Who Will Bring a Charge?

Romans 8:31-33

What then shall we say 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 with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

            Paul here is starting to build to a crescendo after showing the state of man and the way that God takes them out of how they were before and brings them into new life; he is showing the power available to Christians. Each sentence is a question building up to the point of the paragraph and the point of the passage. The punctuation highlights this with the only period in this whole passage: “It is God who justifies.” Four questions bring a person to understand the main point, bring them to an understanding of what was said before, and really show the point of what was said. Knowing from the previous passage the things He has done for us—predestined, called, justified, glorified—Paul begins with two questions to underline how God will give us everything through His strength. Paul is painting a picture of the might and mercy of God with the third question, showing how He would not even spare Him—meaning Jesus—to save us. Then, the last question prepares us for what is next, empowering those who can answer the last question. I picture this as a warrior chant for all those who follow God bringing fear, peace, and love to their hearts knowing the sacrifice and the simple answer to all of these questions: “It is God who justifies.”

            These questions are posed to us as Christians as our rallying cry to live for Christ unashamed of what the world might say. I know in my own life I have a tendency to be afraid to speak Christ to people because I feel inadequate, and I do not want to come off as judgmental. What this says to me is that God is for us; He is not only encouraging us, but He saves us through Jesus. With that justification we can then be perfectly qualified to help those around us to find Jesus also. There is no one who can bring any charges against us because it is not any power on our part but it through Jesus’ sacrifice that we are saved. This is something we can take confidence in when people call us hypocrites or try to say we are doing wrong. We can use those moments to show them the one who saves us. This is also something we must minister and preach to ourselves constantly. We are people justified not by our own actions but by God through Jesus. We need to be people who live in this so we can then progress outwardly to encourage other Christians and rescue those still lost. We are people who cannot judge, instead we must live by the statement Paul makes here: “It is God who justifies.” This reflects what Paul shows in Ephesians 2:20. Christ is the Chief cornerstone because He is the one that justifies, and this is how we must build the rest of our lives, around Him who justifies us.

            For those not yet in the family there is a place for you to come in. You are welcomed always. It does not matter what you have done or if you feel that you cannot come. God is calling you today and He wants you to come. These questions are for you too. If God is for you who can be against you? God gave up His only Son to save you what else do you think He will do to bring you to a relationship with Him? The only way to shut up those voices of unworthiness and loneliness is to come because no one will be able to bring a charge against you as God’s elect. You must come, though, because God is the one who justifies and there is no way else to be saved but through the sacrifice of Jesus. Your life must be built on Him as the cornerstone. You can start today. Jesus is calling you today to make him the center of what is being built.