“If God Is for Me…”
“If God Is for Me…”
If you’ve been a Christian for a while, or if you’ve spent a lot of time in church, you probably know this verse by heart:
… If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31b, NIV
This is our mantra, as followers of Jesus. But I’m not sure it should be — at least not in the way this verse is often used…
Much like “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13), Romans 8:31 is another favorite for Christian T-shirts and coffee mugs and greeting cards and “the verse of the day.”
When someone is facing opposition at work or school or in a relationship, well-meaning Christians often use this verse as an encouragement — as a promise for the one struggling to hold onto, as they walk through their “test of faith.”
“Hey, don’t forget that God’s for you! And if God’s for you, who can be against you? You’re going to see a victory soon! ”
But does the Bible actually teach us that God is for us, in all of our battles? Yes, at face value, that’s what Romans 8:31 tells us, but does that verse really mean what we think it means?
There’s a story in the Old Testament in which Joshua, the leader of the Israelites (God’s chosen people), was seeking a way to overthrow Jericho, an enemy nation which held control over the land that God had promised to the Israelites.
Suddenly, Joshua found himself face-to-face with a formidable being, and whether this being was a friend or foe was not immediately clear to Joshua:
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
- Joshua 5:13-15 (NIV)
Immediately afterward, God Himself gave Joshua some pretty wacky instructions for how the Israelites would be able to overtake the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:2-5). And by following God’s instructions to the letter, that’s exactly what the Israelites accomplished (Joshua 6:6-21)!
We might read that, and think that both the commander of God’s army and God Himself were on the side of the Israelites, because they helped the Israelites succeed. But that’s not what the text actually says, is it?
When Joshua asked the Lord’s commander whose side he was on, he clearly stated that he wasn’t on any anybody’s side — not humanly speaking, at least. And then he went on to say this: “but as the commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come.”
In other words, he was saying this: “I’m on God’s side.”
The reason Joshua was given instructions for how to win the battle against Jericho, and the reason that Jericho fell to the Israelites was simply that it was God’s will, as part of God’s bigger plan.
It was never about God choosing sides with one group of humans over another group of humans. It was always about God seeking people who would be on His side.
And by obeying the battle instructions that came from God (even though they sounded silly, from a human perspective), the Israelites proved whose side they were on.
Likewise, when someone puts their faith in Jesus for salvation and declares that He is the Lord of their life, they are saying, “I’m on your side now, God.”
Realizing this helps us form a better understanding of what the Apostle Paul actually meant when he penned the words, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b). Let’s look at the context of that verse.
In the verses leading up to verse 31, the Apostle Paul was addressing the reality that this world is no longer in the good state in which it was created; and consequently, we experience suffering and pain and hardship and death in this life. Paul went on to teach that God, from the very beginning, had been preparing a way for us to be redeemed, so that even all the bad things that we suffer will ultimately work for our good, if we surrender to His good plan.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)
In these verses, Paul wrote about God’s plan for our future, and His guarantee of our salvation and transformation into the likeness of Jesus.
Paul continued:
What, then, shall we say in response to these things?… - Romans 8:31a
And this is the point at which Paul asked the question we’ve heard (and maybe even misused) so many times before:
… If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31b
This verse is not a random declaration that God is always for us, as Christians, in all things, so that no one can ever stand against us in anything.
It’s not an attestation that God is for a particular political party or candidate in an election, because the majority of Christians stand behind them, or even because they stand for things that God says are morally right.
And it’s certainly not a promise that all of our hopes, dreams, plans, and endeavors can never fail nor be thwarted, because as Christians, all of our hopes, dreams, plans, and endeavors have automatically been given God’s stamp of approval.
Romans 8:31 is a response to the truth that God’s perfect plan for our salvation, and the finishing of the work that He’s begun in each of our lives, cannot and will not be undermined by anyone or anything!
And if you still aren’t convinced that this is the appropriate understanding of Romans 8:31, here’s the rest of Romans 8, starting in verse 32:
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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 8 :32-39 (NIV)
So understanding what Romans 8 actually means for us as God’s children, how can you and I appropriately apply this truth to our lives as we face very real adversities, both insignificant and insurmountable?
It means that your church softball league isn’t guaranteed a win.
It means that someone else might get that position or promotion or raise that you’ve been hoping for, even if you’ve worked hard and are most deserving of it.
It means you might lose your house.
It means that the huge city-wide outreach that your church has been planning and preparing for over the past six months could be cancelled the day-of due to hazardous weather conditions.
It means that you can raise your child to follow Jesus, and they still might choose to walk a different way.
It means that the Presidential candidate you vote for on November 5 might not end up winning this election, no matter how hard you pray and campaign for them between now and November.
It means that someone you love might get diagnosed with cancer, and even if you have faith like the Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), the cancer might still kill them.
It means that, even with your best effort, prayer, and counseling, you might not be able to save your marriage if your spouse is hell-bent on getting a divorce.
This may not be what you or I want to hear, but it’s true. Though we have been reconciled with God, and though God is in the process of redeeming all things, for right now, both people and circumstances absolutely can stand in the way of our hopes, dreams, plans, and endeavors — even if our hopes, dreams, plans, and endeavors are good and seem godly.
But no matter what happens to us in this lifetime, and no matter how many times our hopes, dreams, plans, or endeavors might fail us, if we have put our faith in the good news of Jesus, we can be sure that nothing can ever separate us from His love for us!
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” means that no matter what you or I have already done, and no matter what you or I may do in the future, if we are in Christ, then the One who justifies has declared and will forever declare, “He/She is righteous, because of Me.”
And truly, that is a far better promise! That is a guarantee that’s worth being reminded of, over and over again.
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