Romans 8:28-35
Dr. Roberto Miranda
(Audio: Español)
RESUMEN: In Romans 8:28, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that everything that happens in the life of a believer works together for good. This includes difficult situations, trials, and tribulations. Paul says that those who love God are called according to His purpose and have an advantage because all things work together for their good. The believer must recognize the redemptive work of God in the midst of difficult moments and have faith that God can take any situation and bring it to a positive conclusion. The passage emphasizes the security and assurance that believers have in their salvation and their walk with Christ.
The passage discusses how Satan only knows how to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus came to provide abundant life. The author encourages readers to look at past difficulties through a positive lens, as God can redeem them for good. All events and issues of life flow towards blessing for those who love God. The author also discusses Paul's elaboration on God's plan of salvation, which involves foreknowing, predestining, calling, justifying, and glorifying individuals. Overall, the passage encourages faith in God's plan and trust in His ability to turn difficult situations into blessings.
In this passage, Paul is discussing God's plan of salvation and how God has predestined and foreknown us. However, some theologians have used this passage to develop a theological system that restricts human freedom and leads to confusion. God chose Israel as a representative on earth, but they rebelled and were cast off. Similarly, God wants us to be saved, but recognizes our freedom to choose. There is a struggle in the church regarding the doctrine of eternal salvation, but we can have confidence in God's investment in our lives. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and in all struggles, we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
The passage discusses how Satan only knows how to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus came to provide abundant life. The author encourages readers to look at past difficulties through a positive lens, as God can redeem them for good. All events and issues of life flow towards blessing for those who love God. The author also discusses Paul's elaboration on God's plan of salvation, which involves foreknowing, predestining, calling, justifying, and glorifying individuals. Overall, the passage encourages faith in God's plan and trust in His ability to turn difficult situations into blessings.
In this passage, Paul is discussing God's plan of salvation and how God has predestined and foreknown us. However, some theologians have used this passage to develop a theological system that restricts human freedom and leads to confusion. God chose Israel as a representative on earth, but they rebelled and were cast off. Similarly, God wants us to be saved, but recognizes our freedom to choose. There is a struggle in the church regarding the doctrine of eternal salvation, but we can have confidence in God's investment in our lives. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and in all struggles, we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8. Let's go to the last section. We have divided this Chapter 8 of Romans into four major sections, each of them very, very dense, very complex and with many, many very deep truths that complete our understanding of the plan of salvation for the church.
Romans Chapter 8: 28. Today we conclude with this idea that we are more than conquerors in everything we experience in our lives. Chapter 8:28, Romans, says:
“.... And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. That is, those who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, these he also called, and those he called these he also justified. And he justified them, these he also glorified."
It is a part of that inclusive segment. Now he walks in, what about God has done all these things. He says, well,
“....what then shall we say to these. How are we going to react to this great truth? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he also give us all things with him. Who will accuse the elect of God? God is the one who justifies, who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died, even more so the one who also rose, the one who is also at the right hand of God. The one who also intercedes for us. who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword.
As it is written, because of you we are killed all the time, we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Before in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, therefore I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither height nor depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Glory to the Lord. Amen.
What a beautiful expression of total trust for the children of God. This passage is the culmination, it is the jewel above the crown of these beautiful verses of Chapter 8 that were conceived by the holy spirit to generate in us a bulletproof security about our relationship with the Lord, our salvation and our walk here. on earth.
That Chapter 8, I would say that if one word sums it up it is security. Security. From the very beginning of Chapter 8 we have been seeing it when the Apostle Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
See? It's the same theme. It is the same theme developed from different perspectives. It begins by saying that there is no condemnation, that the Christian does not have to live under that insecurity, that sense that we are under the sullen and serious gaze of a God who wants to punish us and will whip us at any provocation, but rather that in Christ Jesus we are sure.
Now, it says if we live according to the spirit, right? according to the values of the Kingdom of God. And so, last Sunday we saw that wonderful promise that one day when it's all over, the sorrows and limitations of this existence are going to be sucked up and replaced with a glorious resurrection, where even creation itself, the universe itself, the cosmos. , will be included in that total renewal of everything that exists.
And this is also a call to trust because it tells us, set your sights on that, live from that hope, knowing that here on earth, as the Lord Jesus Christ said, you are going to find affliction, and problems but one day all that will end in a glorious vision of total renewal, transformation of everything that exists. Live for it, live for it. Take courage, take breath from that promise that even if what happens here happens, the last card that the Christian plays is that, that they cannot touch his soul because his soul is reserved for a glorious resurrection.
Before, I also thought about the words of Jesus Christ when he said, do not fear those who can harm the body, but cannot harm the soul. In other words, they can tear us apart, they can do whatever they want to us, they can cut us into tiny pieces, but they will never be able to find our soul to destroy it, right? Because that is reserved by the heavenly father for every believer.
So, the believer lives with that passport already stamped there, he has it kept in his safe deposit box, knowing that this is his last trip that he is going to take. When that moment arrives we know that we are going to be glorified, to be taken with Christ Jesus and all creation groans waiting for that day.
Even the Apostle Paul goes further on a point that we didn't touch on, I think, with this group, last Sunday. He says look, while we are here on earth we are moaning and suffering and wishing for that, and sometimes we pray that the Lord does what he has to do and we ask the Lord to free us from this, and to free us from the other , and sometimes we ourselves do not even know, we do not even understand what we should really ask of the Lord, because many times when you are there when the Indians are persecuting you, you are asking that they take you immediately to another planet. And God says, no, I want you to be there for a time to be broken and formed and prepared.
And the holy spirit knowing what I really need, gives the correct prayer to the father. So, he says even in prayer, in times of crisis when you don't even know what is best for you in your life, God has put the holy spirit to correct your prayers and take them to the father in the right way. correct; to present the judicial argument before the throne of grace in the way that the judge can receive it and give you a positive ruling on your prayer.
What a beauty. That is to say, it is insurance as they say 'full cover', as Hispanics say, it has everything: against collision, against theft, accidents, acts of nature, your life is one hundred percent covered in all dimensions.
And here then the Apostle Paul ends with this great expression of final confidence. He already wants to clinch the job, to give it the last hammer blow so that it remains well in our hearts, that this idea that we have entered into a salvific plan that covers all the bases, all the possible circumstances that a child of God may have can cross.
And I want you to engrave that there in your spirit, brothers, and that you revisit this passage. So, the Apostle Paul says in verse 28 "... and we know...", I like that about,.... that certainty that the Apostle Paul shows many times that we are sure, or we know, on several occasions he says the same.
For example in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, he also says that about what we know, he says "because we know..... that if our earthly dwelling place, this tabernacle, were to be destroyed, we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.”
He was sure. Pablo always spoke with that certainty, which we also have to cultivate. I encourage you not to doubt the promises of the Lord. I know that we are going to doubt here on earth, but do not give shelter to the doubt, but recover immediately that you feel that the doubt comes to your heart, whether you are saved or not, whether there will truly be a life after death or not, whether God is truly faithful to get you through any situation. You have to say, no, I know that yes, I know that I am saved. I know that he started the good work and will be faithful to finish it.
We have to use that vocabulary of authority even though sometimes we don't feel it, huh. In the life of the believer there is no place for a timid and timid and doubtful vocabulary that well, God willing or maybe or if he got up on the right side of the bed, the Lord might bless me this week. No, God is going to bless me, God has even blessed me with all spirit blessings in heavenly places.
One has to use language to encourage oneself inclusively. Do not give way to destructive language, language that allows doubt because that reinforces your brain towards doubt and fear. The believer has to cultivate the language of a soldier, understand, like David when he went against Goliath, told him 'I am going to kill you today and I am going to cut off your head and I am going to give your body to the birds of the skies.' This little boy was there trembling before that giant, but he said it that way because he was prophesying what was going to happen and God honored his faith, no. We have to do so, even though sometimes we feel like everything is against us, but we have to take courage and speak a prophetic language, a language of positivity and expectation that God is faithful to do what he has promised in our life. life.
Then Paul says, "...and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God."
And notice how interesting, that he does the same thing he did in verse 1 that adds something that qualifies what it means to love God, right? Because in Chapter 8 it says "... there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, in verse 1, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit...."
Here it says, those who love God, these are those who are called according to his purpose. That is to say, that category of individual who loves God has an advantage that no other human beings have and that is that everything, for that person.....
Say, "I am one of those people ”, because you are in Christ Jesus.
Then, he says to those who love God all things work together for their good. What does that mean? that means that for you who are in Christ Jesus everything that happens in your life, wow and that is hard to believe, brothers, uuufff.... When you are at 93 at 5 in the afternoon and there is a traffic of those that... you already know what... and you say, how can you help me well?
When there is an illness in your life, when a friend betrays you, when your marriage is going through trials, when everything is not going well with your children and there is tension in the family, when they tell you, we are sorry a lot but the budget is over and we can't have your position anymore and we're going to have to unsubscribe you. When in the middle of the night doubt and fear and depression assail you, when you have doubts about your relatives there in Central America or South America, what is happening to my mother or my brothers, or even my children there? ? And why do I have to be here in this country feeling cold? When you are walking through the snow in one of those harsh Februarys, and we can say to those who love God, all things work together for the best.
Can I recognize the redemptive work of God in the midst of the hard and difficult moments of life? This requires a very great awareness on the part of the believer because your body is not going to recognize it, your emotions are not going to recognize it, your intellect is not going to want to recognize it, that has to be a recognition that comes from the spirit of the believer. It is an assertion of faith only. An expression of faith that can say, no, the word says and I believe it, I believe it by faith even though everything within me screams otherwise, that somehow, God can take what is happening to me and bring it to a positive conclusion. , that somehow this can result in a blessing for my life. In the total economy of my life this is going to have a redemptive and positive purpose. That's what you mean, isn't it?
In fact, in the original Greek, it seems that grammatically it can be interpreted not only that to those who love God all things work together for good, but it can also be interpreted as saying that to those who love God, God bring all things to good.
It's like God is involved, immersed in the process and the things that happen to you want to go in that direction to destroy you and suck your life and spirit, and nobility, but God takes that car that without driver and takes control of the wheel and puts it back on the road and directs it towards the blessing.
That is the idea that is in this passage, because the Lord Jesus Christ said that Satan only knows how to kill, steal and destroy, but he says, but I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance .
So, the Lord God takes the curses of the devil, his desire to kill, to destroy in your life, to cause chaos in your life, and take all those things that the devil wants to use as swords to put a stab in your soul and turn them into a blessing for your life.
I want to encourage you, my brother, my sister, this morning even to look back at that, retroactively, because now that you're in Christ that goes backwards too, you know, it goes backwards.
So sister, I encourage you, if you were for example, and the Lord puts in my mind right now, if you were sexually abused for example, as a child, God can turn that into a blessing. Don't live under condemnation. Don't live depressed, don't live with low self-esteem.
I was reading about all the emotional distortions that come as a result of sexual abuse: bulimia, anorexia, all these food illnesses that often come as a result of sexual abuse, not always, but sometimes. sometimes very frequently and other distortions that come from abuse.
If you have been abused by your spouse in any way, or have been treated in a less than fair and dignified manner, do not live your life oppressed and depressed with low self-esteem and resentment. Say, I don't know how, but God is going to use all this for good in my life. I will not live as a victim. I'm not going to live regretting it and oh, why do I... No, no, that's over and God is going to redeem it in some... He has already redeemed it if I can only believe it and live in that security.
And so anything else: a financial failure, past abuse from your parents, their lack of love for you, a tragedy in your family, an arrest, a criminal record, poverty in your past and suffering, God's blessing is retroactive. God knew that you were going to enter his kingdom and all those things he can redeem and turn them into an advantage for your life.
Because many times through suffering you gain humility and love for others, and empathy to feel the pain of others and also the ability to advise others, more dependence on the Lord, a softer attitude and more humble.
Now if we get poisoned and bitter about the events of the past and we always go there digging and looking for that gloomy album of black and white photos of the past, and visit them from time to time, and come back to renew that sense of victimhood, then it is a curse.
But, if you go to that album with new salvation glasses, what Paul says, "all things work together for good to those who love God", and you visit that album, you You are going to see colors and you are going to see a little flower where there was only a gloomy well, because the Lord is going to redeem it.
God can turn life's tragedies into very positive things. It all depends on how we read them and what narrative we get out of them. Many of us substitute a terrible narrative as a consequence of the pains of the past, instead of taking a positive narrative that calls us to do so.
So the child of God is called to interpret all the events of life in a positive light, even if at the moment he does not have the answer and does not know in what way, because only God in his macro view and microcosmic can understand how that, in light of eternity and other things, can lead to something good, something positive. Because human nature and human life is something extremely complex and we do not have all the pieces to know how something that now seems to us to be a tragedy, in ten years we are going to say thank you Lord that it happened in my life, because it was for the best.
How many people have entered the Gospel because of a tragedy that occurred in their lives? And the word says that it is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God maimed or blind or lame than to go to hell with all the members of your body very well. So if that tragedy was what led you to Jesus Christ and eternal life, give glory to the Lord for it.
And the image came to me this morning while I was meditating on this message, of when it rains in the mountains of the fields. I was walking, actually this summer doing a hike in one of the mountains in Maine and we passed through an area, my nephew Omar and I, where we were very high and we were descending towards Jordan Pond, a very large pond that there is like a descent, a valley. It is surrounded by mountains and while we were going down that mountain, inside the mountain we saw how different little streams, it had rained a lot in those days, and so there were little streams running down everywhere, while we were walking, we saw those little pipes of water everywhere , some bigger than others, some made small waterfalls, others were just like threads that ran through the earth. Where were all those threads going? All over that big mountain, they were going down to fill that pool.
That's the way it happens with the rivers too, the rivers feed on all the waters that come down from different parts of the mountains, by gravity, and they go into the currents of the earth blindly, although you don't see them or not, gravity is taking them towards the low place where the rivers are. So, they come together, they create a river, they create a lake, they create a pond, right?
And so it is with the themes of our lives. I believe that what the Apostle Paul is saying, those who are in Christ, those who have been called according to God's purposes, all the little rivulets of life, all the events of life are some good, some bad, some begin in the north, others in the south, others in the east, all are coming together by a call from God, coming together from different parts, all flowing to a reserve, to a deposit of blessing for the lives of the children of God.
All things, the good, the bad, the pleasant, the unpleasant, the gloomy, the celebratory, everything, comes together to conspire for the blessing of the son of God. All the different themes of your life, failures and triumphs, tragedies and blessings, everything has been done by God and allowed, and channeled by God to lead to that word that says in Jeremiah 29 "... because I know the purposes that I have for you to bless you and not to harm you."
God's purposes are to bless your life, not to curse. So all the events and issues of your life are all flowing towards blessing.
So, what the Apostle Paul is saying is to those who love God, all things help them. That is to say, they end for good, because there are many things that are terrible in themselves, in their very nature, in the isolated moment in which they happen to you, they are very bad, but in the greater context of your life and of God's purpose, that it helps, that is, it contributes towards good.
As there are different things in the human body, in the human organism there are even poisonous substances, you know? There are things in your body, metals and minerals and things that if you had them in large amounts would kill you. This is where, in fact, many deformities and many problems come from in human beings when harmful things that are supposed to be in minimal amounts, to balance the body, are in exaggerated amounts, so that contributes to the body's illness, but in small amounts there are harmful things. in your being that balance your body. Your body needs them. And there are very good and very positive things in themselves and together they produce a healthy organism.
And so it is in human life. The human being often needs pain, suffering, suffering, difficult things that together with good and positive things, everything comes together to create a taste of blessing in the life of the believer, of the child of God.
Do not think that everything .... I do not ask the Lord, I dare not ask the Lord for a life without problems because I think it would be harmful to my well-being. So I simply ask the Lord, Father, take control of my life and guide it as you want and be the one to unite all the different themes of my life and make it a precious fabric of different colors, different flavors, different shades: pain and joy, sadness and triumph, and tragedy, all together to create a man, a human being that reflects the complexity of a child of God. That is what I ask the Lord for my daughters, my marriage, for my church, for all of you that the Lord be in control of your lives and that he unite all the issues of your life so that they lead to blessing.
But while you are going through a difficult time, don't isolate it, put it in the context of the totality of God's purpose in your life. Think 10 years, 5 years. I was talking to a sister who hadn't seen her for years, she's in another place, she's not here now. She loves our church, in fact, she keeps in touch with it, a little discouraged by some things she has seen in other believers lately.
I told her, sister, remember that those people maybe in 5, 10 years and maybe, all those struggles and those problems they have had, they will have overcome them and now they will be firm in the Lord, don't worry. take what you are seeing at the moment because God has another purpose with them. Those people are going to take maybe 10 years to get in there and fully stabilize. In the meantime, don't throw in the towel because now they're going through tribulations or they've gone astray or whatever, look at it in the long term.
As a pastor I have had to learn that I have to look at the career of my brothers in the long term, of my church and my ministry in the long term. Not at the moment because at the moment one loses heart, but one has to look at it in the long term.
What is God going to do? What is God going to get out of these tribulations, this struggle, these zigzags? What is God's ultimate purpose in all of this? Because we are united with other churches, and with other ministries, and we are united with believers throughout all of history.
God is the one in control of everything and he knows how all of this will acquire its coherence. I cannot see the totality of human relationships and all this, at the level of history or eternity. Only God can do that, so I have to have a deposit of faith that says: Lord, even if I don't understand what is happening in my life, why this has happened, I believe that what your word says is true, that if I love you, if I have been called by you, everything that happens in my life will be used for blessing and good in some way.
Perhaps what I am suffering now will be a blessing for my children or for my church that is watching my drama or for someone I don't know, but it will be used for good and you will make sure I get what I need. That is trust and we have to confess that with faith, every day of our lives, in hope against hope as the word of the Lord says.
So, when the Apostle says "those who are called according to his purposes", this launches him into an elaboration as he always does, as a scholar that he is, what does that mean that according to their purposes are called? So, here he is talking about God knowing or foreknowing some who were going to be saved, right? and also after foreknowing them, he predestined them so that they might be saved.
And when he predestined them, then, he called them, he took action to call them, to enter his kingdom. And those he called, after he called them and they entered his kingdom, he also justified them and said: you know what? you are saved and he put the sword like this on his shoulder. You are saved, you are saved, you are saved, justified them.
And those he justified, he says he also glorified, meaning, that glorification in the future of which Paul speaks of creation being glorified, we will enter into glory, the holy spirit is seeing it in the future and is what is called a prophetic past. They are sure that they are going to be glorified, which is as if it were already a fact, it already glorified them too. Although we know that our bodies will be glorified in the future. But since he called them and justified them and all this, he also said, they are going to be glorified. And indeed, it is as if we were already glorified because we already live in that certainty that it will be so.
So, what Paul is doing here is more like breaking into little pieces what is God's plan of salvation that God had in his mind a people, and he conceived it in his mind, he saw it, he knew each one of us....
Do you think that one day God was there on his throne, playing little balls on the floor of the kingdom, and he saw so and so in El Salvador... Oh, look, look, I didn't know this person, I would like to save her, let her enter the ways of the Lord, am I going to send someone to preach the word to her? No, he knew from the foundation of time that you were going to be saved in the Lord. He knew that, because God knows the smallest details of the universe, nothing is hidden from the Lord. He knew that you were going to enter the Kingdom of God and since he knew that there was going to be a new creation, he provided a whole plan to foreknow them, then he predestined them, he also declared things that were going to happen and all this.
Now, let me tell you something, this type of passage has been used, in my opinion, in an unwarranted way by theologians who have wanted to build a whole theological system of statements that I don't think we have that much right or authority. to start digging and elaborating a whole system, a theological apparatus with logical conclusions A, B, C, postulated here and there. I do not believe that the Apostle Paul intended that, directed by the holy spirit. I don't think he wanted to come up with a theological engineering plan.
Some have said, well, if God predestined us, that means then that if he predestined us, no one can leave. Once God says that you are going to be saved, even if you want to, you cannot leave. You're going to have to be saved. And I don't believe that, because I always see God working together with man, recognizing the freedom of the human being. God does not put a chain on you and tie it around your neck and say, you are going to have to be saved whether you want it or not, and then drag you into the Kingdom of God.
And even that theology that is called Calvinist theology has reached the point of saying, well, if it is so, then it means that those he did not choose, because there is another passage, that means that to others when he was in a bad mood, he decided that he was going to predestinate them to scorch in hell and he also chose them and those, no matter how much they want, will also go to hell and God will be glorified in that.
What a sinister theology, I would say. God doesn't work like that. I know that there are passages that suggest that, but there are times when what we have to do is look at these things, leave them in tension, not try to conclude more than one has the right to do and not draw conclusions from there that later They lead people to confusion, like this once saved, always saved, all this, I don't believe.
Look, Israel, God chose the Hebrew people. In fact, Paul is using the language that God chooses the Israelites as a people and everyone who was born within that town, because he went on to enjoy the benefits of that people as a whole. God chose Israel to be a light to the nations, to be their representative here on earth. What happened? Although he chose them and predestined them for that, and determined that it should be so, these people misbehaved with God, rebelled, idolized, and separated from the Lord. And what happened? God cast them off. Now, still in his mercy he is working with them as a people, as a nation and he is there struggling with them. But that people have done and undone through so many generations and they are still a rebellious people against God.
God hasn't forced you to be the people to obey him and all this, has he? And so it is with God's plans. God wants us to be saved. He says that God does not want anyone to be lost, but rather that all proceed to salvation. What does one do with that fact? Because not all proceed to salvation, but God's intention is that all be saved. But if you, because of your bad head, resist God then there is no forgiveness for you. Furthermore, if once you know the Lord, as the writer of Hebrews says, you walk away having enjoyed all the goods of Christ Jesus and the Gospel, you are worse than those who did not know the Lord. Double awaits you.... the oven that awaits you will be turned three times. It's going to be hotter because you knew him and left him, says the word of the Lord, not in those terms but more or less something like that.
So, I say this because there is this struggle in the church among many who talk about once you are saved, you are always saved. In fact, the person who taught that doctrine, today, here for example, in the Hispanic world, is very well known, the last name Miranda, may the Lord rebuke him wherever he is, this brother today is saying that he is saying that he is Jesus Christ , that he is God, that he is God, he goes around preaching.
I believe that there are many brothers who believe that doctrine of eternal salvation, Calvinism. It is not that they are of that nature, but you have to be very careful with these ideas because they can lead you to some very terrible teachings. God doesn't work that way.
What he's saying is, look, just brother, have confidence. God has invested in your life, he has predestined you, he has foreknown you, he has justified you, he has called you, he has already glorified you in advance, so live confidently. Your passport is already stamped, when you arrive before the immigration officer he's going to look like that, and he's going to say, yes, it's you, go ahead. Come good and faithful servant. Enjoy the joy of your Lord, enjoy. You don't have to be digging around there, they're going to let me in or not. You are already there, because God has invested in you. God has done everything necessary for you to enter.
So, Paul says, what can we say to this. If God is with us, who can be against us? If God is with you, what devil is going to be able to wreak havoc in your life, says the word of God. Nobody can accuse you, today, society criticizes Christians for being hypocrites, for going around preaching morality in their underpants, for saying and then doing that.
Look, God has already justified us. Glory to the Lord. We are not going to abuse that, we know we are not perfect, but we have the blood of Christ that cleanses us and washes us from all sin. Even if the world accuses you, you stand firm in what God has done in your life. Satan cannot come before the throne of God and say, you have to leave this one there on earth because he is a sinner. No, he says, my son died for him so it's sealed, let him in.
Let's not abuse that, but that is the security of the child of God. There is a passage in Zechariah, Chapter 3 where Joshua, the high priest Joshua, is called by God before his throne and says that Satan comes to accuse him. And God himself says that the Lord rebuke you, Satan; May the Lord rebuke you, this is not, he says, speaking of Joshua, a brand taken from the fire. Then he says, put white garments on him and put a miter on his head, the Lord told him, because in this way the devil wants to accuse us many times, but he says, he is not redeemed by the blood of my son. Let him in, he can enjoy the blessings of my kingdom.
Who can accuse a child of God? It is God who justifies. He says, who is the one who will condemn if Christ has already paid the price? You cannot justify yourself, nor can you pay the price, but Christ paid it, of your salvation. Christ is the one who died, he says, even more so the one who also rose. He not only died and stayed dead, but he rose again, which makes his death even more worthwhile, because now he is risen.
He says and his resurrection has allowed him to now go, sit at the right hand of God and there intercede for us. Glory to the Lord. Perfect. He justifies us, pays the price for our sins, resurrects his son so that he then sits at the right hand of the father and is continually praying for you, interceding for you.
Do you know that? That when you are here on earth fighting, battling and giving swords against the enemy, the Lord Jesus is there praying so that your faith does not fail. Like in that beautiful scene in the Gospel where the disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, it says that a storm came and the wind was against them and they were there rowing all night and they couldn't get out. And it says that the Lord was on a mountain praying and it says that at a certain time, he came down from there, walked on the waves, got on the boat and said: Peace to the waters and to the storm. And peace was made and he rescued his disciples. That is what Christ does. He is there while you are in the fight of life, he is at his height praying, interceding for you. Remember that always. Remember that. He is the one who intercedes for you. Your plan is wonderful, it's complete, isn't it?
So, finally he enters a moment of great poetic celebration. Verse 35, “.... who will separate us from the love of Christ”
Many of us sometimes feel like this, so what if I fail at the last moment; And what if a little devil comes along and trips me and makes me fall and I go to hell after all these years of trying to serve the Lord. And what happens if an illness comes and I deny the Lord at the last hour. And what happens if poverty comes into my life and then I get frustrated with God and leave the path, if a temptation comes and separates me from God. One thinks all these things, and that is why the Apostle Paul already puts the last answer to the last argument that one can give to that security that he wants to put in our hearts.
And he says, look, nothing that happens in this world can separate you from the love of God as long as you hold onto it. No one can come around and make an evil plan, a plot to somehow get you out of the salvation that God has given you. Because everything is already coldly calculated, as Chapulín Colorado says. All the pieces are... right?
What can separate us? Put what you want there: tribulation, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. Put what you want there. Nothing can separate you from what God has already dictated for your life, my brother. As long as you cling to the Lord you have an assurance of your salvation, of God's blessing in your life. He says, before in all these things we are more than conquerors. Not just winners, but super winners. Jupernicomen is the word he uses in the original Greek: more than victorious, super victorious, hyper victorious in Christ Jesus.
You know, that's what happens, that all the struggles, everything that happens in your life God uses it to strengthen you and to make you stronger. The Apostle Paul understood this when he said that God allowed a messenger of Satan to slap him around the face, to torture him. And he asked the Lord three times, deliver me from this, get me out of this mess, Lord, from this affliction. And three times the Lord said to him, my grace is enough for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. Then Paul said, if it is so then I will glory in weaknesses and afflictions.
It says here, “.... therefore I will glory rather gladly in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me, therefore for Christ's sake I rejoice in weaknesses, affronts, needs, persecutions, anguish, because when I am weak, then I am strong”. Hallelujah!
In all things you are more than conqueror. God is not going to get you out of the affliction, the problem, the struggle, the difficulty, but in the midst of it he will make you stronger and he will make you more than a winner. Do not ask the Lord to avoid problems, ask him to give you strength to emerge more than victorious from problems. In all your struggles God has a plan to make you stronger, more powerful and better, more dangerous against the devil and hell. When you get out of that difficulty you will come out smelling of smoke, but blessed and strengthened and your faith says, purified like gold, shining like gold, if you stay there in that promise. Everything that happens to me is for my blessing. Amen.
We're going to stand up and we're going to give glory to the Lord.
Romans Chapter 8: 28. Today we conclude with this idea that we are more than conquerors in everything we experience in our lives. Chapter 8:28, Romans, says:
“.... And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. That is, those who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, these he also called, and those he called these he also justified. And he justified them, these he also glorified."
It is a part of that inclusive segment. Now he walks in, what about God has done all these things. He says, well,
“....what then shall we say to these. How are we going to react to this great truth? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he also give us all things with him. Who will accuse the elect of God? God is the one who justifies, who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died, even more so the one who also rose, the one who is also at the right hand of God. The one who also intercedes for us. who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword.
As it is written, because of you we are killed all the time, we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Before in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, therefore I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither height nor depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Glory to the Lord. Amen.
What a beautiful expression of total trust for the children of God. This passage is the culmination, it is the jewel above the crown of these beautiful verses of Chapter 8 that were conceived by the holy spirit to generate in us a bulletproof security about our relationship with the Lord, our salvation and our walk here. on earth.
That Chapter 8, I would say that if one word sums it up it is security. Security. From the very beginning of Chapter 8 we have been seeing it when the Apostle Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
See? It's the same theme. It is the same theme developed from different perspectives. It begins by saying that there is no condemnation, that the Christian does not have to live under that insecurity, that sense that we are under the sullen and serious gaze of a God who wants to punish us and will whip us at any provocation, but rather that in Christ Jesus we are sure.
Now, it says if we live according to the spirit, right? according to the values of the Kingdom of God. And so, last Sunday we saw that wonderful promise that one day when it's all over, the sorrows and limitations of this existence are going to be sucked up and replaced with a glorious resurrection, where even creation itself, the universe itself, the cosmos. , will be included in that total renewal of everything that exists.
And this is also a call to trust because it tells us, set your sights on that, live from that hope, knowing that here on earth, as the Lord Jesus Christ said, you are going to find affliction, and problems but one day all that will end in a glorious vision of total renewal, transformation of everything that exists. Live for it, live for it. Take courage, take breath from that promise that even if what happens here happens, the last card that the Christian plays is that, that they cannot touch his soul because his soul is reserved for a glorious resurrection.
Before, I also thought about the words of Jesus Christ when he said, do not fear those who can harm the body, but cannot harm the soul. In other words, they can tear us apart, they can do whatever they want to us, they can cut us into tiny pieces, but they will never be able to find our soul to destroy it, right? Because that is reserved by the heavenly father for every believer.
So, the believer lives with that passport already stamped there, he has it kept in his safe deposit box, knowing that this is his last trip that he is going to take. When that moment arrives we know that we are going to be glorified, to be taken with Christ Jesus and all creation groans waiting for that day.
Even the Apostle Paul goes further on a point that we didn't touch on, I think, with this group, last Sunday. He says look, while we are here on earth we are moaning and suffering and wishing for that, and sometimes we pray that the Lord does what he has to do and we ask the Lord to free us from this, and to free us from the other , and sometimes we ourselves do not even know, we do not even understand what we should really ask of the Lord, because many times when you are there when the Indians are persecuting you, you are asking that they take you immediately to another planet. And God says, no, I want you to be there for a time to be broken and formed and prepared.
And the holy spirit knowing what I really need, gives the correct prayer to the father. So, he says even in prayer, in times of crisis when you don't even know what is best for you in your life, God has put the holy spirit to correct your prayers and take them to the father in the right way. correct; to present the judicial argument before the throne of grace in the way that the judge can receive it and give you a positive ruling on your prayer.
What a beauty. That is to say, it is insurance as they say 'full cover', as Hispanics say, it has everything: against collision, against theft, accidents, acts of nature, your life is one hundred percent covered in all dimensions.
And here then the Apostle Paul ends with this great expression of final confidence. He already wants to clinch the job, to give it the last hammer blow so that it remains well in our hearts, that this idea that we have entered into a salvific plan that covers all the bases, all the possible circumstances that a child of God may have can cross.
And I want you to engrave that there in your spirit, brothers, and that you revisit this passage. So, the Apostle Paul says in verse 28 "... and we know...", I like that about,.... that certainty that the Apostle Paul shows many times that we are sure, or we know, on several occasions he says the same.
For example in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, he also says that about what we know, he says "because we know..... that if our earthly dwelling place, this tabernacle, were to be destroyed, we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.”
He was sure. Pablo always spoke with that certainty, which we also have to cultivate. I encourage you not to doubt the promises of the Lord. I know that we are going to doubt here on earth, but do not give shelter to the doubt, but recover immediately that you feel that the doubt comes to your heart, whether you are saved or not, whether there will truly be a life after death or not, whether God is truly faithful to get you through any situation. You have to say, no, I know that yes, I know that I am saved. I know that he started the good work and will be faithful to finish it.
We have to use that vocabulary of authority even though sometimes we don't feel it, huh. In the life of the believer there is no place for a timid and timid and doubtful vocabulary that well, God willing or maybe or if he got up on the right side of the bed, the Lord might bless me this week. No, God is going to bless me, God has even blessed me with all spirit blessings in heavenly places.
One has to use language to encourage oneself inclusively. Do not give way to destructive language, language that allows doubt because that reinforces your brain towards doubt and fear. The believer has to cultivate the language of a soldier, understand, like David when he went against Goliath, told him 'I am going to kill you today and I am going to cut off your head and I am going to give your body to the birds of the skies.' This little boy was there trembling before that giant, but he said it that way because he was prophesying what was going to happen and God honored his faith, no. We have to do so, even though sometimes we feel like everything is against us, but we have to take courage and speak a prophetic language, a language of positivity and expectation that God is faithful to do what he has promised in our life. life.
Then Paul says, "...and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God."
And notice how interesting, that he does the same thing he did in verse 1 that adds something that qualifies what it means to love God, right? Because in Chapter 8 it says "... there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, in verse 1, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit...."
Here it says, those who love God, these are those who are called according to his purpose. That is to say, that category of individual who loves God has an advantage that no other human beings have and that is that everything, for that person.....
Say, "I am one of those people ”, because you are in Christ Jesus.
Then, he says to those who love God all things work together for their good. What does that mean? that means that for you who are in Christ Jesus everything that happens in your life, wow and that is hard to believe, brothers, uuufff.... When you are at 93 at 5 in the afternoon and there is a traffic of those that... you already know what... and you say, how can you help me well?
When there is an illness in your life, when a friend betrays you, when your marriage is going through trials, when everything is not going well with your children and there is tension in the family, when they tell you, we are sorry a lot but the budget is over and we can't have your position anymore and we're going to have to unsubscribe you. When in the middle of the night doubt and fear and depression assail you, when you have doubts about your relatives there in Central America or South America, what is happening to my mother or my brothers, or even my children there? ? And why do I have to be here in this country feeling cold? When you are walking through the snow in one of those harsh Februarys, and we can say to those who love God, all things work together for the best.
Can I recognize the redemptive work of God in the midst of the hard and difficult moments of life? This requires a very great awareness on the part of the believer because your body is not going to recognize it, your emotions are not going to recognize it, your intellect is not going to want to recognize it, that has to be a recognition that comes from the spirit of the believer. It is an assertion of faith only. An expression of faith that can say, no, the word says and I believe it, I believe it by faith even though everything within me screams otherwise, that somehow, God can take what is happening to me and bring it to a positive conclusion. , that somehow this can result in a blessing for my life. In the total economy of my life this is going to have a redemptive and positive purpose. That's what you mean, isn't it?
In fact, in the original Greek, it seems that grammatically it can be interpreted not only that to those who love God all things work together for good, but it can also be interpreted as saying that to those who love God, God bring all things to good.
It's like God is involved, immersed in the process and the things that happen to you want to go in that direction to destroy you and suck your life and spirit, and nobility, but God takes that car that without driver and takes control of the wheel and puts it back on the road and directs it towards the blessing.
That is the idea that is in this passage, because the Lord Jesus Christ said that Satan only knows how to kill, steal and destroy, but he says, but I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance .
So, the Lord God takes the curses of the devil, his desire to kill, to destroy in your life, to cause chaos in your life, and take all those things that the devil wants to use as swords to put a stab in your soul and turn them into a blessing for your life.
I want to encourage you, my brother, my sister, this morning even to look back at that, retroactively, because now that you're in Christ that goes backwards too, you know, it goes backwards.
So sister, I encourage you, if you were for example, and the Lord puts in my mind right now, if you were sexually abused for example, as a child, God can turn that into a blessing. Don't live under condemnation. Don't live depressed, don't live with low self-esteem.
I was reading about all the emotional distortions that come as a result of sexual abuse: bulimia, anorexia, all these food illnesses that often come as a result of sexual abuse, not always, but sometimes. sometimes very frequently and other distortions that come from abuse.
If you have been abused by your spouse in any way, or have been treated in a less than fair and dignified manner, do not live your life oppressed and depressed with low self-esteem and resentment. Say, I don't know how, but God is going to use all this for good in my life. I will not live as a victim. I'm not going to live regretting it and oh, why do I... No, no, that's over and God is going to redeem it in some... He has already redeemed it if I can only believe it and live in that security.
And so anything else: a financial failure, past abuse from your parents, their lack of love for you, a tragedy in your family, an arrest, a criminal record, poverty in your past and suffering, God's blessing is retroactive. God knew that you were going to enter his kingdom and all those things he can redeem and turn them into an advantage for your life.
Because many times through suffering you gain humility and love for others, and empathy to feel the pain of others and also the ability to advise others, more dependence on the Lord, a softer attitude and more humble.
Now if we get poisoned and bitter about the events of the past and we always go there digging and looking for that gloomy album of black and white photos of the past, and visit them from time to time, and come back to renew that sense of victimhood, then it is a curse.
But, if you go to that album with new salvation glasses, what Paul says, "all things work together for good to those who love God", and you visit that album, you You are going to see colors and you are going to see a little flower where there was only a gloomy well, because the Lord is going to redeem it.
God can turn life's tragedies into very positive things. It all depends on how we read them and what narrative we get out of them. Many of us substitute a terrible narrative as a consequence of the pains of the past, instead of taking a positive narrative that calls us to do so.
So the child of God is called to interpret all the events of life in a positive light, even if at the moment he does not have the answer and does not know in what way, because only God in his macro view and microcosmic can understand how that, in light of eternity and other things, can lead to something good, something positive. Because human nature and human life is something extremely complex and we do not have all the pieces to know how something that now seems to us to be a tragedy, in ten years we are going to say thank you Lord that it happened in my life, because it was for the best.
How many people have entered the Gospel because of a tragedy that occurred in their lives? And the word says that it is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God maimed or blind or lame than to go to hell with all the members of your body very well. So if that tragedy was what led you to Jesus Christ and eternal life, give glory to the Lord for it.
And the image came to me this morning while I was meditating on this message, of when it rains in the mountains of the fields. I was walking, actually this summer doing a hike in one of the mountains in Maine and we passed through an area, my nephew Omar and I, where we were very high and we were descending towards Jordan Pond, a very large pond that there is like a descent, a valley. It is surrounded by mountains and while we were going down that mountain, inside the mountain we saw how different little streams, it had rained a lot in those days, and so there were little streams running down everywhere, while we were walking, we saw those little pipes of water everywhere , some bigger than others, some made small waterfalls, others were just like threads that ran through the earth. Where were all those threads going? All over that big mountain, they were going down to fill that pool.
That's the way it happens with the rivers too, the rivers feed on all the waters that come down from different parts of the mountains, by gravity, and they go into the currents of the earth blindly, although you don't see them or not, gravity is taking them towards the low place where the rivers are. So, they come together, they create a river, they create a lake, they create a pond, right?
And so it is with the themes of our lives. I believe that what the Apostle Paul is saying, those who are in Christ, those who have been called according to God's purposes, all the little rivulets of life, all the events of life are some good, some bad, some begin in the north, others in the south, others in the east, all are coming together by a call from God, coming together from different parts, all flowing to a reserve, to a deposit of blessing for the lives of the children of God.
All things, the good, the bad, the pleasant, the unpleasant, the gloomy, the celebratory, everything, comes together to conspire for the blessing of the son of God. All the different themes of your life, failures and triumphs, tragedies and blessings, everything has been done by God and allowed, and channeled by God to lead to that word that says in Jeremiah 29 "... because I know the purposes that I have for you to bless you and not to harm you."
God's purposes are to bless your life, not to curse. So all the events and issues of your life are all flowing towards blessing.
So, what the Apostle Paul is saying is to those who love God, all things help them. That is to say, they end for good, because there are many things that are terrible in themselves, in their very nature, in the isolated moment in which they happen to you, they are very bad, but in the greater context of your life and of God's purpose, that it helps, that is, it contributes towards good.
As there are different things in the human body, in the human organism there are even poisonous substances, you know? There are things in your body, metals and minerals and things that if you had them in large amounts would kill you. This is where, in fact, many deformities and many problems come from in human beings when harmful things that are supposed to be in minimal amounts, to balance the body, are in exaggerated amounts, so that contributes to the body's illness, but in small amounts there are harmful things. in your being that balance your body. Your body needs them. And there are very good and very positive things in themselves and together they produce a healthy organism.
And so it is in human life. The human being often needs pain, suffering, suffering, difficult things that together with good and positive things, everything comes together to create a taste of blessing in the life of the believer, of the child of God.
Do not think that everything .... I do not ask the Lord, I dare not ask the Lord for a life without problems because I think it would be harmful to my well-being. So I simply ask the Lord, Father, take control of my life and guide it as you want and be the one to unite all the different themes of my life and make it a precious fabric of different colors, different flavors, different shades: pain and joy, sadness and triumph, and tragedy, all together to create a man, a human being that reflects the complexity of a child of God. That is what I ask the Lord for my daughters, my marriage, for my church, for all of you that the Lord be in control of your lives and that he unite all the issues of your life so that they lead to blessing.
But while you are going through a difficult time, don't isolate it, put it in the context of the totality of God's purpose in your life. Think 10 years, 5 years. I was talking to a sister who hadn't seen her for years, she's in another place, she's not here now. She loves our church, in fact, she keeps in touch with it, a little discouraged by some things she has seen in other believers lately.
I told her, sister, remember that those people maybe in 5, 10 years and maybe, all those struggles and those problems they have had, they will have overcome them and now they will be firm in the Lord, don't worry. take what you are seeing at the moment because God has another purpose with them. Those people are going to take maybe 10 years to get in there and fully stabilize. In the meantime, don't throw in the towel because now they're going through tribulations or they've gone astray or whatever, look at it in the long term.
As a pastor I have had to learn that I have to look at the career of my brothers in the long term, of my church and my ministry in the long term. Not at the moment because at the moment one loses heart, but one has to look at it in the long term.
What is God going to do? What is God going to get out of these tribulations, this struggle, these zigzags? What is God's ultimate purpose in all of this? Because we are united with other churches, and with other ministries, and we are united with believers throughout all of history.
God is the one in control of everything and he knows how all of this will acquire its coherence. I cannot see the totality of human relationships and all this, at the level of history or eternity. Only God can do that, so I have to have a deposit of faith that says: Lord, even if I don't understand what is happening in my life, why this has happened, I believe that what your word says is true, that if I love you, if I have been called by you, everything that happens in my life will be used for blessing and good in some way.
Perhaps what I am suffering now will be a blessing for my children or for my church that is watching my drama or for someone I don't know, but it will be used for good and you will make sure I get what I need. That is trust and we have to confess that with faith, every day of our lives, in hope against hope as the word of the Lord says.
So, when the Apostle says "those who are called according to his purposes", this launches him into an elaboration as he always does, as a scholar that he is, what does that mean that according to their purposes are called? So, here he is talking about God knowing or foreknowing some who were going to be saved, right? and also after foreknowing them, he predestined them so that they might be saved.
And when he predestined them, then, he called them, he took action to call them, to enter his kingdom. And those he called, after he called them and they entered his kingdom, he also justified them and said: you know what? you are saved and he put the sword like this on his shoulder. You are saved, you are saved, you are saved, justified them.
And those he justified, he says he also glorified, meaning, that glorification in the future of which Paul speaks of creation being glorified, we will enter into glory, the holy spirit is seeing it in the future and is what is called a prophetic past. They are sure that they are going to be glorified, which is as if it were already a fact, it already glorified them too. Although we know that our bodies will be glorified in the future. But since he called them and justified them and all this, he also said, they are going to be glorified. And indeed, it is as if we were already glorified because we already live in that certainty that it will be so.
So, what Paul is doing here is more like breaking into little pieces what is God's plan of salvation that God had in his mind a people, and he conceived it in his mind, he saw it, he knew each one of us....
Do you think that one day God was there on his throne, playing little balls on the floor of the kingdom, and he saw so and so in El Salvador... Oh, look, look, I didn't know this person, I would like to save her, let her enter the ways of the Lord, am I going to send someone to preach the word to her? No, he knew from the foundation of time that you were going to be saved in the Lord. He knew that, because God knows the smallest details of the universe, nothing is hidden from the Lord. He knew that you were going to enter the Kingdom of God and since he knew that there was going to be a new creation, he provided a whole plan to foreknow them, then he predestined them, he also declared things that were going to happen and all this.
Now, let me tell you something, this type of passage has been used, in my opinion, in an unwarranted way by theologians who have wanted to build a whole theological system of statements that I don't think we have that much right or authority. to start digging and elaborating a whole system, a theological apparatus with logical conclusions A, B, C, postulated here and there. I do not believe that the Apostle Paul intended that, directed by the holy spirit. I don't think he wanted to come up with a theological engineering plan.
Some have said, well, if God predestined us, that means then that if he predestined us, no one can leave. Once God says that you are going to be saved, even if you want to, you cannot leave. You're going to have to be saved. And I don't believe that, because I always see God working together with man, recognizing the freedom of the human being. God does not put a chain on you and tie it around your neck and say, you are going to have to be saved whether you want it or not, and then drag you into the Kingdom of God.
And even that theology that is called Calvinist theology has reached the point of saying, well, if it is so, then it means that those he did not choose, because there is another passage, that means that to others when he was in a bad mood, he decided that he was going to predestinate them to scorch in hell and he also chose them and those, no matter how much they want, will also go to hell and God will be glorified in that.
What a sinister theology, I would say. God doesn't work like that. I know that there are passages that suggest that, but there are times when what we have to do is look at these things, leave them in tension, not try to conclude more than one has the right to do and not draw conclusions from there that later They lead people to confusion, like this once saved, always saved, all this, I don't believe.
Look, Israel, God chose the Hebrew people. In fact, Paul is using the language that God chooses the Israelites as a people and everyone who was born within that town, because he went on to enjoy the benefits of that people as a whole. God chose Israel to be a light to the nations, to be their representative here on earth. What happened? Although he chose them and predestined them for that, and determined that it should be so, these people misbehaved with God, rebelled, idolized, and separated from the Lord. And what happened? God cast them off. Now, still in his mercy he is working with them as a people, as a nation and he is there struggling with them. But that people have done and undone through so many generations and they are still a rebellious people against God.
God hasn't forced you to be the people to obey him and all this, has he? And so it is with God's plans. God wants us to be saved. He says that God does not want anyone to be lost, but rather that all proceed to salvation. What does one do with that fact? Because not all proceed to salvation, but God's intention is that all be saved. But if you, because of your bad head, resist God then there is no forgiveness for you. Furthermore, if once you know the Lord, as the writer of Hebrews says, you walk away having enjoyed all the goods of Christ Jesus and the Gospel, you are worse than those who did not know the Lord. Double awaits you.... the oven that awaits you will be turned three times. It's going to be hotter because you knew him and left him, says the word of the Lord, not in those terms but more or less something like that.
So, I say this because there is this struggle in the church among many who talk about once you are saved, you are always saved. In fact, the person who taught that doctrine, today, here for example, in the Hispanic world, is very well known, the last name Miranda, may the Lord rebuke him wherever he is, this brother today is saying that he is saying that he is Jesus Christ , that he is God, that he is God, he goes around preaching.
I believe that there are many brothers who believe that doctrine of eternal salvation, Calvinism. It is not that they are of that nature, but you have to be very careful with these ideas because they can lead you to some very terrible teachings. God doesn't work that way.
What he's saying is, look, just brother, have confidence. God has invested in your life, he has predestined you, he has foreknown you, he has justified you, he has called you, he has already glorified you in advance, so live confidently. Your passport is already stamped, when you arrive before the immigration officer he's going to look like that, and he's going to say, yes, it's you, go ahead. Come good and faithful servant. Enjoy the joy of your Lord, enjoy. You don't have to be digging around there, they're going to let me in or not. You are already there, because God has invested in you. God has done everything necessary for you to enter.
So, Paul says, what can we say to this. If God is with us, who can be against us? If God is with you, what devil is going to be able to wreak havoc in your life, says the word of God. Nobody can accuse you, today, society criticizes Christians for being hypocrites, for going around preaching morality in their underpants, for saying and then doing that.
Look, God has already justified us. Glory to the Lord. We are not going to abuse that, we know we are not perfect, but we have the blood of Christ that cleanses us and washes us from all sin. Even if the world accuses you, you stand firm in what God has done in your life. Satan cannot come before the throne of God and say, you have to leave this one there on earth because he is a sinner. No, he says, my son died for him so it's sealed, let him in.
Let's not abuse that, but that is the security of the child of God. There is a passage in Zechariah, Chapter 3 where Joshua, the high priest Joshua, is called by God before his throne and says that Satan comes to accuse him. And God himself says that the Lord rebuke you, Satan; May the Lord rebuke you, this is not, he says, speaking of Joshua, a brand taken from the fire. Then he says, put white garments on him and put a miter on his head, the Lord told him, because in this way the devil wants to accuse us many times, but he says, he is not redeemed by the blood of my son. Let him in, he can enjoy the blessings of my kingdom.
Who can accuse a child of God? It is God who justifies. He says, who is the one who will condemn if Christ has already paid the price? You cannot justify yourself, nor can you pay the price, but Christ paid it, of your salvation. Christ is the one who died, he says, even more so the one who also rose. He not only died and stayed dead, but he rose again, which makes his death even more worthwhile, because now he is risen.
He says and his resurrection has allowed him to now go, sit at the right hand of God and there intercede for us. Glory to the Lord. Perfect. He justifies us, pays the price for our sins, resurrects his son so that he then sits at the right hand of the father and is continually praying for you, interceding for you.
Do you know that? That when you are here on earth fighting, battling and giving swords against the enemy, the Lord Jesus is there praying so that your faith does not fail. Like in that beautiful scene in the Gospel where the disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, it says that a storm came and the wind was against them and they were there rowing all night and they couldn't get out. And it says that the Lord was on a mountain praying and it says that at a certain time, he came down from there, walked on the waves, got on the boat and said: Peace to the waters and to the storm. And peace was made and he rescued his disciples. That is what Christ does. He is there while you are in the fight of life, he is at his height praying, interceding for you. Remember that always. Remember that. He is the one who intercedes for you. Your plan is wonderful, it's complete, isn't it?
So, finally he enters a moment of great poetic celebration. Verse 35, “.... who will separate us from the love of Christ”
Many of us sometimes feel like this, so what if I fail at the last moment; And what if a little devil comes along and trips me and makes me fall and I go to hell after all these years of trying to serve the Lord. And what happens if an illness comes and I deny the Lord at the last hour. And what happens if poverty comes into my life and then I get frustrated with God and leave the path, if a temptation comes and separates me from God. One thinks all these things, and that is why the Apostle Paul already puts the last answer to the last argument that one can give to that security that he wants to put in our hearts.
And he says, look, nothing that happens in this world can separate you from the love of God as long as you hold onto it. No one can come around and make an evil plan, a plot to somehow get you out of the salvation that God has given you. Because everything is already coldly calculated, as Chapulín Colorado says. All the pieces are... right?
What can separate us? Put what you want there: tribulation, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. Put what you want there. Nothing can separate you from what God has already dictated for your life, my brother. As long as you cling to the Lord you have an assurance of your salvation, of God's blessing in your life. He says, before in all these things we are more than conquerors. Not just winners, but super winners. Jupernicomen is the word he uses in the original Greek: more than victorious, super victorious, hyper victorious in Christ Jesus.
You know, that's what happens, that all the struggles, everything that happens in your life God uses it to strengthen you and to make you stronger. The Apostle Paul understood this when he said that God allowed a messenger of Satan to slap him around the face, to torture him. And he asked the Lord three times, deliver me from this, get me out of this mess, Lord, from this affliction. And three times the Lord said to him, my grace is enough for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. Then Paul said, if it is so then I will glory in weaknesses and afflictions.
It says here, “.... therefore I will glory rather gladly in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me, therefore for Christ's sake I rejoice in weaknesses, affronts, needs, persecutions, anguish, because when I am weak, then I am strong”. Hallelujah!
In all things you are more than conqueror. God is not going to get you out of the affliction, the problem, the struggle, the difficulty, but in the midst of it he will make you stronger and he will make you more than a winner. Do not ask the Lord to avoid problems, ask him to give you strength to emerge more than victorious from problems. In all your struggles God has a plan to make you stronger, more powerful and better, more dangerous against the devil and hell. When you get out of that difficulty you will come out smelling of smoke, but blessed and strengthened and your faith says, purified like gold, shining like gold, if you stay there in that promise. Everything that happens to me is for my blessing. Amen.
We're going to stand up and we're going to give glory to the Lord.
