Romans 8:31-39 – The Love of God

Topic: The Love of God

Reading: Romans 8:31-39

Introduction and Overview – The Love of God

How powerful is the love of God for His people? How far will God go for the sake of His people?

As humans we often doubt and worry about things. But we should never doubt the love of God who created us and works transformation in us. God is doing a work in all of His people to change them and transform them into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is doing this so that we can live with Him in His eternal kingdom.

And He doesn’t even need to do this. He does it because He loves us. In fact, as we will see in the study today, He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on our behalf so that we could find life. This is how much He loves us. That He was prepared to allow the most important being in His existence, His only begotten Son, to come to earth, suffer abuse, and be killed so that we could have life.

Never, ever, doubt the love of God and what He wants to do for you!

Key points from reading:

1. Nobody and no-one in heaven or on earth can stand against us when we come to God in Christ. The evil forces of heaven and earth may attack us, but they will not overcome us.
2. God has declared us righteous, so who is there to condemn us? We do not even have the right to condemn ourselves. Are we greater than God?
3. Nothing is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Discussion on the love of God:

1. Scripture: Romans 8:31-32
   • This is one of the most powerful teachings in the New Testament. It is one to remember at all times, especially when we are under attack from the devil.
   • If God is for us, then who is against us? Who can possibly stand against God and even presume that they could win? There is no power, no force, no person, no thing on this earth that can overpower the love of God that He has for us. When we choose God, and He chooses us, we choose to be on the right side of ALL things.
   • To show the power of His love for us, God went so far as to offer His own Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and to be the perfect sacrifice so that we could have the chance at life. And if God was prepared to offer Jesus, who willingly accepted His role in this because Jesus loves us as much as the Father, then God will also give us all things with His Son Jesus Christ. The inheritance God offers is to give us life and everything else with it.
2. Scripture: Romans 8:33-34
   • Now, when we are God’s chosen people in Jesus Christ, we have to remember too that God has justified us in Christ also. That is, when we believe in the redeeming work God achieved through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, God declares us righteous by faith. We are justified by faith and stand without condemnation in His presence.
   • And if we are righteous by the pronouncement and declaration of God, then who can condemn us? Who will dare to condemn the people of God that He declares to be without condemnation and righteous through the power of faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Who would dare to profane the precious blood of Christ that was shed so that we could receive God’s gift of righteousness and life?
   • No-one can condemn the true children of God who believe and have received Jesus’ sacrifice. We cannot even condemn ourselves since God has declared us righteous by faith.
   • Think about this. Whenever you dwell on your past mistakes and sins, and you walk in self-condemnation, you are rejecting the word of God who has forgiven and removed your sins. You are rejecting the righteousness of God given as a free gift when you condemn yourself as a sinner.
   • Worst of all, when you walk in self-condemnation, you are saying that you are greater than God and that your words will prevail over His. And you are rejecting the blood of Christ that was shed to set you free from sin and condemnation.
   • In a word…DON’T! Don’t reject what Christ died for you. Accept the free gift from God that has brought you to righteousness and freedom, and don’t walk in self-condemnation. Your sins are taken away and never to be returned. It is the devil who will try to condemn you or make you walk in self-condemnation. Don’t let him and don’t accept his lies.
3. Scripture: Romans 8:35-36
   • When we consider all of these things, then these verses make perfect sense. Who will separate us from the love of Christ Jesus? Remember, He loved us so much that He was willing to die so that we could receive the gifts of salvation, righteousness, freedom, life, and acceptance into the kingdom of God as God’s own children.
   • Yes, we will go through sufferings now. We will go through tribulation, degradation, pain, rejection by people, and we will be hated for our stand with God and Jesus Christ. But despite all of those things, the love of Christ stands firm and solid as a rock. His love overpowers all things that may happen to us, and remember also the words that say, “I will never fail you nor forsake you!” (See: Hebrews 13:5)
   • Suffering in this age has a purpose. It is to make us strong and resilient, and to rely on Christ Jesus rather than our own strength and understanding. When we turn things over to Him, we receive what we need: answers, guidance, strength, provision, and power over the enemy.
   • He is with us even in our suffering, and that is because He loves us. And He will not let us be tested or tempted beyond our strength, as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13. With every testing and temptation, He provides the means to endure it. It may not be taken away, but as we look to Christ in those situations we gain the strength to endure through walking in the Spirit and prayer, and we grow stronger.
   • We are regarded by the people in this world as nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered, both metaphorically and sometimes physically too. Christians are the most hated religion in the world. And there is no reason for such a situation because the aim of Christianity is peace and love. Why are we hated? Why are we persecuted without a reason? Because the devil knows his time is short and he hates God and those who are the people of God.
4. Scripture: Romans 8:37-39
   • This too is a powerful scripture to remember when you do go through trials, tribulations, and suffering. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. We are not just conquerors, we are MORE than conquerors.
   • In Jesus Christ we have overcome sin and the works of the devil. In Christ we gain strength and power to overcome all things. And when we stand in Christ, we can stand against all of the attacks of the devil and conquer his designs by the power of Jesus Christa nd the working of the Holy Spirit.
   • But to be “…more than conquerors…” suggests there is something even more than defeating the devil and the attacks he throws against us. The attacks of the devil to try and overwhelm us and make us walk in condemnation, are external attacks. They come from issues outside of us, and we conquer through Jesus Christ.
   • But in Christ Jesus and by the working of the Holy Spirit we can overcome the passions, lusts, and desires that are part of human nature. It is these passions that drive us to temptations and if allowed to do their work, lead to sinfulness. When we work with Christ and the Holy Spirit in us, using the power of the Spirit to overcome temptations and passion, we defeat our nature and are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. To be more than conquerors is to be transformed into the image of Jesus. It is not just about defeating what comes against us, but being changed so that what was once a temptation, no longer has any power over us. What we once feared we no longer fear because we have the love of Christ in us. And we understand the ways of this world differently because we look at this world and all of it’s ways from a spiritual perspective. We understand that this world is driven by spiritual forces and can see how the devil manipulates people and events to keep people in bondage.
   • Power over all of these things and the ability to conquer in all things is the gift of God in Christ Jesus by the working of the Holy Spirit. It is His job to bring us to perfection so that we are perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (See: Matthew 5:48)
   • And nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So, remember and be comforted in this knowledge.

Key Takeaways on the love of God:

1. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
2. No-one has the right to condemn us, not even ourselves because God has declared us righteous by faith in Jesus Christ..
3. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus because in Him and by the power of the Holy Spirit we overcome external attacks and the internal passions that may lead us astray. God is perfecting us so that we can live with Him into eternity.

Prayer Points

1. Pray and ask the Lord for a full understanding of these things. Ask Him to help you to remember that you are set free from sin and you are no longer under condemnation. And if/when you walk in self-condemnation (you will), seek His forgiveness and reject the condemnation for the devilish attack that it is.
2. Pray also for the understanding and the Holy Spirit that helps us to overcome the sinful passions of the flesh so that the Spirit can do the work of transformation in you to bring you into God’s kingdom fully.