The Preservation of the Saints – Part 3
Romans 8:28-39 (33-39)
September 3, 2017
As you know we are working through our study of the 5 Solas of the reformation and currently through those Doctrines of Grace.
• Having learned about man’s absolute inability to come to God,
• We have seen that God has in fact chosen some
• And effectively called them to Himself,
• Having perfectly atoned for them through the death of His Son.
And now we are learning that those whom
God has chosen and called and justified
HE WILL MOST CERTAINLY GLORIFY.
(28-30) “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
That passage reveals to us unequivocally that
God’s choice to save the elect is not a conditional choice.
What God has started He will finish.
What God has purposed He will accomplish.
The God who has called us to eternal glory in Christ will never let us go.
This is the theological point that Paul has been making ever since chapter 5.
Following that he has set out to defend his point.
And he is doing so by asking 5 questions
To help people logically work through this idea of security.
As we said last time when we started looking at these questions,
The only way a person can come to the belief that salvation is not secure
Is to answer “Yes” to all 5 of these questions.
We saw the first two last time:
#1 CAN ANYONE REVERSE THE SOVEREIGN DECISION OF GOD?
Romans 8:31
Here we simply see the reality that God can do whatever He desires.
Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
If God has willed to save His elect and to save them forever
Can anyone thwart that plan?
And we believe the answer to be “No”.
I love the way the modern hymn writers Keith and Kristen Getty expressed this reality in their popular hymn “In Christ Alone”
“No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand, ‘til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”
That is the truth Paul confirmed there in verse 31.
From there we moved on to the next question.
#2 IS GOD’S GRACE LIMITED?
Romans 8:32
In short, we simply asked if there is a point at which God will finally say, “Enough is enough, I’m not giving any more”?
Paul already recognized that God had given and enormous gift
When He gave His very own Son to us.
The question is whether after having given His Son that God would all of a sudden grow stingy and refuse to give us lesser things?
Again, we say, “No”.
And not just because we believe God to be gracious and generous,
But also because God will not waste the death of His Son.
And those two questions we answered last Sunday night.
Tonight we want to take a look at the next 3.
#3 CAN ANYONE NULLIFY THROUGH ACCUSATION GOD’S DECISION TO JUSTIFY SINNERS?
Romans 8:33
Here Paul reverses the order a little bit.
This time he states the theological foundation last.
But you recognize the foundational statement: “God is the one who justifies”
That is a statement that we really need to make sure we understand.
First off the word “justifies” translates DIKAIOO (di-ky-ah-oh)
It means “to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous,
Or such as he ought to be”
And this is what God did for us.
We read it back in verse 30 “and these whom He called, He also justified”
Also important to note is what Luther found regarding this truth.
Luther had been accustomed to the Latin word for justification which was JUSTIFICARE which meant “to make just”
Under that understanding the concept of justification is simply
The process by which God makes sinners righteous.
The Roman Catholic system saw many things as part of this process. Things like the sacraments, indulgences, penance,
Even an undisclosed stay in Purgatory.
But that is not what the Greek word means.
The Greek word means “to declare righteous”
And it comes with the understanding of
Declaring someone righteous whether they actually are or not.
Important to understand is that God does not justify the deserving.
God justifies the undeserving.
God takes those who clearly are not righteous as they ought to be
But declares them righteous even though they fall short.
Romans 4:3-5 “For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”
Paul reminded that God “justifies the ungodly”
So now we have learned that
• Not only did God send His Son to die for those who were sinful,
• But God has also willingly justified them.
He was not confused regarding what we were…
He was not deceived into thinking we were somehow acceptable…
God took men who did not measure up to the divine standard
And determined to treat them as though they did.
NOW THAT IS WHAT WE MEAN BY JUSTIFICATION.
And Paul said that “God is the one who justifies”
Based upon that foundational reality Paul has his 3rd question for us.
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?”
So here we are dealing with those whom God has sovereignly chosen;
The “elect”.
They are the ones that Paul earlier said God “foreknew”.
He chose them.
Now we are asking about the reality of
Someone brining “a charge against” them.
That is to say that someone would tell God
That those whom He has chosen have in some way
Failed to live up to what God has said about them.
Or to put it simpler.
God declares a person righteous and someone has risen up to point out to God that they are not.
They, in effect, approach God and say, “That Rory isn’t what you think he is. He’s not righteous at all, in fact, he’s actually pretty sinful.” And then commences to tell God about all the things I do.
Now, first of all, would someone do that?
You better believe it.
We call him the devil. And the word “devil” actually means “accuser”
Revelation 12 actually calls him the “accuser of the brethren”
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”
Let me put it plain.
• Even if God were not omniscient and even if He did not know all things.
• Even if God were limited in His omnipresence and not able to continually observe you,
• He would still know about every single time you fail.
How?
The devil would tell him.
You don’t ever mess up that the devil doesn’t run right to God
And tell God all about it.
(Certainly some of those accusations are false accusations like we saw with Job,
but the sad part is, a lot of what he tells God about you is true.)
You fail to live up to the righteousness that God has declared you
And Satan makes sure He knows it.
But the question Paul is really asking here
Is not just would someone bring a charge against God’s chosen, but rather can anyone bring an effective charge against them?
That is, can anyone bring a charge so severe against one of God’s chosen
That it will cause Him to cast them aside?
And to that question Paul simply reminds us that
“God is the one who justifies”
Revealing to God that I am a sinner is a pretty ineffective strategy
Since God knew that when He justified me to begin with.
HE IS A JUSTIFIER; THAT IS WHAT HE DOES.
Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
God crucified Christ (Paul says) for two reasons.
1) JUSTICE
• There had been centuries of sin left unatoned for.
• God had “passed over the sins previously committed” and that sin called for righteous judgment.
• Someone had to pay.
• God poured that wrath out on Christ.
2) MERCY (justification)
• Crucifying Christ afforded God the opportunity to spare you and thus reveal His mercy.
That is why after the cross we say God is “just and the justifier”
He is holy and merciful.
God chose to justify you when you were sinful.
And so when someone comes and tells God about your sin,
I don’t think He is surprised.
He just does what He always does; He justifies.
So thus far we’ve had 3 questions and 3 “No’s”.
#4 CAN ANY CONDEMNATION OVERTHROW THE WORK OF CHRIST?
Romans 8:34
I really like this question because I think it sort of plays off the previous.
I think Paul is almost saying here, “but what if there were a sin so bad that God would be willing to cast you out?”
What if there was something you can do that is so heinous that God would say, “that’s it, it’s inexcusable, kick him out!”?
Well that leads Paul to his next question.
“Who is the one who condemns?”
This is obviously the next step.
Someone brought accusation and now
Paul wants to know about the condemnation that would follow.
So let me ask you, “Who is the one who condemns?”
And according to Scripture, there is only 1 – God.
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
God alone has the authority to “destroy both soul and body in hell.”
But let’s be even a little more clear here.
When we say God is the one who condemns,
You need to know specifically who we are talking about.
John 5:22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”
So let me ask you again “Who is the one who condemns?”
And the answer is: Jesus
Many can try to bring condemnation,
But the reality is there is only One who can actually do it.
So when Satan brings an accusation before God
Hoping that God will refuse to justify and bring condemnation,
He is actually asking Jesus to condemn you.
But there is a problem in Satan’s logic there.
Christ is not in the business of condemning His elect,
What business is He in?
INTERCESSION
“Christ Jesus is who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Christ isn’t condemning, He is interceding.
But that isn’t all of His work.
• First Paul reminds that Christ died to pay for the sin we are accused of.
• Then he reminds that Christ was raised proving that the justification He purchased was effective.
And then Paul reminds that
Christ now lives to intercede on our behalf when we fail.
SO…If you are going to condemn one of the elect
You have to be able to overpower the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.
And the question is: Who can do that?
• Can anyone render the cross null and void?
• Can anyone disregard the resurrection?
• Can anyone convince Christ not to intercede, or God not to justify?
• Can anyone cause God to devalue the death of His Son?
• Can anyone stop what God wants to do?
You get the idea.
Security does not rest in the will or the strength of the sheep,
But in the sovereign prerogative and power of the Shepherd.
So thus far we’ve had 4 questions and 4 “No’s”
#5 HAS ANY TRIAL BEEN ABLE TO MAKE YOU QUIT LOVING GOD?
Romans 8:35-39
Now this 5th question is UNIQUE
Because it is the only 1 of the 5 that Paul actually answers.
Now the question is this:
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”
Now, most of the time when you hear that question referenced people do so as if to say, “Is there anything that can make Christ stop loving us?”
And if that were the question we’d still have to say “No”.
After all, God loved us when we were sinners.
Christ loved us when we were vile.
Certainly He doesn’t stop after we are saved.
John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
Literally, “He loved them to the max”
So, if that were the question, we’d definitely say “No”.
But I don’t think that’s the question.
And the reason I don’t think that’s the question is because of the explanation that follows.
If Paul were to say, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will our sinfulness, or our rebellion, or our fickleness, or our immorality, for it is written that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
But that is not what Paul says.
After asking about the strength of love
Paul doesn’t talk about all the pressures
That would cause Christ to stop loving us,
PAUL TALKS ABOUT ALL THE PRESSURES
THAT WOULD CAUSE US TO STOP LOVING CHRIST.
“Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
These are not the things Christ endures in order to keep loving us,
These are things we endure to keep loving Christ.
Those are genuine realities in the life of a believer.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The world hates Christians and because of that hatred
The world even does unspeakable things to them.
And unspeakable pressure is placed upon them to stop loving Christ.
AND THAT IS THE QUESTION HERE.
Is it possible to inflict enough pain or hardship upon a believer to cause them to walk away?
And I think you will agree that this one is the scariest.
The first 4 all rested on the back of God and on His sovereign will and upon His divine power.
• Can anyone thwart God? HA!
• Can anyone disregard the cross? HA!
• Can anyone stop grace? HA!
To all of those we confidently say – “NO WAY!”
But now we come to the problem.
Can anyone make you stop loving God?
It implies the weaker side of the relationship doesn’t it?
I told you before about an Assembly of God preacher I heard who read the John 10 passage about no one snatching us out of God’s hand and then said, “But I believe we can walk out of God’s hand.”
If that is true, it is terrifying
Because I’m only as secure as I decide to be.
That’s all well and good during the days of prosperity, but what about when negative pressure is placed upon me?
• What about when they are threatening my family?
• What about when it’s a chronic illness?
• What about when it’s actual physical pain?
Can they make me decide to sever the relationship?
They might not be able to make God leave me,
But can they make me leave God?
And if you’re picking up on it, this was the very question at the heart of the book of Job.
Job 1:9-11 “Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
Well that is the issue here as well.
And it’s an even more real situation because Paul notes that all of those hypothetical tribulations and perils and swords…well guess what?
IT’S HAPPENING!!!
(36) “Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
That list of hardships in verse 35 is no hypothetical, it’s reality.
And I think to strengthen your understanding:
TURN TO: PSALMS 44
Did you hear the despair and confusion of the Psalmist?
They were suffering and God wasn’t stopping it and they were struggling.
• They are suffering VIOLENTLY…
• They are suffering RELENTLESSLY… (never lets up)
• They are suffering IGNORANTLY… (don’t know why)
That is the Psalm Paul quotes here.
AND THE QUESTION IS,
Can suffering like that cause one of God’s elect to quit loving Him?
Now, I’m glad he didn’t leave this question unanswered,
Because quite frankly I think we could have quite a debate here.
• I know my weakness…
• I know my pain tolerance…
• I know my propensity to love comfort…
If you are asking me, do I think I could endure any measure of torment,
If I am honest, I have to say, “I don’t know”.
SO PAUL ANSWERS THE QUESTION.
• Now he doesn’t answer it based on what he thinks will happen.
• Paul answers it based on WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
(37) “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
Paul DOESN’T say,
“Don’t worry about it, if it happens, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Instead Paul says, “Well, those things are happening and it’s not working. Believers are sticking with Christ, in fact they are ‘overwhelmingly’ sticking with Him.”
And not to be lost in the explanation,
Paul even reveals HOW they are doing it.
And the answer is “through Him who loved us.”
Let me ask you again:
Why do you love God?
1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”
The only reason you love Him is because He first loved you.
And might I also ask you where this love you have for Him came from?
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
• The love you have for God did not originate with you.
• The love you have for God was given to you.
• It was “poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
The love you have for God is not a natural love,
It is a supernatural love.
Beyond that, (And I think you’ll appreciate this)
The love you have for God is the love that Christ has for God.
It is the divine love which the Son has for the Father
And it has been poured out into your heart through the Holy Spirit.
Let me jump ahead real quick to verse 39,
Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The love we have for God is the same love
“which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Do you see that?
And so now you understand
Why God’s people are overwhelmingly conquering affliction.
They have the supernatural love of Christ in them.
And that divine love for the Father
Causes them to love God through every affliction.
In fact, Paul told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
Paul says that no matter the hardship, we survive.
• It doesn’t matter if we are “afflicted in every way”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “perplexed”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “persecuted”
• It doesn’t matter if we are “struck down”
Even then we overwhelmingly conquer.
But that sounds strange that they would be able to endure such hostility
Being that they are merely “earthen vessels”.
I mean come on, you’re only human, and no human can survive such affliction, how do you do it?
And what did Paul say, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.”
• Do you know where they got the power to endure such hostility?
• Do you know where they got the ability to stick with God in such pain?
Well it wasn’t from themselves, after all, they’re just “earthen vessels” (dirt containers).
That strength, that commitment; that love came from God.
So do you see why Paul is able to give such a strong answer?
He knows that nothing can keep Him from loving God
Because nothing could keep Christ from loving God;
And that is the love which has been given to him.
And that is what leads Paul to that great closing statement.
(38-39) “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Paul DIDN’T say “I would imagine…”
• Paul said, “I am convinced”
How could he say that?
Because he had himself experienced all of those things.
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 “Are they servants of Christ? — I speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”
• “death” – stoned at Lystra and left for dead
• “life” – shipwrecked and chased and beaten and imprisoned
• “angels” – a demonic thorn in his flesh
• “principalities” – mentioning to the Thessalonians that “Satan hindered us”
• “things present” – Jewish persecution, constantly on the run
• “things to come” – Paul said the Holy Spirit continually reminded him that hardship was coming
• “nor powers” – like Rome or Satan
• “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing” – like a violent storm in which he would be shipwrecked
“will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul was convinced because he had already walked through all of this.
And to that we either have to say that Paul was no ordinary human,
Or we have to say that God placed something in Paul which allowed him that strength.
Paul says it was the latter.
He kept loving because he had a supernatural love poured into his heart;
In fact he had the same love for God “which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I hope you find encouragement there.
This the very essence of our assurance.
How can we be certain that the salvation we now enjoy will always be ours?
1) Because God willed it to be so and nothing can thwart His sovereign decision.
2) Because God’s grace is without limit and if He would not spare His Son, He certainly wouldn’t spare anything else.
3) Because God justifies sinners and therefore no accusation can ever hold weight against us
4) Because the only one with power to condemn us in fact died for us, justified us, and now intercedes for us
5) Because God poured into us a supernatural love for Him that will never fail regardless of the hardship.
That is the basis of our assurance.
And as you can see, it is all of GRACE ALONE
Not one single ounce of our security rests upon our strength or ability or fortitude, it all rests upon God’s gracious choice.
I WANT TO LEAVE YOU TONIGHT WITH A TREMENDOUS STATEMENT,
And one that links us to the period of the Reformation
So that you can see the final belief that came out regarding this doctrine.
It was written over a period of 4 years in the 1600’s by 151 leading theologians to be a final unifying confession of faith to reform the Church of England and to unify the various sects of Christianity.
It is one of the most important non-Biblical documents
In the history of the church.
The Westminster Confession
I want you to hear what these men said about the security of believers.
Chapter XVII
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
I. They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.[1]
II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father;[2] upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ,[3] the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them,[4] and the nature of the covenant of grace:[5] from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.[6]
III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins;[7] and, for a time, continue therein:[8] whereby they incur God’s displeasure,[9] and grieve His Holy Spirit,[10] come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts,[11] have their hearts hardened,[12] and their consciences wounded;[13] hurt and scandalize others,[14] and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.[15]
I love what those theologians said.
Because they certainly acknowledge the sinfulness of believers.
They knew we would fail.
But the statement they made at the beginning is so wonderfully profound and beautiful.
Namely that God’s elect “can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.”
And what a great way to wrap up this doctrine.
We believe we will stay saved because the grace that saved us
Will remain upon us to secure us to the very end.
So whether you are talking about
• SOVEREIGN ELECTION
• Or God’s EFFECTIVE CALL
• Or Christ’s ACTUAL ATONEMENT
• Or the PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS
One thing we are convinced of is that it is all by GRACE ALONE
There is no human element or worth added to it.
God has done it.
God is doing it.
God will finish it.
BY GRACE ALONE
