Believers Have Sure Hope Because God Will Always Love Us - Romans 8

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved." Romans 8:23-24

God's love for us is a never ending love and this alone should assure us that we cannot fall out of our justified state and forfeit our hope.  Romans 8 reveals this truth that ought to give Christians full assurance that their salvation will be brought to completion.

Romans 8 begins with,

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.  By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Rom 8:1-4)

Believers in Christ can take comfort in the fact that Christ's righteousness is imputed to them.  Jesus fulfilled the law of God on our behalf and died for our sins on the cross.  Thus, there is now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus.  We are no longer under the law of sin and death and are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who is presently sanctifying us.  Thus, we have a sure hope that we are going to be completely set free from our sins (Matt 1:21) in glorification.

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Rom 8:10-11)

Because of this sure hope we ought to put to death the "deeds of the body" (Rom 8:13), in other words, our sinful actions.  Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, assures us that we have no reason to fear condemnation.  In fact, the Holy Spirit indwelling us gives us assurance of our salvation by bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16).  Since we are God's children we can look forward to the completion of our salvation.  We will be "glorified with him [Jesus Christ]"; we will be completely free from our sins as He purposed.

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, the heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Rom 8:14-17)

In our present sufferings we can look forward with confidence to our hope being fulfilled.  We trust that our sufferings cannot be compared to the "glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18).  And when that happens all of creation will be free from the affects of the fall of mankind (Rom 8:19-22), for there will be a new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1)*.  We who "have the firstfruits of the Spirit", evidence that God's promises to us will be fulfilled (Eph 1:13-14), long to be set free with great anticipation.  We

"groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved." (Rom 8:23-24)

And the "Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Rom 8:26).  We do not know how to pray as we ought but God made provision for us by giving us His Holy Spirit who intercedes for us "according to the will of God" (Rom 8:27).  We take comfort that He prays for us according to the "will of God" because God has ordained, determined, willed that we would ultimately be glorified.  Thus, God causes all things to work together toward this purpose of delivering us from our sins (Rom 8:28) and bringing us into sweet fellowship with Himself (Rev 21:3-4).  We who love God love Him because He first loved us.

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

We are said to "love God" (vs 28) and verse 29 says that God "foreknew" us.  Recall what Ephesians 1:3-6 says about God predestinating us out of His love for us.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

Our sovereign God promises to fulfill His purpose for us, that we will be holy and blameless before Him to the praise of His glorious grace.  Romans 8:30 puts it this way

"And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified be also glorified." (Rom 8:29-30)

We who believe on Christ have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.  And this is because God first loved us.  We no longer stand condemned because we have been called and justified, declared righteous on account of Christ's righteousness and payment for our sins (Rom 1:1-4).  We are going to be glorified.  And verse 30 has it written in past tense - as if it already happened!

Our salvation cannot be reversed.  In other words, we cannot fall out of our justified state and be under the wrath of God.

"If God be 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?" (Rom 8:31-32)

Jesus died for us so "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?  It is God who justifies" (Rom 8:33).  In order for us to fall out of our justified state, the Lord Jesus Himself must first be condemned, because our justification is based on Christ's imputed righteousness and sacrifice for our sins.  And that can never be, these questions must be answered by stating that no charge can be brought against God's elect that they can be condemned.  And in addition to the Spirit interceding for us in accordance to the will of God to bring full completion to our salvation Jesus Himself "is at the right hand of God" (Rom 8:34) interceding for us.  And this is on account of the work He has done for us, His elect.  His atonement is effectual.  If it were not, then His intercession would be ineffectual.  But Jesus' work is "finished" (Jn 19:30), He accomplished all that is necessary to bring us to full salvation.  God is going to complete His purpose for us.  This is as sure as the fact that He loves us.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (Rom 8:35)

None of these things can separate us from His love.  So we can rejoice in our hope in the midst of our many sufferings.

"... in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, for height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:37-39).

We would have reason to fear condemnation if God were to cease loving us.  But that can never happen.  This passage makes it clear that our blessings in Christ (our calling, justification, hope, the Holy Spirit indwelling us, among other blessings) are a result of God having foreknown us (vs 29), or loved us, as Ephesians 1:3-6 also makes clear.  All three Persons of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are determined to bring us to full salvation.  And nothing can thwart the purpose of our sovereign God who loves us.  We will be glorified, completely delivered from our sins (Matt 1:21), and will enjoy full and complete fellowship with our God as he ordained from "before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4).

*  I believe that this means that God will renew this creation, or recreate it, rather than destroying it and creating an entirely new heaven and earth.