“Thankful for God’s Security” – Romans 8:28-39

"Peanuts” is one of best known comic strips in the world. The various characters created by Charles Schulz have their own identities that we immediately recognize. All we have to do is hear the name and we conjure up pianos (Schroeder), piles of dirt (Pigpen), sandals and shorts (Peppermint Patty) and a shirt with a jagged stripe (Charlie Brown).

When we mention Linus, the first thing that comes to mind is his security blanket. Everywhere Linus goes, he carries his blanket with him. Without the blanket, Linus falls apart.

Most of us have our own security blankets, whether it’s our favorite coffee mug or shirt or a favorite song that is “our song.”

Security is important to us. That’s why we have elaborate passwords and protect our personal information. That’s why we live in gated communities and have locks on our houses and cars. We want to feel safe and secure.

Of all the securities we seek, there is one that is guaranteed to never fail. It’s the security given to us by God through Jesus Christ His Son. In John 10:27-30, Jesus told us, “My sheep knows My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hands. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

As we celebrate a season of Thanksgiving, we can be grateful that God gives us security in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Background

Paul’s letter to the Romans is written in anticipation of the apostle coming to the capital empirical city. This letter is an introduction to the church at Rome, and Paul is presenting his theology and understanding of Christ to the believers there. Very early on, Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17).

Paul explained that God’s revelation has been from the beginning of creation, and He can be seen in creation. He talked about how all fall short of God’s requirements for righteousness, even the most religious. He wrote that salvation comes only through Christ and the effect of salvation on us.

As he came to today’s passage, Paul has reached a conclusion to a theme of salvation and the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer. The text we look at today is a powerful message of what it means to be in Christ and how God secures us in Christ. As we look at the text, we want to keep this one idea in mind:

Central Truth: God’s loving security is a reason for thanksgiving.

God secures us in Him:

1. By the Spirit so we can be more like Christ (28-30)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He may be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined He also justified; those He justified he also glorified.

One of the things that sports teach us is the need for teamwork. Time and time again, a team of more talented players will almost always lose to a team that puts team before the individual player. Baylor’s men’s basketball team has a philosophy of always looking to build up the team.

The idea of teamwork is somewhat present in these verses. The first verse speaks of the importance of the relationship we have with God. The emphasis is that God is at work in our lives, and that when we place our complete faith in Him, when we love Him and trust in Him, then God is able to fully bless us. It should not be believed that God is limited by our decisions—far from it. What it means, though, is that we can miss out on God’s great blessings when we fail to follow Him or when we allow sin to intercede in our lives. When we love God and are committed to giving ourselves to Him—when we learn to die in Him that Christ may live through us (cf.Galatians 2:20)—then we avail ourselves to fully see how God can fulfill His purpose most fully in us.

These next couple of verses can be difficult to interpret. The words, “foreknew” and “predestined” open up all kinds of arguments and cans of worms. I think one of my commentaries put it best when it said that we can read too much into the verses.

According to that commentary, “foreknew” explains God’s love for us. He knew He would love us before He created us. This fits with Paul’s statement to the Ephesians and Peter’s statement in his first letter that God determined before creation to bring salvation to us through Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20). The idea is similar to a parent’s love for their unborn child. We begin to love our children even before they are born, and we love them before they come to love us. In the same way, God knew us and loved us before we were ever conceived, and that love is fulfilled when we respond in faith and love to Him.

The idea of predestination is that God had a plan before He created the world to bring salvation and redemption through Christ. This salvation and redemption would result in our coming into fellowship with God as we respond to His calling. God knew He loved us (foreknowledge); He therefore put a plan into place (predestined) to restore us.

All of this was so that God can work in us through His Spirit to not only justify us through the forgiveness of our sins but to also glorify us. It is true that the ultimate glorification will come when we are taken from this body to be present with the Lord, whether through death or Christ’s return. But that fact that glorification is a future event also assures us that the promises in Christ and the hope we have will be fulfilled. For this reason, we are already glorified. God, working in and through His Spirit, is at work in us to transform us and make us more like Him (cf. Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13).

Because God has sealed us with His Spirit, because He knew us and loved us and set out a plan to save us, we are secure in our relationship with Him. We are justified; we are glorified. And we know that as we walk in loving obedience with Him that He who has our best interests in mind will work in our lives for our God.

How can we do anything other than give thanks to God for His security in the Spirit?

2. By Christ’s intercession (31-34)

What, then, shall we say in response to this? 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 is he that condemns? 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.

Have you seen that commercial when the announcer says deciding for an insurance company is like a group of kids selecting players for a basketball game. As the first pick is being made, the first child says, “I’ll take Barkley,” in reference to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Knowing we have a Hall of Famer on our team is a pretty good indication that we have a decided advantage over the other team.

I think of this as I read Paul’s words. Knowing that God is on our side, how can we fail to succeed when we have God on our side? Paul then focuses on the reality of what God has done to secure us.

God willingly gave His Son to die for us (cf. John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8-9). Paul therefore asks that if God is willing to do this for us, why should we question whether or not He is not also willing to give us that which is for our good?

If someone could or wished to challenge God’ gracious love for us, we have Jesus standing as intercessor on our behalf. Imagine Satan coming before God and making accusations against us? He may well be able to recount the list of our sins, but in the middle of his recitation, Jesus will interrupt him and tell the Father, “My blood covers their sin; My blood seals the covenant between You and him/her.”

Just as God is at work to bring about the good, so is Christ at work with the Father to speak up for us whenever the devil seeks to sever the relationship between us and the Father.

Because we have Jesus as our intercessor, we have a very real reason to give thanks to the Father.

3. From any and all that might threaten us (35-39)

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 or 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.

The heart of our security in Christ is established in these remaining verses. Here Paul has written a declaration of the power and strength and ironclad assurance of our eternal relationship with God through Christ and evidenced by the Spirit that indwells us.

As we read v. 28, it may be interpreted that those who truly love God will be freed from any troubles or hardships. Such an idea flies in the face of what the Bible teaches. Jesus, who walked more closely with the Father than you or I can, suffered greatly precisely because of His complete devotion to the Father. All but one of the apostles was martyred because of their commitment to the Father through the Son. Countless followers of Christ over the ages have endured trouble and hardship and persecution and famine or danger or sword, but they still endured. The reason they endured is because they had faith in the One who secured them in Christ.

In other words, Paul’s words remind us that we are not only conquerors but we are victors in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from God’s love and our salvation in Him. That was the declaration Jesus made in John 10, and it is the declaration that Paul made in Romans 8. There is nothing and no one—Satan, our enemies, evil in our world, even ourselves—cannot destroy the relationship God made with us in Christ Jesus.

Our standing in Christ Jesus is secure against any and all challenges or threats. No matter how difficult life may seem, we still have the Spirit of God indwelling us, enabling us to overcome and giving us a peace that passes all understanding. This peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (cf. Philippians 4:7).

Knowing we are safe in Christ frees us from worry and fear, and gives us a reason for thanking God for all things that come our way in Him.

Conclusion

Linus can carry his blanket around for the rest of his life, but it will never truly make him secure. We can protect our passwords as carefully as possible, but it won’t stop the most determined hacker. Security in our world is always precarious.

The same cannot be said in regard to our security in God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. God, the Creator of our world, the most powerful, the wisest and the eternal giver of life and hope, has us securely in His hands. Once we embrace this truth and live our lives according to the reality, we can truly give thanks to God for His security and His grace.