If God Is For Us

(Romans 8:31-32)

When I was a little kid there were times when I wished I had an older brother who would step in and protect in those situations I would get into scrapes with other kids. It didn’t happen often but sometimes I used to wish I could say, “I’m getting my big brother!” And scare the nasty kids away.

But as I was the eldest child in the family…it never happened. I had to fight my own battles and sort out my own issues. I had to work out how to placate my childhood opponents, and sometimes it didn’t work and I got my fair share of scrapes. Such is life.

But now, as these scriptures testify, I have that “big brother” I always wanted who will stand in and help me. And He will do much, much more so let’s look at what the promise is in these couple of verses.

If God is for us

God. What better or greater advocate could we have to stand up for us in times of trouble? And He doesn’t delegate this task to anyone else for it is God the Father who stands up for us. It is He who seeks our benefit, works out our issues, solves our problems and takes total care for us 24/7 as we walk in this evil world.

When we come to Him and seek His ways, He comes to us to give us all things and everything even though we done deserve it.

The wonder of His grace is that God gives us all good things including eternal life even though we have done nothing and cannot do anything to earn it. In essence God’s grace is His undeserved kindness and favour towards mankind, and especially those who seek Him through Jesus Christ.

Consider the example of God’s grace and undeserved kindness as shown in the parable of the prodigal son. The son, who represents all of us, goes off and spends his living and his life in wild profligacy and indulgence in sinful passions. The son then comes to a place of realisation that this is worthless and empty and that he was better of with his father.

The son recognises his failure and worthlessness and in repentance seeks to go back home to the father, not to be a son but a servant.

And then see what the reaction of the father is, and in the parable he represents God the Father. The Father sees the son coming to him and while he is still a long way off, he runs to greet him giving him the finest clothing, fine jewellery and throws a great celebration for the son has returned to the family.

Likewise when people come to the Lord we are welcomed and God gives us great gifts in the spiritual realm. He gives us the Holy Spirit, who is better than fine jewellery, he gives us the white robes of righteousness through faith and He gives us the offer of salvation and eternal life which is the greatest celebration of all.

And none of this is deserved by us for we do nothing to deserve it. But despite that, God is for us. It is His desire and great pleasure to give us everything and He even extends to us the greatest gift of all.

The Greatest Gift Of All

What or rather who is the greatest gift of all? Jesus Christ.

God gave us Jesus Christ first to teach us the ways of life and to show us the love of God the Father and then to die for us so that we would have salvation.

Jesus’ death did many things and gave us the greatest gift of all and the opportunity to come to God in a way that never existed prior to Jesus’ coming. In His death our sins are forgiven so as to remove the wall that stands between us and God. His death also released us from the Old Testament law so that we can no longer break it and thus be freed from future condemnation. And it was through Jesus’ death that we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to work perfection in us as we continue to walk and grow with God.

Truly Jesus is, was and always will be the greatest gift of all that God has given to mankind.

And all we need to do to receive His gifts and all that goes with them is…believe. We need to simply have faith in Jesus Christ and to recognise His sovereignty and the power of His death to save us from all that we cannot be saved by the working of the law or the things in this world. And if we do this God will give us…everything.

And like that big brother I always wished I had had as a child, He will solve all problems, right all wrongs, solve all problems and see us through all situations so that we do not suffer beyond what we can cope with. Sure we will still go through problems, but we will not be destroyed by them and when the time is right He will step in and remove the problem or remove us from being affected by it.

This we can confidently say as Paul did in these scriptures,

If God is for us who can be against?

Who can stand against us when we have the Creator in our corner to stand up for us and back us up in all situations. Nothing and no one can stand against the might and power of the Father who stands with His people. No troubles, tribulations, distress or insurrections and no spiritual attacks from the devil or his minions can stand against us for we have God on our side who will see us through all things.

Thus we have confidence and live humbled in the knowledge that God wants the very best for us and will Himself ensure we get the very best, not allowing anyone or anything to get in the way.

(Photo sourced from freeimages.com provided by Lonnie Bradley)

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