Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
June 25, 2017
Humble, Texas
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Thesis:   God is "for" us.

Introduction:   As we begin our study of the last paragraph in Romans 8, we are approaching the conclusion of Paul's teaching on sanctification. A quick perusal of the paragraph reveals a rather rapid-fire set of seven questions within an overall setting of "the love of God" that is focused upon the death of Christ, His resurrection, and His post-resurrection establishment at the right hand of God where He makes intercession for us.

This evening we are going to look into the first two of these seven questions.

• I. The First Question Seeks a Firm Theological Conclusion.
  • A. Paul used the literary form of the first question in seven of eleven texts in Romans where we find him always seeking to get his readers to draw "life-conclusions".
    • 1. In 3:5, the issue is whether there is unrighteousness in God Who takes vengeance even though He makes use of the wickedness to further His purposes.
    • 2. In 4:1, the issue is the discovery of Abraham in regard to justification by works.
    • 3. In 6:1, the issue is the question of our response to God's extension of grace in the face of significant sin.
    • 4. In 7:7, the issue is whether "The Law" is "Sin" because it is an instrument of the production of sin in the hands of "The Sin".
    • 5. In 8:31, the issue is the focus of our current focus of study: how shall we respond to the clear intentionality of God in regard to His purpose of "good" for us.
    • 6. In 9:14, the issue is a return to 3:5 and the question of whether God is, in any sense, unrighteous.
    • 7. In 9:30, Paul's last use of this literary technique in this letter, the issue is God's imposition of "faith" as opposed to "works" (9:32).
  • B. In another two of the eleven he uses the technique to challenge his opponents by saying, in effect, "you will draw this conclusion without warrant".
    • 1. In 9:19 he challenges their "fatalism".
    • 2. In 11:19 he challenges their "sense of superiority".
  • C. Some conclusions we can draw.
    • 1. This literary device seems to be his way of insisting that we draw some legitimate, and firm, conclusions about God and our relationship with Him.
    • 2. The issues are most fundamentally "T"heological and then a matter of "significance".
• II. The Second Question Answers the First.
  • A. God is "for" us.
    • 1. The issue of "for" is developed in Romans by 18 uses.
      • a. In almost every case, "for the sake of" can be a legitimate expanded translation.
      • b. The issue is either "in view of a specific purpose" (1:5), or "in view of a critical need" (5:8).
      • c. The outcome is always that God's purpose will come to pass or that our need is met.
    • 2. The point is that Paul asked what we should conclude in the light of the prior paragraph and gives at least a portion of the answer here: God is "for" us in spite of the often made charge that our God is "unrighteous" in some way.
    • 3. The following declaration of God's deliverance of Christ "for" us stands as his evidence for his conclusion.
  • B. None can effectively stand "against" us.
    • 1. The idea of "against us" is revealed by the above mentioned pattern of explaining how God is "for" us: "against" is indicated in the next question; "who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?"
    • 2. The larger question is that of 8:28 and its reality/integrity: is God applying omnipotence and wisdom to our situations?
    • 3. The answer is obvious: no one can stand against omnipotent wisdom.

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This is article #102.
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