Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Romans 8:31-39
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Many Christians misunderstand and misuse this passage. When Paul wrote “if God is for us, who can be against us” he was not talking about success in life or encouraging people to achieve their personal goals. Paul is reminding Christians that suffering and pain is a lie that tempts us to believe that God does not love us. The first Christians were hunted and persecuted by Jews and Romans because they worshiped Jesus. The Romans even called Christians “atheists” because they would not worship the Roman gods! But no matter what happened in life, good or bad, Paul was reminding Christians that God loved them and was far stronger than even their greatest enemy, death itself! When the problems of life tempt us to stop trusting God let us ask for greater perseverance, strength and faith to believe in God’s presence in our lives, His great love for us and His power to save us from all we face.