It was a blessing to lead four people verse-by-verse through Romans chapters 5-8 last week (group photo bottom right column). We spent three hours on each chapter.
This Rest Stop presents a summary of our study of 2 of the 108 verses in Romans 5-8, and primarily Romans 8:32.
There is no greater adventure in life than to spend time with the Lord in His Word as He graciously reveals His life-transforming truths.
Please contact me if I can teach Romans 5-8 to you or to a group hosted by you. I cannot think of a more humble privilege and joyful experience. These chapters are just so foundational regarding the gospel of God as phrased in Romans 1:1.
GOD'S OWN LOVE
Romans 8:32 essentially is this question: Is there any possibility that God's love for you could ever decrease? You must become established in the answer to this
question in order to be established the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit inspired the answer to this question through Paul who brilliantly argued from a greater truth to a lesser truth.
The greater truth:
God the Father delivered His own Son
over for us all.
The lesser truth:
God will freely give us all things
with Christ.
In other words, if God has already
done this greatest thing of all for your salvation, then it is quite
unthinkable that He should fail to continue His work in you until He has
brought you to His final goal of glorification.
Note that Paul does not provide you
assurance only on the basis that God is love. God is indeed love (1 John 4:16).
However, Paul provides you with the ultimate assurance of how God has
already supremely demonstrated His love for you while you were yet a sinner (Romans 5:8):
The cross of Christ
GOD'S OWN SON
Note that the verse does not say His Son, but it says His own Son. Meditate on this little, yet powerful, word own. Realize how each word Scriptures is a precious jewel from God!
His own Son refers to the profound fact that Jesus was not just a good man. Jesus was not just a martyr. Jesus was not even an adopted son like you are now to God the Father.
Jesus was God the Father's only precious eternally begotten Son!
So, it is vital to see that this verse clearly
testifies that it was God the Father Himself who delivered His own Son over for you on the cross.
There are some who overlook God's specific work through the cross by referring to God's love in general.
And there are some who overlook God's specific work through the cross by viewing the cross as a tragedy brought about by man.
These two perspectives miss the whole glory of the cross and are a contradiction of Scriptures!
The gospel is a proclamation of what God did at Calvary! God indeed worked through men and men's sinfulness, but the work was God's work.
It was God the Father who:
Planned His Son to shed His blood.
(1 Peter 1:18)
Spared not His Son
and delivered
Him over on the cross.
(Romans 8:32)
Made His Son to be sin for us.
(2
Corinthians 5:21)
Laid on His Son the iniquity of us
all.
(Isaiah 53:6)
Raised His Son from the dead by His
glory.
(Romans 6:4)
CLOSING
The cross was no accident. What God has done through the cross is your guarantee of what He will yet do for you!
Do you see now more profoundly how
Paul has beautifully argued his point in Romans 8:32 from the greater to the
lesser?
So, will you believe that God who gave you His beloved Son Jesus Christ will not
also freely give you all things?
God bless you,
