God, the Judge, and Jesus Christ, the Intercessor!

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? 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 then is the one who condemns? No one. 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.” – Romans 8:31-34 NIV

If we answer the questions in Romans 8:31-34 truthfully and honestly, we tend to think the world is way stronger than God, even though Jesus Christ is interceding for us at the right hand of God. This is because the world may harm us, tempt us, and give everything that we want. Therefore, we forget God, Jesus Christ and all of the godly stuff, such as reading the Bible and praying according God’s will, and then we abide into the world intimately. We do not like to be abandoned. It is our own nature.

However, we must remember that our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God. First, He is omnipotent (1 Chronicles 29:11) because He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1). Secondly, He is omniscient (Romans 11:33-36) because if He is the Creator, then He must know that how everything works out so we can say, “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28) with confidence. Lastly, He is omnipresent (Hebrews 4:13) because the word of God repeats that God will never leave nor forsake us. In addition to this, when God saw all that He has made, including us, He declared that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Because of this and His great love for us, God came down from heaven into the earth as Jesus Christ to crucify Himself on the cross for our sins (John 3:16-17; 1 John 4:9-10). God wants to restore everything back into proper place. Therefore, He simply invites us to come to Him and rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). This is also because He knows that the world is going to burden us so much that we cannot cope on living our lives anymore (John 16:33).

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:21-31)

The world may condemn us for believing in Jesus Christ and it may even tempt us to deny Him (John 15:18-25). However, Jesus Christ holds the words of eternal life (John 6:68). In fact, He is the main source of eternal life (John 17:3). Therefore, we have to persevere the world’s condemnation and temptation for the sake of Jesus (James 1:2-4). This does not mean that we have to go to places where the persecutions happen, but it means to keep ourselves fully to open to evangelise others into Jesus Christ, who do not know and believe in Him (1 Peter 3:8-17). The main reason for this is that it is God’s Great Commission—to make Jesus’ disciples of every nation by preaching the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). It is our work to preach the gospel (2 Timothy 4:1-4), but it is the Spirit’s work that actually can save them spiritually (John 6:63-65). Acts 4:12 declares, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:1-17)