Romans 8:33-37 (NKJV) 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.
Last week we were discussing Paul’s walk of faith as it is expressed in Romans chapter 8. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith according to Hebrews 12. Paul is, what might be called, one of the first to field testers of the faith of which Jesus is the author and finisher. Paul was just like you and me. He had weaknesses and imperfections. However, he “finished his course” by faith. If he could walk in faith successfully, so can you.
In my last post we concentrated on two foundational ideas that Paul had in place that enabled him to be successful. First, we found that If God is for us no one can stand against us. God is for us! If we could grasp that fact, it would change everything. Who is like the Lord? No one is even close! With God on my side and in my corner, how can I fail?
Second, we see that since the Father did not withhold his own son, we can rest assured that he will not withhold anything else that we may need. If God were withholding from us we would have no hope. God will not give us what is not good for us, but if it is good for us God wants us to have it. We do not have to convince him to stop withholding from us. That would be an impossible task. All we have to do is put ourselves in a position to receive. God will do the rest.
Today I want to look at some other things Paul had in place, which gave him the ability to walk successfully through trials. The next thing he mentions is in the form of a question. “Who can accuse God’s elect of anything?” One of the most powerful tools the enemy uses against us is condemnation. If he can cause us to feel guilty, he can cripple us. We do not feel capable of walking by faith. We do not believe God will do anything for us and we believe that whatever the devil does to us we deserve. Paul knew better than anyone did what that was like.
Paul called himself “the chief of sinners.” He had persecuted the church unmercifully before his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul knew that he deserved anything but acceptance by the savior he persecuted. He also knew that he had been made completely clean and “accepted in the beloved” by the blood of Jesus. (Ephesians 1:6)
When Paul writes in Romans 8 and says that no one can lay any charge at the feet of those born again through the blood of Jesus, he knew exactly what he was talking about. His words are very descriptive here. He points out that it is God who justifies those who are in Christ. Our past sin is paid for in full. The bible says that even the handwriting on the charges against us has been wiped away. (Col. 2:14) That was God’s doing. If he chooses to justify us, or make us just as if we never sinned, who has any right to question his judgment? No one!
What about the sins we commit after salvation? It is important to understand that there are consequences to sin even after we are saved. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) That is true before and after salvation. I do not believe the sins we commit after salvation will send us to hell. I do believe they carry consequence and they open the door to the effects of death in our life. 1 John provides a process for dealing with sins committed after salvation.
1 John 1:8-10 (NKJV) 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
If it were not possible for a person who is saved to sin, there would be no provision for forgiveness of sin. Some would ask about the “sin unto death” that Jesus speaks about in the gospels. I am not talking about that. I am talking about the sins every Christian commits in the course of living life. God knows we will fail. He provides for our repentance and forgiveness.
What, then, do these words in Romans 8 have to do with? Let me share an example from a parental perspective. I raised 3 boys and 3 girls. They are all serving God and were, for the most part, good kids. However, they were not perfect. There were times when they did things that were wrong. As the pastor of a church, my children often lived under a microscope. When they did wrong things, everybody saw them. Sometimes the people in the church thought they should have the right to discipline them.
As a father, this was not something I would allow. At times people thought I was excusing my children. If you talked to my children, you would discover that they were definitely not excused when they did wrong. They were chastened and sometimes severely. I held them to a higher standard because they did represent me and the ministry God gave me. However, they were my children and my wife’s children. They were nobody else’s.
If you want to get on my bad side quickly, try to disciple my kids. If you need to tell me that they did something wrong, that is fine. Their discipline is my responsibility and that of their mother. In respect to discipline my children’s sin was no one else’s business.
My sin is my Father’s business. He is the one who justified me. Paul goes on to say that it is Jesus who paid the price for my sins. The devil did not pay the price nor did any person. I do sin at times. So do you. However, we do not have to listen to the condemning voice of the devil when we do. Our Father will deal with us. Of that, you can be sure.
As we walk by faith in the midst of trials, the devil will try to convince us that it is God who is punishing us. If God wants to deal with us, it will not be by hurting us. Now, I am not saying he will not take advantage of trials to teach us. I am not saying that trials might not come because we make bad choices. I am saying that it is God who justified us. Our discipline is his business.
If you have a question as to whether you may have some sin that is contributing to the problem you face today, the answer to that is simple. Repent and receive the forgiveness provided in 1 John 1:8-10. Your repentance must be genuine or it is not repentance. You must be sorry for the sin, and not just for the consequences the sin brought into your life.
Once that is done you can turn to the accuser of the brethren, the devil, and tell him, “I don’t want to hear about my sin. That is between my Father and me. If you want to talk about my sin, talk to him or to Jesus. The Father declared me just and Jesus paid the price. Take it up with them. Right now, you get your hands of my family, my stuff and me. And do it in the name of Jesus!”
One final thought from this section of scripture. The Father justified you. Jesus paid the price for your sin but it does not end there. He is alive right now at God’s right hand interceding for you. When the devil brings a charge against you Jesus whispers in the Father’s ear, “I paid for that.”
Jesus is at the Fathers right hand this moment praying for you. Do not allow the voice of condemnation to cripple your faith. Just point the accuser’s finger at the Father and the Son and see how he does with that!
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