the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Grace for Today
Romans 8:31
‘If God be for us...’
Read Isaiah 43:1-13
What a glorious thought! Is it possible? Can it be true that the eternal, omnipotent, all-wise, incomprehensible God, in the Trinity of his sacred persons, is for us? Let that once be established as a fact, both of revelation and experience, and all fear must vanish from our hearts. ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Who can with success oppose those for whom the Almighty is engaged?
Now here is the glorious fact of the matter concerning those who love God and are the called according to his purpose: God is for us! God is absolutely sovereign in all things. He has dominion over all the universe (Psalms 115:3; Daniel 4:34-37; Isaiah 4:5-6; Proverbs 21:1; Romans 11:36).
This God is for us in his sovereign, providence working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Everything in the universe is being manipulated by God to accomplish good for his elect. The wise man said, ‘There shall no evil happen unto the just’ (Proverbs 12:21). That is to say, nothing shall work against God’s elect. There is no limitation to the promise.
But that is not all, God is for us in his saving purpose (Romans 8:29-30). Notice that each verb is in the past tense. According to God’s own purpose and decree, our salvation is an accomplished reality in Christ. He knew us in electing love, predestinated us to be his sons, called us his own, justified us in his purpose and glorified us in Christ. This is God’s purpose for all his elect, and his purpose will be done.
Once more, God is for us in his substitutionary provision (v.32). In order that he might justly save us, according to his own purpose God spared not his own Son. Everything agreed upon in the covenant of grace Christ had to endure. He was not spared the strict requirements of righteousness or the infinite wrath of justice. He was delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God to die as our Substitute. Now, surely, this great and merciful God, who gave his own Son for us, will freely give us all things. What then shall we fear?
