ROMANS UNWRAPPED 151

                        FOUR UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS

1)     "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"       Romans 8v31-32

Paul sounds the triumphant cry by asking a question, the answer to which in the first part is a thousand times no, and in the second part a thousand times yes.  The answers in each case are obvious.     The epistle began with God against us.   Romans 1v18   "the wrath of God is against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness of men.":   Romans 2v5   "treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God." :   Romans 3v19   "every mouth stopped and all the world under judgement to God." :   Romans 5v10   "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son."    Taken together all these reveal God against us.   Now says Paul, through faith in Christ and in accordance with the eternal purpose, God is now for us.   This is a tremendous truth.   Just one word of warning here; he says if God be for us.......Paul is not trying to put doubts in anyone's mind but is acknowledging there are many who profess God to be with them but He is not.   Self confessed murderers have claimed that God was on their side when they went on a killing spree; some terrorists believe that committing their atrocities they are doing God's will.   God is only for us if we are in Christ, that is the teaching of this epistle. The "if" passages of scripture are worth noting, for there is much profession of faith without reality.

If God is truly for us, then we need fear no-one.   The God who is for us is truly the supreme being.   Listen to Him speaking to His ancient people in Isaiah 41v1-14  "fear thou not; for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God.......I will strengthen thee, I will help thee; I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."   This is in the context of being beset by bitter enemies  "all they that were incensed against thee........all they that strive with thee........  them that contended with thee....they that war against you."   Says God to His people of old, and it is the same for us today,  "fear not I am with you."   Who is the God that is for His people?   Isaiah 41v1   He is the judge of all the earth; Isaiah 41v2-3   He is the ruler of all rulers, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords.   Isaiah 41v4-5   He controls the whole of time and all of history.   This is the God who is for us; nothing gets by Him, so there is nothing to fear.   We ask the question as Paul does; to what extent is God for us? and the answer comes loud and clear  "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

Paul argues from the greater to the lesser.   If God would go to the extent of all that Calvary meant in order to saves us, there is nothing He won't do for us.   Since He has done the big thing, He can and will do the lesser.   He spared not His Son ....... what exactly does that mean?.   He did not withhold one stroke that was necessary to accomplish our salvation.   When God asked Abraham to sacrifice His Son on mount Moriah, and just as Abraham was about to plunge the knife, the hand of God stayed him saying  "lay not thy hand upon the lad."   At Calvary there was no hand to stay the wrath of God; no voice could be heard; God went all the way He spared not His Son.   Not only so but it says He delivered Him up for us all.   The word is "handed Him over."   Puny man could not have laid one finger on Him.   The record shows that Judas delivered Him to the high priest; that the high priest delivered Him to Pilate; that Pilate delivered Him to the soldiers to be crucified; but the truth is this none of that could have happened without God's say so and the fact is it was God who delivered him up for us all.    Delivered into the hands of sinful men, spared not one stroke of divine wrath that was necessary to save us (notice the statement delivered up FOR US ALL).   This is how far God went for us, this is how much He loves us and if He would do all that, there is nothing He will not do for us.  

IF GOD BE FOR US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?

‘Twas love that sought Gethsemane,
Or Judas ne’er had found Thee;
‘Twas love that nailed Thee to the tree,
Or iron ne’er had bound Thee.


‘Twas love that lived,
‘Twas love that died,
With endless life to bless us;
Well hast Thou won
Thy blood-bought Bride,
Worthy art Thou, Lord Jesus!