Verse by Verse

³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Height/depth — the dimensions of space

Things present/things to come — the dimensions of time

Death in Christ is hope — But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Death in Christ is life — I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Death in Christ is love — The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (Jeremiah 31:3).

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁶ As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

As it is written — quote from Psalm 44:22 — Yea, for Thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Separate — (executioner, v.33) Separation from God is death.

Tribulation = suffering which results from pressure on the soul.

Tribulation is a word that has an interesting history. The English word comes from the Latin name for a flail. A piece of wood, a little longer than a broomstick, has attached to it by a leather thong a shorter piece of wood. The laborer swings the flail through the air and the shorter piece of wood beats upon the wheat, separating the grain from the chaff. There came a time when believers were so persecuted that it seemed as though they were being beaten out like wheat. This came to be called tribulation. — Barnhouse, page 191.

Distress = anguish, shut up without the possibility of escape.

The Greek word [distress] is a combination of two words, the one meaning narrow and the other meaning space. It conveys the thought of being hemmed in. — Barnhouse, page 192.

More than conquerors = super-conquerors, super-victorious

Him that loved us — the tense indicates past action continuing into the present.

Not only do we win the battle; we are more than conquerors for these adversities serve to draw us into still closer fellowship with Him, thus enriching our Christian experience. — Stam, page 214.

³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Courtroom scene — accuser, accused, judge, executioner. For the elect, there can be no accuser and the execution has already taken place.

Christ’s intercession — For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24). My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).

Verses 33-34 [have] a four-fold assurance for wavering believers of our eternal security in Christ. Consider the four headings carefully:

1. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s Elect? The answer: It is God that Justifieth (v. 33), and this is what really matters.

2. Who is he that condemneth? Again the answer: It is Christ that died (v. 34). He paid the penalty for our sins that we might not be condemned. But more:

3. Yea, rather, that is risen again (v. 34). We have seen at Romans 4:25 that as our Lord died to pay the debt of our sins, He arose again to prove that the debt was fully paid. Who, then, can condemn us?

4. Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us (v. 34). How can we be condemned while God’s precious Son, our Savior, appears in His presence in our behalf?

What blessed assurance for the fainting believer! True, Satan accuses, the Law condemns, and our hearts acknowledge that daily we sin in thought, in word and in deed. But our glorious Lord defeated Satan at the Cross, making a show of him openly (Colossians 2:15), and as to the Law, He took that out of the way, nailing it to His Cross (Colossians 2:14). As to the sins our hearts must continually acknowledge, has not God justified us, did not Christ die to pay our debt and rise to prove it paid — and does He not intercede for us at this very moment? Let us then put aside our doubts and fears, rejoicing that if God be for us we are eternally secure.

Does this promote lax conduct in the believer? Indeed not. In fact God’s infinite grace to us offers the greatest possible incentive to holy living, an incentive that the Law could not possibly provide. Let us not tell God what we think will promote more godly or more careless conduct among His people! He says that it is His grace that teaches, or disciplines us to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-12). — Stam, pages 212-213.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Spared — the same word is used in the Septuagint in Genesis 22:16, referring to Abraham’s offering of Isaac.

In Romans 4:25 and here, the Father gave the Son. In Galatians 2:20, the Son gave Himself. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. This shows the oneness of the Father and Son.

Freely give = bestow as a gift of grace

When men form a partnership one man puts up money and another man puts up experience, or some similar division of various assets. But when we form a partnership with God He demands that we do it on His terms. We put up weakness and He puts in His strength; we put up sin and He furnishes pardoning grace; we cast in our nothingness and He answers with His all-ness. God and the worm! Let not anyone dare attack that partnership. Yet how loath men are to accept their own bankruptcy to have His fullness — Barnhouse, page 179.

³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Process: God’s purpose (eternity past) leads to foreknowledge leads to predestination leads to calling leads to justification leads to glorification (eternity future).

Calling:

• gospel — Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:14).

• fellowship — God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord … But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:9, 24).

Glorified — Still future but stated as already accomplished because it is certain.

²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God’s foreknowledge marks out the persons, His predestination determines His purposes and acts on their behalf.

Predestinate = mark out beforehand — not because of our faith but as a result of God’s eternal purpose in Christ.

Conform — not merely external appearance, but the very nature.

Image — more than resemblance, but representation and manifestation

Firstborn — not birth but priority, dignity, supremacy

God knew us (not just about us) in eternity past — that’s foreknowledge. He predestined (marked us out) to take on the nature of His Son.

Predestination is to be distinguished from foreknowledge here, in that God’s foreknowledge has special reference to the person foreknown, while predestination has reference rather to that to which the  person foreknown is predestinated. — Stam, page 208.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Them that love God — believers as a class — result

Them that are called — cause

All things — circumstances in general but with special reference to adversity

God works things with design for good. It’s not luck, He causes it. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Verse 26 — we know not how to pray

Verse 28 — we know all things work together

It was the sin of Naomi’s son in marrying the Moabitess, Ruth, when the law sternly forbade such a marriage, that ultimately brought Ruth into the fold of God. She would never have had Naomi as a mother-in-law if this sin had not been committed, and she would not have been able to say, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; whither thou goest I will go; whither thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God (Ruth 1:16). The sin of her husband in marrying her brought her to a widowhood which later put her in the line of the mothers of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. She had been chosen by God for this purpose and the Lord caused the events of human living, including human sin, to bring about His purposes.

And one must never be drawn into the logical fallacy of thinking that this makes God a partner in sin, or that He condones sin in any way. God could never have worked with the human race if He had not worked with them as sinners. We are sinners, and the whole pattern of the life of each of us is made by the interweaving of the acts of our Adamic natures and the results of those acts. Even when we have been born again the flesh is present with us, and even after we know that we have been joined to Christ the living Head of our new spiritual relationship to God, we are aware of the continuing presence of the body of death within us. — Barnhouse, pages 154-155.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Helps = to give assistance by sharing a burden

weakness (should be singular) — our general condition of weakness

We do not know how to express ourselves so that our prayers correspond to our need. This isn’t referring to the mode of prayer but the subject.

To pray = request specifically to God with an element of worship.

We don’t know how to pray, so we should always pray in the Spirit. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:18).

Groaning — human language isn’t necessary with God. He knows our desires. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it (Psalm 139:1-6).

Because — should be “that.”

The Holy Spirit intercedes within us. Christ intercedes for us at God’s right hand. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us (Romans 8:34).

Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with respect to Christian experience. This is the teaching of Romans 8:26. Those who hold that believers should receive all they ask for in faith should consider this passage, for here the Apostle clearly states that we know not what we should pray for as we ought. Indeed, this is why the Spirit makes intercession for us. How well it is for us in “this present evil age” that we do not receive all we ask for, even in faith! What problems we would create for ourselves if we did receive all we asked even in believing prayer!

Our Lord’s “whatsoever” promises in Matthew 21:22, et al, were made with the establishment of His kingdom in view, when all will be filled with the Spirit and will know what to pray for, but in this age of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) we often find ourselves saying, “I don’t even know how to pray or what I should ask for.” Hence God has given us His Spirit who, dwelling within, maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. — Stam, pages 202-203.

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Three verses in this chapter speak of groaning. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (v. 22). And not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves (v. 23). And here we read that “likewise” the Holy Spirit is helping us, interceding with groanings which cannot be uttered. This adverb likewise, in the same manner must refer to the operation of the Holy Spirit groaning within us as we groan in the midst of a groaning creation.

But it is only when the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit that he can begin to see truth objectively. That may startle some unbelievers, for they accuse us of looking at all things subjectively. They cannot understand that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit, that they are foolishness to him, and that he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). It is only when the Holy Spirit is within us, helping our infirmity, that we can get away from the subjectivity of our fallen nature and see the truth through Him who is the Spirit of truth.

It is only thus that we are led to the position of groaning within ourselves in the midst of the groaning creation. The veil has been removed from our faces. We no longer see things in the distorted fashion of the unregenerate man. We have stood by God as He caused the light to shine out of darkness and have seen the groaning world of chaos that resulted from sin. Thus we have seen that the same chaos of sin is within ourselves and we have groaned in unison with it. — Barnhouse, page 141, 143.

²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?

²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Hope = the joyous anticipation of good — in this case, the redemption of the body.

The assurance we have in the fulfillment of our physical relationship brings present spiritual realization.

Saved in this hope — saved from despair over our infirmities

By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2).

²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

All creation groans because it is subject to vanity. It has a sense of birth pains waiting for the new creation to arrive.

The Holy Spirit is the first fruit of the full harvest from the cross — not that we get part of Him, but that He is the down-payment of the liberty and glory that is coming for the children of God and creation.

Redemption of our bodies — For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven (2 Corinthians 5:2).

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).

Just as a newborn baby cries, so the newborn child of God groans because of his separation from the Lord, and because he is not yet in the state for which he has been created. — Barnhouse, page 181.