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Jeffrey Price NT516 Romans 8: 28-39 1

Section 1Introductory Matters

The history of redemption is the most prolific and profound story that has ever been told,

and it is still unfolding before the world. Our understanding of this story comes from the very

real, trustworthy and transcendent foundation that was written down as the word of God. There

are many examples of Gods story, the history of redemption, colliding with the story of human

history. The climax of this collision is seen in the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and

ascension of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We are given the law and prophets of the Old

Testament to point towards the coming of the savior, while the Gospels of the New Testament

tell us of the savior that has come. Finally, the letters that make up the rest of the New

Testament tell us of the savior who is saving and will complete his work of salvation in the age

to come. The most significant letter writer of the New Testament in shear volumes alone is, of

course, Paul. Not only are his letters many in number, but they are great and amazing in the

weight of their teaching for this age, and the culmination of our salvation in the age to come.

As a man who studied in Gods school, both in the lessons learned from Gamaliel1 and

from Christ himself2, Paul was uniquely gifted and called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles

within the context of the complete covenant community. Paul and first century Palestines view

on the covenant community and membership therein has received a great deal of attention in

recent years from scholars who have studied the findings from Qumran. The growth in our

understanding of languages and history has increased tremendously during this time, but scholars

like Sanders and Wright have applied those new perspectives on historical teachings to the

Scriptures in ways that may not have ever been intended by their original authors. And so

studies of the Apostle Paul, his writings, and their role in the history of redemption have gained a

1Acts 22:3

2Galatians 1:12

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great deal of attention. But the foundation for our present study is built upon the rock of the

Gospel, and upon the historical teaching of the church that has been preserved by the Holy Spirit

down through the ages and reignited with the passionate flame of the Reformation. That flame

still burns brightly, not as a lens through which the Scriptures were reinterpreted in the 1500s

and 1600s, but by the lens through which God has preserved his truth and applied it

transcendently to even our present situations with an unwavering appeal to an unchanging truth.

The foundation of historical truth is where we will build our understanding of Romans.

As climaxes of the New Testament go, Romans is an epistle that stands above many others in its

scope, breadth and weight of covenantal and doctrinal truths applied to life. Pauls explanation

of sin, righteousness and Gods covenant faithfulness unfold throughout the book of Romans, as

he steadily leads us to, in the eyes of many theologians, the climax of the book in Chapter 8. In

the last twelve verses of Romans 8 the apostle soars to sublime heights unequalled elsewhere in

the New Testament. Having described the chief privileges of justified believerspeace with

God (5:1-11), union with Christ (5:12-6:23), freedom from the law (7:1-25) and life in the Spirit

(8:1-27)his great Spirit-directed mind now sweeps over the whole plan and purpose of God

from a past eternity to an eternity still to come, from the divine foreknowledge and

predestination to the divine love from which absolutely nothing will ever be able to separate

us.3

In this chapter Paul articulates his argument for the culmination and preservation of Gods

people, in Christ, who will be preserved from beginning to end. That is the Gospel secured, the

Gospel applied and the Gospel preserved for both the Jew and Gentile who are in Christ. This is

another major collision of the history of redemption with the history of man, as the climax of the

book of Romans rocks the foundation of the world and provides hope to those in need. Our

3Stott 1994, 246

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study will focus on Chapter 8 verses 28 through 39, as a God calls his people of hope (v28-30),

makes a promise of hope to them (v31-34) and preserves that promise and hope for them (v35-

39). The people of God are hope-filled and hoped-fulfilled, secured by Jesus Christ, and sent out

by the power of the Holy Spirit and equipped through Gods humble messengers, like Paul.

Section 2Outline

God calls his people of hope28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

o for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the

image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many

brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God makes a promise of hope to his people31 What then shall we say to these things?

o If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will

he not also with him graciously give us all things?

o 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

o 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that,

who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

God preserves his promise of hope for his people35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

o Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, orsword?

36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; weare regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

o 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that

neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

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the gospel; they are those who are called according to Gods (electing) purpose.6

This is a

calling that is much more personal than the one that comes from the general revelation in Gods

creation, and even the general call for all to believe. This is a specific calling of hope to a

specific group of people, and so it goes beyond simply what should our lives look like in this

world to what will our lives look like in the next. Determinate efficacy characterizes the call

because it is given in accordance with eternal purpose.7

Our calling of hope springs out of the

eternal, and we are invited in by Jesus Christ.

The eternal purpose is where Romans 8: 29-30 successively lead us and is a continued

confirmation of truth that all things work for good to those who are the called of God. There is

no question but the apostle here introduces us to the eternal counsel of God.8 Paul pulls back

the curtain for us to gaze upon the eternal so that we can see the firm foundation of Gods hope-

filled call. Five verbs are used for us to understand Gods actions foreknew, predestined,

called, justified and glorified. This is not the ordo salutis, but the way God condescends to his

creation so that we can see the history of redemption unfold. His condescension is needed

because the eternal is not limited by linear time and space like our finite understanding is. As

God acts, his actions collide with human history and dramatically change our perspective on the

world which is continually needed for we have fallen in Adam and our perspective has been

dramatically altered from a God centered view to a man centered view. That fallen perspective

is what makes these five actions of God necessary and so utterly profound in the hope that they

provide. Without God acting, we would be left helpless and unable to have a reason for hope,

6Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland 2008, 142

7Murray 1997, 315

8Murray 1997, 315

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but God has called his people of hope. And here we stand as the adopted brothers and sisters of

Jesus Christ. In Adam we have sinned, but in Christ we have been redeemed.

For those who are in Christ, they can look to these acts of God here in verses 29-30 as

being fully secured for them. Paul begins his sequence of events with foreknowledge and

predestination. Foreknew focuses attention upon the distinguishing love of God whereby the

sons of God were elected. But it does not inform us of the destination to which those thus

chosen are appointed.9 While each of Gods acts is defined separately, they are also

inseparably linked to one another. Gods love is not passive emotion; it is active volition and it

moves determinatively to nothing less than the highest goal conceivable for his adopted children,

conformity to the image of his only-begotten Son. [And that conformity] defines the destination

to which the elect of God are appointed.10

Now Paul moves rapidly through the various steps

involved in the realization of the divine purpose: the call, justification and glorification.11

There

is an undeniable link between the call in verse 28 and verse 30, and it is within that call to the

people of hope that God acts on their behalf. God has not only chosen beforehand his elect and

determined their destination, but he has called them out of darkness and declared them righteous

by the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. Finally, our calling of eternal hope is secured and certain in

Gods act of glorification. [S]o certain is this final stage that, although it is still future, Paul

puts it into the same aorist tense, as if it were past, as he has used for the other four stages which

are past. It is so-called prophetic past tense. James Denny writes that the tense in the last

word is amazing. It is the most daring anticipation of faith that even the New Testament

9Murray 1997, 318

10Murray 1997, 318-319


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contains.12

To make that point even stronger, it can be spoken of as already accomplished

[because] it is the plan of God, and that means it is as good as here. It is certain in the Divine

counsels. To God there is neither before nor after13

There is no greater or more assured

calling then that of the one from God to his people of hope.

Verses 31-34: God makes a promise of hope to his people

The power of Gods call is evident at this point as it is fixed in the firm foundations of the

eternal. There is more to the people of hope then just their calling and their name, as both a

calling of hope and people of hope will find their assurances grounded in the promises of God to

his people. Paul rounds off the first half of his letter with a passage which Christians have

always regarded as one of the most wonderful parts of a wonderful epistle- the Christians

triumph song.14

A triumph song comes from victory, and the assurance of that victory has

already been secured by God. And now, Paul expounds the impregnable position of the

believer15

by launching into a series of unanswerable questions.16

His triumphant conclusion

to Chapter 8 should be seen as the conclusion and summing up not [only] of the immediately

preceding section, but of the whole of the letter up to this point.17

Paul uses this series of

rhetorical questions to make the promises of hope to Gods people seem amazingly clear so that

they will join in celebration with him.

12Stott 1994, 253

13Morris 1998, 333-334

14Morris 1998, 334


16Stott 1994, 254

17Morris 1998, 334

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Paul asks, what then shall we say to these things,18

since he has foreknown,

predestined, called, justified and glorified us. This being so, who can be against us? To that

question there is no answer.19

The amazing promise of God is that he is not our enemy, nor is

he attempting to control or manipulate a people for his own sadistic pleasures. The amazing

promise is that God is for us, he is our champion, and he is for the sinners who are the objects

of [his] love.20

There is as much certainty in the question, as there is in the answer. The

thought is simply that no adversary is of any account when God is for us. In reality, in terms of

verse 28, nothing is against us so as to work ultimately for evil: if God is for us, all things work

together for our good.

21

Gods promises of hope are secured for the Christian and not by the

Christian. The Christians confidence is in God, not in anything he himself does, and for all

eternity he can rely on Gods gift. Paul is not speaking out of grim desperation, but in joyous

elation.22

Pauls joy is a response to the magnificent gift of hope given by God in his promise

to be for us and not against us.

Unfortunately, that gift would not be ours if Gods righteousness and our sin were not

reconciled, and so like Abraham, God stood at the precipice of sacrificing his son. Only this

time, the son was not spared. [W]hereas a substitute was found for Isaac and he was restored to

his father without dying, no other than Gods own Son could take away the worlds sin and

provide reconciliation. So Jesus had to endure the cross.23

What then should we say to these

things? The God of the universe, of all creation, is not only for us as our champion, but he gave

up the most precious of gifts he could ever give for sinners. He gave the life of his son, the

18Romans 8:31

19Stott 1994, 255

20Morris 1998, 335

21Murray 1997, 323

22Morris 1998, 335


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supreme act of love, so that we would have the hope and assurances of Gods promises secured

for us. What more could we ask for? What more could God give? And yet he not only gives us

life, but life in abundance so that we might live triumphantly and joyously to the last.

While verses 31-32 deal with the positive nature of the hope secured for the Christian,

verses 33-34 focus on the hope that is preserved for the Christian. Those who are in Christ are

preserved from attack, condemnation, and death itself. Who is in Christ? Those whom God has

chosen is more exactly Gods elect. This, as Black points out, is an old name for Israel, but

specifically used in the later apocalypses and inter-Testamental writings for the Elect Israel, or

Remnant, and its members.24 Those who are in Christ are Gods elect, and so we see an

obvious connection to the covenant promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and even to

that preserved remnantthe church today. This brings to mind a reflection on the story of the

Passover, where Gods promise was made and fulfilled in both a hope secured and a hope

preserved. Israels security was found in the mark of the covenant and the mark ofthe shed

blood which signified that they were Gods people, and so their hope was secured for them by

the shed blood of the lamb. Moreover, their hope was preserved as they were shielded from the

divine judgment which came upon the city when they were preserved from the attack of the

Angel of Lord and protected from the condemnation of disobedience and, ultimately, the stench

of death upon their household. Who shall bring a charge or condemnation upon Gods people?

No one, for it is Christ by his death that has taken their sin upon his shoulders and defeated death

itself. The hope filled promise of redemption through Christ leads also to the hope filled promise

of the glory to come in his resurrection, as the firstborn among many brothers in a new life. The

24Morris 1998, 336-337

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resurrected life is the ultimate promise of hope that God makes to his people, that they will not

taste death for death itself has been defeated for them, by their champion Jesus Christ.

Verses 35-39: God preserves his promises of hope for his people

Pauls triumphant love song continues with two final questions for his readers that once

again speak of Gods preservation of hope. The first asks devastatingly, to the one who has been

called a child of hope and has received Gods promise of hope, who shall separate us from the

love of Christ? May it neverbe! mightbe the appropriate response. The love of Christ

might mean our love for Christ or Christs love for us, depending on whether we see the

genitive as subjective or objective. But it is generally agreed that it is Christs love for which

Paul writes. To say that we will never be separated from our love for Christ gives no great

confidence (we know ourselves only too well!). But it is a wonderful assurance that Christs love

for us will always be there.25 It is the assurance of Christs love, and the hope that is found in

the glorification of Christians which provides us the strength to face the tribulations for which

Paul is about to share. No matter the calamity or the pain which this world brings, there is still

hope to be found for those who are in Christ. But lest we think these calamities or pain are not

real, Paul brings the reality of that turmoil into clear focus. Suffering is not a new theme in

Romans 8, for either the believer or creation, but Paul does not hold back any of the painful and

deathly realities of that suffering nowwe are being killed all day long. Why is this necessary

if we have our hope in Christ? Christians might be tempted to think that because the love of

Christ is so real and so unshakable they need not fear that they will run into trouble. Scripture

shows that while the love is sure, so are troubles.26 The hope that is secured for the believer is

25Morris 1998, 338

26Morris 1998, 339

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one that has not reached its final destination, and while that destination is secured it must be

lived out in a life of faith, hope and patience for what is to come (v25).

In the final verses, 37-39, we see Paul answering his seemingly unanswerable questions

with a mighty crescendo of confidence, assurance and hope in the love of God. He does not

waiver, nor does he shudder to think of the reality of a lost salvation. We are more than

conquerors is an inspired piece of translation which KJV took over from the Genevan version

and which a number of modern translations retain. It emphasizes the totality of the victory that

God gives his beloved. The ability to triumph over all adversity does not arise from any inherent

superiority of believers. It is through him who loved us.27 Despite the realities of the world, and

the pain and suffering we are sure to face there is still hope in the love of Christ. This is the

transcendent factor which contradicts all appearance and turns apparent defeat into victory [v36].

Without question the constant activity of Christ as risen and at the right hand of God (vs. 34) is

contemplated in the mediation reflected on here. But we cannot but think also of the conquest

secured once for all by Christ himself in that cross which exhibited his love.28

The cross of

Christ is the beginning and end of our hope, for it is where our hope for redemption springs into

the world. If our hope be found in any other place, then we truly have no hope indeed. The

love ofGod is of course, Gods love for us and not ours for him. And this love is explained in

Christ Jesus our Lord. We cannot know the love of God apart from Christ. The cross, and only

the cross, shows what real, divine love is.29

Romans 8 ends with the reminder that Gods love

was secured upon the cross so that Gods people of hope would experience the promises of God.

Even in the shadow of deathhope shines brightly for the world to see.

27Morris 1998, 340

28Murray 1997, 332

29Morris 1998, 342

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Section 4Conclusion

The history of redemption is the history of Gods love as it collides with humanity to

reveal the hope that is found in his eternal promises. The Book of Romans has one of the

clearest depictions of this unchanging truth and specifically chapter 8 articulates this hope in

some of the most profound ways in all of Scripture. God has used all of creation and his word to

call his people of hope (v28-30), so that they would hear his voice from eternity. And from

eternity God makes a promise of hope to his people (v31-34) that he will redeem them and be

their champion. God is for us and he will pour out his love for us by giving us his son, Jesus

Christ, to be our steadfast hope. That promise is an unshakable one, and God will preserve his

promise of hope for his people by his love. The love of God from which we cannot be

separated is the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is only in Christ Jesus it exists,

only in him has it been manifest, only in him is it operative, and only in Christ Jesus as our Lord

can we know the embrace and bond of this love of God.30

The message of Romans 8: 28-39 is

to the believer, the elected member of the covenant community of God whom he has bound

himself to and made holy through union with Christ. That is who the promises of hope are held

out for in Romans 8, and that is who will find their perseverance and preservation in Christ

Jesus. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints needs to be re-named. It is the doctrine

of the perseverance of God with the saints.31

Our Emmanuel, God is with us, secures, preserves

and assures us of our present and future hope in Christ because He is for usnot against us.

30Murray 1997, 335

31Stott 1994, 259-260

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Bibliography

Arnold, Dr. Jack L. "Gods Love for His Own." IIIM Magazine Online, Volume 2, Number 22, 2000.

Baker, Levi. "Hope Possesed or Hope Postponed: Paul's Presentation of the Believer's Present

Justification and Future Hope in Romans 5-8 in Comparrison to N.T. Wright's Future Justification

Perspective." digitalcommons.liberty.edu.2009.

http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=honors (accessed 2011).

Morris, Leon. The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids: Wm. B.

Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998.

Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997.

Stott, John R.W. The Message of Romans. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.

Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland. The Expositor's Bible Comentary: Romans-Galatians. Grand

Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

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