Week 52 - A God Worth Trusting!
A God Worth Trusting!
Romans 8
Chapters and verses are certainly there for our convenience. We know that Romans is a continuous letter—a magnificent one—with a Spirit-filled look at God’s scheme of grace and redemption. I realize that Romans 8 is prefaced by what Paul says in chapter 7 and followed by what he says about the Jews in chapter 9, but if you were ever looking for a chapter that seems complete in and of itself, Romans 8 would be it!
It opens with the compelling statement that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” and it ends with a series of compelling questions. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?”, and finally, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Praise God!!!
In the verses between the statement and the questions, Paul regales us with one incredible thought after another, teaching us that, having been bought with a price, we are now being led deeper and deeper in faith by the One whom God has appointed as our spiritual guardian, the Holy Spirit.
According to Jesus in John 14, this Spirit is called to walk with us through this difficult life. Jesus calls Him our Paraclete—one who is “called to our side”. He is called our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper, and our Advocate! Like Jesus, he is not called to condemn us, but to save us!
As a young Christian, I often heard preachers who proclaimed vigorously the message of Philippians 2:13, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”! I rarely heard the rest of the sentence, “for it is God who works in you, to will and to act according to his good purpose!” God does this through the Holy Spirit—the one “called to our side”. Listen carefully to what Paul writes about Him in Romans chapter 8.
“You…are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” We are told in Acts 2 that when we responded to Christ in baptism, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our body is the temple of that Spirit, and he is always admonishing, disciplining, encouraging, and assuring us that we belong to the Father, God.
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but your received a Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father!” God brings His Spirit beside us to bring us power—for “by the Spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body…led by the Spirit of God!”
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” We often feel that we are incapable of being holy. At times, even our prayers reflect this. Paul says, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express!” Whenever we fail to express what is needed, the One who is “called to our side” picks up the slack, and expresses our needs to the Father in a language only they can understand!
If you have never read Romans 8 in this way, let me encourage you to read back through the text slowly and thoroughly. Come to understand that, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” To say it another way, hear how Paul addresses his young friend Timothy. “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”