state of foolishness and futile efforts. We need to be convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love --- do not believe these popular appeals coming from out of the emotional presentations of these false teachers, who trade on our fears.
39. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is nothing in our time-space domain, or in the spiritual domain for that matter, that has enough power to overcome the power of God’s Love. The guidance and management of God’s Spirit teaches us over time that all of creation during every moment in every day is under God’s control. God is truly sovereign and He always does it His Way. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This profound truth literally extricates us from fear and gives us a peace that surpasses our understanding; this is peace indeed [John 8:36], completely extricated from the influences of this world.
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths
beyond tracing out!
Chapter Abstract (The Doctrinal Message)
· All who have been given the nature of Christ Jesus are alive in Christ [8:1]. · God’s Spirit has made us free from the control of the sinful nature [8:12]. · Our Counselor is intimately familiar with our suffering [8:17]. · Our sinful nature is our real enemy and not something else [8:20]. · The struggle with our sinful nature is a continuous experience in this life [8:26]. It is called our sanctification. · The fundamentals are: (1) God calls; (2) The Spirit controls; (3) It is God’s Will that matters [8:28]. · The Plan was detailed before the beginning just the way it had to be [8:29]. · Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord [8:39].
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