Good morning. I think everyone knows our text this morning. Again, turn to Romans 8, that closing paragraph, beginning in verse 31, and we will read through verse 39.
What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?
He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth;
who is He that shall condemn? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Even as it is written,
For Thy sake we are killed all the day long;
We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:31-39
And I will read verses 33 and 34 again.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth;
who is He that shall condemn? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.—Romans 8:33-34
Lord, we are so grateful for Your Word. We love Your Word—how Your Word has sustained us, quickened us, caught us, brought us to Yourself, and unveiled the deep mysteries of God. We are so grateful for it. Where would we be without Your Word? Surely it is true: heaven and earth will pass away, but Your Word remains forever.
Now, Lord, we are so dependent as we come, and once again we tell You that You alone have the words of eternal life. To whom shall we go? There is no one else. Unless You speak Your words that are spirit and life, we have nothing at the end. But when You speak Your words that are spirit and life, we see the Lord Jesus unveiled: our hope, our help, our defender, our all.
So we ask You, Lord, would You quicken Your Word again? Quicken us that we can share things that maybe we have only seen a little, and quicken us that we can hear things that maybe we have only heard a little. But in all things, we pray that this will be done to Your glory and to Your praise, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Well, I think by now everyone knows we have been sharing from this last paragraph in Romans 8. If you will remember, I drew this analogy that I was taking you into the divine courtroom. In the divine courtroom, as we come to the end of this most profound section of Romans 8, we see the divine closing argument.
Now, for those of you who are not familiar with law—and I am only somewhat familiar with law—you may not understand why I drew that analogy. But the closing argument is that ending part, after the case is made, where that lawyer, that one for the accused, tries with the final few words to make the deepest impression and leave the most singular, deep impact upon the trier of fact, whether it be jury or judge. It is an essential part of the trial.
When you come to the end, all trials have a closing argument. And in that closing argument, I believe we have what God said about these first eight chapters of Romans.
All trials begin with an opening statement. It is not the closing argument, but it simply states what the case is about. When you read the book of Romans, when you read the first chapter, you begin to understand what the whole case is about. The whole case is about the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
If you read chapter 1, the opening statement of this great divine case, you discover that it says this gospel—what this book is about—is concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, with God, that is always His case. We think maybe He has many cases, but I would state, in fact, God’s central case is always concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, to me, that is the opening statement, and Romans 8:31-39 is the closing argument. I think I said this last time—I cannot remember, so I will say it again. This is the most powerful and persuasive closing argument ever presented by angel, by man, or by anything; and it was presented by God to the Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit.
It is the most persuasive and profound closing argument that I think was ever presented. One said this: “It is the triumph of grace.” I think that is beautiful. When you come to the end of Romans 8 and you are not somehow in a triumphant mood, you must have missed something. I would suggest: read it again.
I will never forget, once I went to Brother Stephen and said to him, “I did not understand the book of Romans.” I was a young believer years ago, and he said, “Read it fifty times.” And I did it—read it fifty times. At least he is softer than Brother Nee was. Brother Nee used to say, “Read it a hundred times.”
So you have to come to the end. You have to discover the triumph of grace. Griffith Thomas said—and I think this is the most beautiful way to put it—that this closing thought, which I call the closing argument, is the triumph over every actual and conceivable opposition. Isn’t that glorious?
That is what this letter, in Romans 8, concludes with before it goes to a new thought. That is the summary. That is the closing argument.
The closing argument begins with, “What then shall we say to these things?” I spent a good amount of time on this, and I do not want to spend a lot of time covering ground that we have already covered, but just this much: the reason I think this opening verse is so important is because so many people have questions about what on earth the Apostle Paul was talking about.
They wonder whether he was just talking about the immediate context, or whether he was talking about broader things. Now, he could have just been talking about the immediate context. Look at Romans 8:30:
And whom He foreordained, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
—Romans 8:30
That would be enough. It seems to me he could have just been talking about this verse, but I do not think so. When you read more, look at Romans 8:28-29:
And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.—Romans 8:28-29
Surely, these things have to deal with that great eternal purpose. The very fact—if you can imagine it—that God intends in the end for you and me to be conformed to the image of His Son. When He looks at us, He will see that divine family resemblance. Can you imagine? That is the end. That is the glorious end.
Surely the Apostle Paul is talking about these things. But, brothers and sisters, I think it is more than that. I think it goes back to the whole case God has made: the whole case for the gospel, beginning in chapter 1 and going right through chapter 8.
It begins with the whole case God has made about man and His love for man. It begins with talking about the absolute corrupt condition of man. Now, if you think for a moment there are good people in the world, as we are wont to say—I often say, “He is a good man”—I do not know if you have ever been caught up in that error.
But if you ever say that about an unredeemed person, it is not true. I am sorry. I hate to hurt people’s feelings. I hate to burst your bubble. But if you ever say, “He is a good man,” in the eyes of God it is not true, because Romans 3:23 says:
For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.
—Romans 3:23
That is the absolute corrupt nature of man—everyone: religious, irreligious, unreligious, whatever the word is. “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing,” Paul concludes in Romans 7, near the end of this great divine court case.
Then he makes this grand case. I mentioned it last week about God’s dilemma. What a dilemma He had. It would have made sense to me for Him to change His course and change His purpose, but He stayed on His purpose. When He determines a purpose, He will never change His mind—not like you and me.
Wait a day and we will change our mind. Some of us, wait an hour and we will change our mind. A few of us, more befuddled ones, wait a moment and we will change our mind. I am so grateful that God does not change His mind.
This corrupt being He created for His purpose, He gave all for. We discover this dilemma that He faced: this corrupt mankind. What would He do after all? They were to be at the center of His heart and purpose.
When we read the entire case, chapters 1 through 8, we discover how God deals with the sins of man. Then we discover how God deals with the sin of man—the nature of man. Then we discover in Romans 7 how God deals with self. Maybe that is the hardest part.
But this is the great case that was made, I believe. This is what it means: “What then shall we say to these things?” This is the unanswered question. When he comes to the end, just before this great and unparalleled closing, he says the end of it, the purpose of it, is that you and me would be conformed to His image.
I love that verse in 1 John where it says:
When He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him even as He is.
—1 John 3:2
That is what we dealt with last time. Then we touched upon the ultimate assurance: “If God is for us.” Think of that, brothers and sisters. Do you know God is for you?
I believe so many Christians labor, labor and are confused, and even—if you do not mind me using such strong words—deceived into believing that somehow God is not for us. How could He not be for us?
I believe that is the opening, ultimate assurance of this great and grand closing argument: God is for us. And it says, “Who can be against us?” That is the ultimate power. If God is for you, who can be against you?
Now, I know some of you sort of had a fit with that idea I shared about God having no real enemies in the Scriptures. It looks like, when you look into the Scriptures, there is nowhere that God is directly attacked. Now, you can make an exception—for those of you who hate my theology, I will give you a break.
When the Lord Jesus, after He was baptized, went out into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan, that was a direct confrontation. But notice: He went out as Son of Man. That is the difference.
I talked about those apex predators. Some of you never heard the term, I am sure, but there are creatures so strong that there is no conceivable enemy that can attack them. Did you know the saltwater crocodile is an apex predator? I suppose you do not have one of those at home anywhere. But if you had a saltwater crocodile, it has no enemy equal to it. Believe it or not, an electric eel is an apex predator.
But God is the ultimate. If God is for us, what enemy can stand against God? Satan could be done away with by the breath of His mouth.
That is the ultimate assurance. Then we spoke about the unspeakable gift. What is the unequaled proof? Think of it. What is the unequaled proof?
It says, “He that spared not His own Son.” My, that is hard to imagine. That is the unequaled proof. But He delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not grant us all things? That is the unspeakable gift.
I love that verse in 2 Corinthians 9:15:
Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.
—2 Corinthians 9:15
What does God have to prove to you and me? He gave the best. He gave His all. He exhausted the treasury, and we are the beneficiaries.
Well, that was last week. This week I want us to think not only that God is for us, but that God defends us. I think that is very important. If you are going to take in the whole of this divine closing argument, there is another point you have to see.
Not only is God for you in every way—it is unarguable—He defends you equally in every way. He is your source and your defender. So we are going to look at verses 33 and 34 only. Again, two verses, three things. You know my habit by now: the accusation, the answer, and the advocate.
There is the accusation that seems first to come to the surface when you read these two verses. After the accusation, you begin to see the answer. I think the answer comes in plain view, and it is a tremendous answer. Then, when those two verses close, you see the advocate. What an advocate we have.
One brother wrote this about these words: “Blessed, wondrous consummation of the most marvelous theme it was ever given for man to make known to his fellows.” That is what he has done.
So let us look at this. Begin with the accusation. Notice the verse in Romans 8:33: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” We are clear, when we read this text, that it is talking about accusation.
“Who shall bring an accusation?” That is the question. Again, this great closing strategy is in question format, and there are these very important questions that answer all of our questions.
Now, here is the problem. I think that is exactly where we stumble—not at the beginning, because we surely know something about the enemy’s accusation—but when we come to the point that says, “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect?” I think that is where we all get a little troubled.
We stumble. We say, “Well, surely the Apostle Paul could not be talking about me. He may be talking about Brother Settle. He may be talking about Brother Maury. Certainly he is talking about Carolyn. But he could never be talking about me. Never would I be considered the elect.”
But listen to what Beecher said. I think it is beautiful: “The elect are whosoever will, and the non-elect are whosoever won’t.” That is as simple as it is.
You may not consider yourself God’s elect, but if you are called by His triumphant grace, and if you have responded to His triumphant grace, you are, in fact, God’s elect. Then we can return to the beginning and say, “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect?”
This follows that ultimate assurance: God is for us. Yet we discover there is an intense, prolonged, and even demonic accusation—an opposition—against every believing child of God. This ultimate assurance does not take away from the fact that we come under ultimate opposition.
God is for us, and that is the reason we can go through. But this grand text that closes this book says there is going to be tremendous opposition against those elect of God. “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect?”
Now, in the world, at least this is all I have ever understood, there are only two kinds of legal systems. Not three, not four—well, you can make a case for other things—but I think we can boil it down to two kinds of legal systems.
There is the inquisitional system. I know that could mean nothing to you, but that is when the court is actively involved in investigating the case. It is not the system we have.
We have the adversarial system. Now, did you get that? Wait, I am going to repeat it if you did not get it, and I will repeat it even if you did get it: we have the adversarial system of justice.
The role of the court is primarily that of an impartial referee between the prosecution and the defense. But let me tell you a little secret that is so glorious about this divine closing argument: thank God, He is not somehow an impartial referee.
Isn’t that good news, brothers and sisters? This is the encouragement of Romans 8. In this adversarial system that you and I live in day by day, God is not somehow an impartial judge sitting off in the distance, hoping we make it through, rooting for us all along the way, and then, when we arrive in heaven, simply saying, “Well done.”
It is an absolute adversarial system, but this partial, divine Judge of all is the God Who is for us. Think of it. I think that is tremendous. How that encourages me in the Lord.
You know, a good accuser can sink you—right to the bottom. As a matter of fact, our adversarial system has, in some ways, become the battle of experts.
I do not know if any of you have been to court. I hope you do not have to go. But I have been to court, and I have been to court as an expert witness. When they bring in an expert witness, the first thing they want to do is prove: are you an expert?
Then the defendant’s experts and the prosecutor’s experts become battling experts, if you will. It is the war of experts. Whoever has the best expert very often wins the case.
Now think of the expert that is against us: Satan himself. I do not know what you think of that, but that is a formidable foe. There could not be a more formidable expert witness against you.
I suppose most of us would lose our breath and faint outright if the prosecution announced, “The expert witness is Satan himself against you.” To me, we have this greatest expert as our adversary. It seems overwhelming.
Look at Revelation 12:10. I think you know these verses. This is when the scene was opened in heaven:
And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying,
Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
who accuseth them before our God day and night.—Revelation 12:10
That is our adversary. That is our accuser. When the apostle says, “Who shall accuse?” that is the one who is accusing us. It seems overwhelming. How can we stand against such unbelievable accusation?
Notice: he accuses them day and night. He does not take time off. Even in a court of law, they have recesses. But in the court of God, the enemy never takes off—day or night.
You may be sleeping. You may be waking. You may be working. You may be resting. But our adversary is always set against us, accusing us day and night, even before the face of God.
You can imagine how that divine court case is going. He must go up, and there is plenty for him to prove. Just look at us. He must go to God Himself and say, “Didn’t You really make a mistake with these human beings? Look at all their flaws. Look at all their multiple problems. Look at all their sins. Look at all their hang-ups. Surely You are defending the wrong ones.”
It must be something like that. By the way, there is plenty of ground to accuse us with. Sometimes the enemy has no ground; that will not stop him from accusing. Do not think it will.
Your adversary, the roaring lion, goes about, Peter said, seeking whom he may devour. That is his end. There may be no ground—he will accuse. There is always some ground—he will accuse. There may be much ground—and he will accuse. This is our adversary, the strongest witness you can imagine against us.
What an impossible situation. But let me make it worse for you, just in case you were not depressed. Not only is it Satan who is against us twenty-four-seven, night and day, accusing us before the very face of God; it is the world that hates us.
Now, if you have not discovered that little fact and you are new to the Lord, I want to break you in easy. You will discover: if you agree with the world, the world loves you. But you will discover the moment you disagree with the world, the world hates you.
The Lord said in His closing argument to His disciples in John 15:18-19 that it is because they hated Him first. They will hate you. The world is our accuser.
And not only that, if you are not depressed, the flesh is our accuser. One brother said the most remarkable thing: maybe that is the worst of the three.
But think about it. Just think about it. This is the unholy trinity of accusers: we have the flesh, we have the world, and we have Satan himself. These are our accusers. How can we ever overcome with such great opposition focused against us?
I think the odds look terrible. It is sort of like General George Armstrong Custer at the Little Bighorn. The odds were not good: outnumbered and overpowered, a short order was made of things. That is the opposition we have.
Let us look in the Old Testament. I think Zechariah 3 gives us a story that I believe is a scene into the divine courts. Zechariah, chapter 3, beginning at verse 1:
And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel.
And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel.
And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of the Lord was standing by.—Zechariah 3:1-5
Notice: it is Joshua the high priest. This is not the worst; this is the best. This is not a bad person. This is not a leper. This is not an outcast. This is the best that man could bring.
Satan is standing at his right hand to resist him—to accuse him. This is a scene into what we live every day. There is God, thank God. There is Satan. And there is Joshua. Satan is there at his right hand to accuse him.
This is the heavenly scene. Satan was there, accusing night and day—the most experienced accuser that ever lived. Joshua was there, the high priest. I will tell you a secret: you were there.
But thank God, this is the good news: there was another One there. It was not just Satan; it was not just Joshua. Had it just been Joshua and Satan, he would have been undone. But God was there. Thank God.
It was not Joshua who said, “The Lord rebuke you.” I know I came up in the charismatic movement, and we were rebuking everything that moved. But here it was the Lord Who said, “I rebuke.” Isn’t that good news?
Who is our defender? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? Who can condemn us when God is the One Who defends us? That is Romans 8.
That is the accusation, and the answer is: God Himself is our defender. When you hear what Martin Luther said when he was on trial in court, he said, “Here I stand. I cannot recant. I rest on the Word of God. Let God see to it.”
Brothers and sisters, thank God we have a heavenly defender. Thank God, He says, “Yes, the accusation is true, and the robes are filthy. But take from him the filthy robes and give him a new robe—that robe of righteousness which is in Christ—and put a pure turban on his head. Cover him with the headship of Jesus.”
Our great defender is the answer. That is what I believe Romans 8:33-34 deals with. The question, “God for us,” supposes the existence of a combined and powerful hostility to the Christian. No doubt. Do not ever think otherwise.
But the secret is the answer that God gives. The message in Zechariah 3, the message in Romans 8, the message in the whole of the Bible, is that we do not stand alone. Thank God. What a defender we have.
That is the encouragement. That is the all-sufficient answer. Look at our text again in Romans 8:
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
—Romans 8:33
That is the answer: it is God that justifies. It is not us who justify.
Go back to Romans 3. I just want to read these verses because it is part of the case:
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in His blood, to show His righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God;
for the showing, I say, of His righteousness at this present season: that He might Himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus.—Romans 3:24-26
Make no mistake about whose righteousness we are talking about—not our righteousness, but the showing forth of His righteousness. Isn’t that good news, brothers and sisters?
Our defender, our justifier, is God Himself. The grand argument made at the closing of Romans 8 is that when our defender stands up, He utters but one word: “Justified.”
There is no accusation, no counsel, no condemnation that can come against that single answer. Aren’t you glad God did not give a qualified answer? Not, “Soon to be justified.” Not, “Maybe to be justified.” Not, “In heaven, certainly, to be justified.” But justified now.
The argument that God makes is a single word as our defender. He says it, and He silences every accusation. He hushes every condemnation when He says, “Justified.”
Now, if you want to get a tattoo—“Justified”—that is okay by me. I may not join you, but when you go to the beach, just say it with all your heart: “Justified.” That is the argument: God, our defender.
I think of another story in John 8. You know the story about the woman caught in adultery. Well, she was guilty—dead guilty—and almost dead.
They brought her to the Lord Jesus. You know the story in John 8. We will not read it all for the sake of time. They caught this woman red-handed in adultery, and of course the law was very clear: you did not mess around; stone her to death.
They brought her before the Lord Jesus. You remember the scene? He knelt down on the ground. He began to write with His finger on the ground. I wonder what He wrote. I wonder if He was beginning to write the accusations against the accusers.
Then He stood up and said these words:
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
—John 8:7
Think of it. I am sure there were ones who had rocks in their hands. They were ready to go. They were double-fisted and loaded to stone this sinner to death.
In the great case the Lord Jesus made, He said, “You.” He must have looked them each in the eye, and He said, “You, and you, that are without sin, cast the first stone.”
Then He knelt down again, and He wrote in the ground with His finger. They must have looked and thought, “He is writing about me. I am no different than this adulterous lady.”
When the Lord raised His head, they were all gone. Then the Lord said the most profound thing. He said, “Woman, where are thine accusers?” They had all left.
Then He said the most comforting thing:
Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.
—John 8:11
Thank God, He is our defender. We are caught red-handed. You are that woman. You are that woman. The accusers are right. Everything about you is true. But there is one difference: the Lord says, “I am for you. I am your defender.”
“Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect? Who shall condemn us?” Isn’t that good news?
Well, I think that is quite a story. We are uncondemned and unchargeable. We are uncondemned and unchargeable.
Brother Wuest said, “Since justification resides in a Person”—remember that, the Lord Jesus, our righteousness—“in Whom we stand uncondemned and unchargeable, as the Son Himself.”
That is beyond understanding, beyond comprehension. As the Son Himself, the Just One, it is impossible, after having been justified, that you be again accused and brought under condemnation.
Romans 8:1 begins this great closing chapter:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
—Romans 8:1
Now—not later, not in heaven, not in the kingdom, but now—no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Where are our accusers? This is the answer. We are justified in Christ.
It is the highest court ruling, and it cannot be overruled. For some of you who do not know so much about case law, when a higher court rules, a lower court cannot overrule what a higher court has determined.
That is why, in all this current events you hear, we take it ultimately to the Supreme Court. Once the Supreme Court rules, no other court—the Ninth Circuit or some local court—can overrule what the Supreme Court has said.
I hope you are getting the analogy. There is a Supreme Court above the Supreme Court, and that court has ruled: we are justified. That settles the case.
Not only are we justified freely in Christ, but we are justified fully in Christ Jesus. That is the answer. We are irreproachable.
Look at Colossians 1:22:
Yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before Him.
—Colossians 1:22
Aren’t those three grand words? Can you imagine? You are presented to God holy, unblamable, and irreproachable. In other words, you cannot be impeached. You are unimpeachable.
As a matter of fact, Ironside says the right word for that last one is “unimpeachable.” There is no charge, no accusation, no condemnation that can be brought against you which can impeach you.
Impeachment is a terrible thing. We have had presidents in our history who were impeached. They may not have been convicted, but they stand in history impeached. What a stain.
But you, dear saint of God—with all the things you have done, with all that is wrong with you—are unimpeachable. Isn’t that good news?
Not only that, when you look at Romans 8, it goes further than that. That would be enough. It says, “Who is He that shall condemn? It is Christ Jesus that died.”
Not only has He justified us; He has died for us. But not only that: He has also been raised up. He was resurrected for us. Not only has He been raised up, it says He is also at the right hand of God. He ascended for us.
This is the only mention in the whole book of Romans of ascension. The only one. But if it were not good enough news that He justifies us, the answer is that He died for us.
Not only is the answer that He died for us—you died in Christ. He took you to the cross. Romans 6:4. Romans 6:6. He took you to the cross, and you have died in Christ. You cannot accuse a dead man. What are you going to do, dig him up and try him?
You were buried by baptism in the Lord Jesus. But that is not all. He was raised for us. His resurrection, brothers and sisters, isn’t that glorious?
If He only died for us, we could think, “Well, perhaps that is not enough,” grand as it is. But He was raised for our justification, it says in Romans. He was raised up, and as we read Ephesians 2:6, we discover that we too have been raised in Christ Jesus.
Then it says the third great thing about His work: He ascended for us. He is seated at the right hand of God. If you read that same verse in Ephesians 2:6, it says we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, or in the heavenly places.
Oh, brothers and sisters, this is the answer. It is a full answer. Not only does He justify us, but He died for us, and we died in Him. Not only did He die for us, He was raised for us, and we were raised to newness of life in Christ Jesus. Not only was He raised for us, but He ascended for us.
He died. He rose. He ascended. Brothers and sisters, that is the answer. May the Lord help us to see how complete this answer is.
Ironside said, “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect? Every voice is silenced, every accusation hushed, and our justification unchangeable.”
One said this, and I think it is so powerful: there is no ground for condemnation, since Christ has suffered the penalty. There is no law that condemns us, since we are not under law but under grace. There is no tribunal for judgment, since ours is now the throne of grace, not a judgment throne. Above all, there is no judge to sentence us, since God Himself, the only Judge, is our justifier.
Well, that is the answer. Now let me share just a few moments with you about the advocate. Not only does He defend us; He is our advocate.
It says in that last phrase in verse 34, “Who also is at the right hand of God, Who also intercedes for us.” Think of it. Not only did He justify us, not only did He die for us, not only was He raised for us, not only did He ascend above the heavens to the right hand of God—He intercedes for us.
Now, it is very important in the Word when words occur to look at them in Scripture. The first occurrence of this word intercession is in Isaiah 53, at the close of that great chapter, verse 12:
Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because He poured out His soul unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors:
yet He bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.—Isaiah 53:12
That is glorious. It occurs at the end of that enormous chapter on suffering. It is the closing argument of that chapter of such great, unimaginable suffering.
But when you look in the Word of God, the last occurrence of intercession occurs in Hebrews 7:25. Listen to what it says:
Wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
—Hebrews 7:25
He is able to save completely—not partially, not even substantially, though that is a word I like a great deal—but completely. He is able to save completely those who approach God through Him, ever living to intercede for us.
For such a High Priest became us: holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Brothers and sisters, this is good news. Not only does He give the answer, but He is the advocate.
It does not say He sometimes intercedes for you. Once in a while people call me up and say, “Would you pray for me, please?” I always try to remember. I say, “Yes, I will pray for you.” But look at the difference.
The supreme King on the throne, beside the Majesty on high, ever living to make intercession for us. That is the closing argument.
Then it says in Romans 8 that not only do we have another advocate in the heavens; we have an advocate right here on earth. We have an advocate even closer than here on earth. We do not have to go down the street, knock on the door, and say, “Could you help me, please?”
That advocate is the Holy Spirit. That heavenly advocate, if you can imagine it, has come into you and taken up permanent residence.
So you now not only have an advocate in the heavens Who ever lives to intercede for you, but if you look in Romans 8, where intercession occurs more than in any other book in the Bible, it says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, according to God.
This is the good news: we have a heavenly advocate, and we have an earthly advocate. Isn’t that tremendous, brothers and sisters? I am so grateful. God defends us.
Here is the question: do you believe His Word? I think sometimes we can hear His Word and say, “That cannot be true. That cannot be true.” Do you believe His Word?
I remember a story about one who believed the sovereign’s word. You may have heard me tell it years ago. Napoleon Bonaparte was on his horse and lost control, and his whole life was in danger.
The horse took off at breakneck speed, and some lowly private—if you are only a private, forgive me—sprang out of the ranks, threw his rifle down, grabbed the reins of that out-of-control horse, and saved Napoleon from almost certain death.
Napoleon looked down at that soldier, tapped him on the head, and said, “You are the captain of the guard.” What a thing for a private.
This one believed what the sovereign said. He ran to the captain of the bodyguard and said, “I am the captain of the guard.” The captain of the bodyguard must have looked at the stripe, the single stripe, and looked at this lowly private and said, “Who made you? Who said you were captain of the guard?”
The story goes that the little private turned, pointed to the emperor, and said, “He said it. I believe it.”
Do you, brothers and sisters, believe the Word of God?
God wants to say something to us in this hour. His comfort, His ultimate comfort, His ultimate assurance is this: God is for us. Do not ever forget it.
His comfort is not only, “I am for you,” but, “I am going to defend you against every accusation.” And they will be legion. But nevertheless: “I died for you. I was raised for you. I ascended for you. I am interceding for you.”
“And I sent the Holy Spirit of God—God the Spirit—to take up permanent residence in you, so that when you do not even know what to pray, as it says in Romans 8, He will intercede for you according to God.”
Well, this is the closing argument. This is God, our defender.
Lord, we just lay before You these thoughts. Lord, first of all, I am so compelled to say: forgive me for not believing Your Word. Forgive me for saying, “It cannot be so.”
But, Lord, You said it, and that should settle it. Help us to stand not in our feelings, not betrayed by our circumstances, but to stand in Your Word alone.
If God is for us, who is against us?
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?
It is God that justifieth.
Who is He that shall condemn?—Romans 8:31, 33-34
Lord, we are so thankful. Write these words upon our hearts. Remind us of them, and bring us into a real understanding of what they are, so that they may be our experience and not just words. This we ask today in the name of Jesus. Amen.