What Then Shall We Say?
Have you ever heard really good news that left you suddenly speechless? Sometimes, in moments like that, we stumble over our words, not sure how to respond to the news. In Romans 8:31, Paul raises a question after giving us 30 verses of extraordinarily good news: “What then shall we say to these things?”
Before we get to what Paul is getting at, let’s remember some of the great news he outlined in the previous chapters of Romans and summarized so beautifully in the 30 verses leading up to this question. Here is a quick list of some of this good news:
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Jesus has released us from the law of sin and death.
We can set our minds on the Spirit and experience life and peace.
We can please God because His Spirit lives in us.
We have received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to call out to our Father, who wants to hear from us.
We are heirs of God.
Our sufferings in this world do not compare with the glory that is coming.
We have help in our weakness and through it.
God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
We are called, justified, and glorified through Christ.
Paul’s question is not an expression of uncertainty about what to say but rather the beginning of a bold declaration of what is true. Paul is not speechless; he is bursting to remind us of the confidence we can have because of what Jesus has already done. His words form a shout of triumph, a song of praise. Read them out loud:
“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 with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Paul reminds us that we don’t have to wait until we meet Jesus at the end of this life or when He returns to know the verdict on our lives. Because of Christ, our debt has been paid, and we can approach the end of this life with full confidence because we have placed our faith and hope in the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The Roman Christians were already experiencing difficult times, and the persecution under Nero was approaching. Paul offers a triumphant reminder that nothing we experience can separate us from God’s love. We can live boldly, knowing that no power on earth can cancel God’s grace, undo His forgiveness, or separate us from His love.
Father, we thank You for this marvelous gift Paul has left us in these declarations of Your great love. Today, we declare that we will live boldly, knowing that we are secure in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Romans 8: 31-39 ESV
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