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Romans 8:31-39

THE DISTINCTION OF THE SPIRIT LIFE

Intro: Of all the promises made to the child of God relating to our salvation, to me, the most precious is the fact that those who are saved by grace are saved forever. Of course, I am referring to the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. I know that many will take various passages of Scripture and string them together to try to prove that a person can be saved today and lost again tomorrow. I realize that, but what I want to know is this: Why? Why not just let the Bible say what it says and rejoice in the fact that if you have ever been saved, you will always be saved?

That's what these verses are all about. If we had none of the other precious passages in the Bible that teach eternal security, John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28-29; 1 Pet. 1:5, etc., Romans 8 would be sufficient to make that doctrine crystal clear. As we bring our study of this great chapter to a close this evening, Paul tells us about The Distinction Of The Spirit Life. There is one thing that sets Christianity apart from the rest of the belief systems in the world this evening. That thing is a distinctive plan of salvation that guarantees absolute, eternal security to everyone who is saved thereby. Let's look into these verses this evening and allow the Lord to teach us that if we are saved, we are indeed secure. Here is why I can say that:

I. V. 31-33 SECURE BY THE LABOR OF CHRIST

A. V. 31 His Interest In Us - According to what we have already learned in this chapter, we are partakers of a wonderful salvation experience that forever changes us and places us into the family of God. Paul's question reminds us of those things and it teaches us that God is infinitely interested in each of us.

His interest is seen in the fact that He loved us before time began and formulated a plan to bring us to Himself. He knew us, yet He loved us and made a way for us to be saved by His grace. That is proof that He is interested in each of us.

(Ill. Note the last part of verse 31. Paul's "if" is not the if of possibility. He is not questioning whether or not God is for us, but he is stating the fact that God is on our side. Therefore, no one can stand against God, and no one can stand against us. Friend, regardless of where you are in life this evening, God is interested in you! He cares, and because He cares, you can walk in victory in every circumstance of life, 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 4:17.) His interest in us secures us!

B. V. 32a His Investment In us - Because God loves sinners so much, He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. When Jesus died, He became sin for you and me, 2 Cor. 5:21, and He was judged in our place. He made the ultimate investment in you and me. He laid done His life for those He loved, John 15:13; Rom. 5:8.

(Ill. The provision of His life for mine was an investment in my salvation. When I received the finished work of Jesus as the payment for my own salvation, I also received the dividend of that initial investment. When I trusted Jesus to save me, His death became my death. His payment became my payment. At that moment, all the books were balanced and I was set free from the debt of sin I owed the Lord and I was forever saved by grace, Col. 2:13-14; Eph. 2:8-9.) I am secured by His investment in me.

C. V. 32b His Intentions For Us - Paul asks another question. He wants to know that if God would pay this high of a price to save us, did not He plan to do something with us? That answer is, of course He has a plan! He has a plan for everyone of His children. His plan is to take us all to be with Him in His home in Heaven. This was the prayer of Jesus, and this is the plan of God, John 17:24. God did not save a single one of us to lose us along the way home! We are kept by His power, 1 Pet. 1:5. We are destined to be with Him in Heaven some day! In fact, the proof of that is seen in the fact that we are already considered to be there right now, Eph. 2:6. His intentions for each of us is to bring us home to glory and nothing will stop that from taking place. We will be with Him in that land, Eph. 2:7.

D. V. 33 His Insistence Concerning Us - Another question is asked by Paul. It wants to know who has the right to say that we are guilty before God. The problem is this: a lost world see those who claim to know Jesus. As they view our lives, they see within us characteristics and traits from our old lives of sin. They see us ands how we live and then they wonder how we can claim to be saved. And, the fact of the matter is this: God's children ought to live lives that are different from the world. And, they are watching everything we do!

Paul's point, however, is that no one has the right to try to place anything on our account before the Lord. No one, not even the devil himself, has the right to accuse the redeemed of sin before the Lord. Why? Because when we trusted Jesus for salvation, God justified us! He did not just take away our sins, but He declared us to be righteous. He took all the sin that was in my account and transferred it to the account of the Lord Jesus. There is was paid for forever. Then He took the spotless righteousness and holiness that is in the account of Jesus and He applied that to my account. On that basis, He declares us to be right with God.

(Ill. There are times when you and I do not act saved. If a lost person were watching our walk, they might conclude that we were just as wicked as they were. However, what they cannot see is the fact that a transaction took place in Heaven one day and that every child of God is as righteous as he or she will ever be! One of these days this flesh will be changed, but until then, we are still declared just be the power of God.) We are secure because God says that we are!

I. Secure By The Labor Of Christ

II. V. 34 SECURE BY THE LIFE OF CHRIST

(Ill. This verse asks another very important question related to the matter of our security. Does anyone have the right to judge the believer and find them worthy of judgment? Can anyone point a finger at a redeemed sinner and condemn them to Hell? Paul answers that question here.)

A. The Price He Paid On The Cross - Who has the right to condemn us, since it was Jesus Who died for us? The answer is no one! His death on the cross took care of the sin debt of every person who will accept Jesus as their Savior. Since He died and paid the price, no one else has the right, or the power to judge you and me.

B. The Power He Displayed At The Tomb - Of course, we know that just three days after He died on the cross, He vacated the tomb forever. He arose from the dead. He lives! The facts that He lives gives us hope for our future, but it also lets us know that the same power that brought Him back from the dead was at work putting away our sins. Therefore, no one has the right to judge the redeemed saint of God this evening!

C. The Position He Holds At The Throne - After His resurrection, Jesus ascended back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, Heb. 10:12. There He continually makes intercession for the redeemed. That is, Jesus is our Advocate, or representative, before the Father in Heaven, John 2:1. The word "Advocate" refers to one "who pleads the case of another before a court of law." In the courtroom of Heaven, Satan accuses the redeemed. Jesus, the Advocate, defends us before the Father and the Father always dismisses the case, because the crimes have already been paid for. God is a just God and He will allow no such thing as double jeopardy. Thank God that when the world, the flesh and the devil try to accuse us before the throne of God, we have One Who stands in our place to defend us, Heb. 7:25. What exhibits does He use for the defense? The marks of the cross in His body prove that the price has been forever taken care of and that believers are free.

(Ill. Because He lives, no one has the right to accuse us before the throne of God! No one has the right to judge the redeemed sinner!)

I. Secure By The Labor Of Christ

II. Secure By The Life Of Christ

III. V. 35-39 SECURE BY THE LOVE OF CHRIST

(Ill. Now Paul moves into the circumstances of life that cause us problems and trouble. He tells us that what sin could not and what Satan cannot do, even the terrible situations of life cannot take away our security. In this context, the term "love of Christ" refers to our salvation. It speaks of our special relationship with our God.)

A. V. 35-36 His Love Is Enduring - Regardless of what we face as we go through life, nothing we face is able to come between us and the love of God. His love will endure through anything at all. Do not get caught up in the things that happen and feel that God has forsaken you. He loves you and has promised you that He will be with you until the end, Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20. His promise is that nothing will be able to come between us and the Lord our God. By the way, the word "separate" is a strong word. It carries the idea of a "divorce, or a dividing asunder." Regardless of what happens in life, nothing that man can do to you can come between you and what you have in the Lord Jesus! His love endures all and makes us secure!

B. V. 37 His Love Is Enabling - Paul moves on to tell us that through the things, we are "overwhelming conquerors". We are super-conquerors when we face the battles of this life. Why? Because he lives within us and enables us to stand. You see, the genuine believer proves that he is real by the life he lives. If the things of the world, such as those mentioned in verse 35, can come between us and our living for God, then we are probably not saved to begin with. If a professing Christian can walk away from the things of God and live in persistent sin, that person did not lose their salvation, they just never received it in the first place. True, Bible salvation will produce and endurance in the saint of God. Some people call it "perseverance". The true child of God is enabled by the prevailing love of God to carry on until He calls home to glory.

(Ill. When you are able to weather the storms of conflict, affliction, turmoil and persecution and you want to live for the Jesus, that is a good sign that you have the real thing! When every thing that comes along blows you off course, you had better check up! According to this verse, the love of God enables us to persevere until the end!)

C. V. 38-39 His Love Is Everlasting - Paul closes this chapter by speaking of his confidence in his own security and in that of the redeemed. He tells us that what we have is not a hope so thing, but that we can be confident. He tells us here that there is nothing from the beginning or our life with God until the end of our life here that will ever be able to separate the believer from the salvation he enjoys in Christ Jesus. The end result of all this is the blessed assurance that in Jesus we are forever protected and secure come what may in life or death!

Conc: When everything is added up and all these truths are digested, it becomes clear that in Jesus we have absolute, eternal security. The believer need never fear anything coming between himself and God's salvation. If you are saved, you are saved forever! Therefore, we can say with all the assurance of our souls, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil", Heb. 6:19. And, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.", Deut. 33:27. And, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.", Psa. 4:8. And, "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.", Heb. 13:6.

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