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Sunday School Lesson
God Works For Our Good (Romans 8:28-39)
cally challenging verses in our text. All Christians agree that God works for our good when it comes to his role in our sal- vation. The question is, do we play any role at all?
At any rate, God is not lack- ing when it comes to knowl- edge. He foreknew everything so he predestined (saw it be- fore the horizon) a group of people to be like Jesus (con- formed to the image of his Son). Note the predestination is corporate—not individual. Jesus has an exalted position (firstborn), and so do his peo- ple who have been called,jus- tified, and glorified.
Because Jesus Was Not Spared | Romans 8:31-36 Another reason we are more than conquerors is because God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all. God is for (hyper) us. He demonstrated that by the gift of Jesus. To emphasize that point Paul asked seven rhetor- ical questions. The answers are obvious: “Nothing, No one, He will, No one, No one,
No one, No.”
God sent Jesus so that we
could be graced. No one can condemn us since Jesus’ res- urrection ensures that we are reconciled (Romans 5:10). Jesus continues to be for us in his ministry on our behalf in Heaven. He sits at God’s right hand, a place given him by being firstborn and by having made purification for our sins (Hebrews 1:3). This allows him to intercede (petition) for us. This is ministry he shares with the Holy Spirit (Ro- mans 8:26).
The cross is a historical fact. If we have any doubts about God’s care for us, we can throw them at the foot of that objective reality. There- fore nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (his love for us). Just as Paul ear- lier asked seven questions, now he posed seven things that could potentially separate us from Christ.
Troubles in a fallen world or persecution from people who would harm believers are
no match for the love of God. Sometimes we might feel as if we are being slaughtered (quote from Psalm 44:22), but we are more than con- querors through Christ’s love.
Because God’s Love Is for Us | Romans 8:37-39 This theme of God’s love is
now given full press. It is as if Paul challenged anything out there in the universe to try to separate him from the love of God. If we didn’t understand Paul’s implied answers to his previous seven questions, he gives a strong start to verse 37: No. It is actually through all of the challenges of life that we realize we are hyper con- querors. Paul gave four con- trasts (death/life, angels/demons, present/fu- ture, height/depth) and two generic items (powers; any- thing else in all creation) to emphasize that God’s love is for us.
It can be a challenge when children are hyper. But to have a hyper God helps us be more than conquerors.
God is hyper, and so are we. Twice in our text the word for “hyper” appears. God is hyper for (or on behalf of) us, and we are hyper conquerors be- cause of God’s love.
In Romans 6–8 Paul an- swered the issue of how Chris- tians should handle sin after their justification by faith. He essentially gave three re- sponses: Remember your baptism (Romans 6). Re- member that you are still in the flesh (Romans 7). Re- member that you are to walk in the Spirit (Romans 8). Remembering these things will help us be more than con- querors, and Paul gave three
reasons for why that is true:
Because God Works for Our Good | Romans 8:28-30
Paul makes a great declara- tion: God works for the good. Our circumstances might cause us to think otherwise. The all things of verse 28 refer back to the sufferings men- tioned earlier in the chapter. But even in those sufferings God works for the good of those who are continuing to love him. People who love God have responded posi- tively to God’s call and want to live their lives according to his purpose.
Next are the most theologi-
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