In Christ Jesus, We More Than Conquer
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God through which the Holy Spirit touches our hearts this morning are the words he gave the Apostle Paul to write recorded in Romans 8:
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God 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 is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raise 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. 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 8:31-39 NIV) – This is the the word of our Lord.
Dear fellow conquerors in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Marathon runners often reach the point where they wonder whether they can keep going. They hit the wall. They doubt they can finish the race. Their muscles burn with pain; their strength is gone. They feel defeated.
As we run our Christian lives, we can reach that point too. Faced with our sin, we begin to doubt God’s forgiveness. “Will I really finish the race and receive the prize or are my sins too great?” Faced with the burning pains and troubles of life, we begin to doubt God’s love. “Why doesn’t God take this away from me?” We feel defeated.
At those times when you hit the wall, turn to these words that the Holy Spirit gave the Apostle Paul to write and believe that in Christ Jesus, you more than conquer. That’s the theme today, In Christ Jesus, We More Than Conquer. For in Christ Jesus 1) no accusation can rob us of his forgiveness, and 2) no force can separate us from his love.
1) No accusation can rob us of his forgiveness
These words are a climax in Paul’s letter the Christians in Rome. For us to properly apply them, we need to remember what Paul has written in the first eight chapters. Paul first of all made it clear that apart from Jesus there is no hope. No matter who you are, a criminal or a church goer, an average citizen or a shining light of virtue, without Jesus you are under God’s anger. Why? Because, (as Paul writes in Romans 3) “there is no one righteous, not even one . . . All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12 NIV). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). Apart from Jesus, we are all losers, not conquerors.
But Jesus makes all the difference! Why? Listen to what Roman 3:25 says: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood,” (NIV). God sacrificed his Son, Jesus, in order to turn away his own anger from us by paying for our sins with the blood of his Son. Therefore, as Romans 3:24 says: all “are justified freely by [God’s] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (NIV). God freely declares sinners not guilty because Jesus has already paid our ransom price. Jesus has won the race in our place; he has conquered sin for us.
All that Jesus did for you, is God’s free gift to you. Sins earns us death and hell. “The wages of sin is death.” But Paul goes on: “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NIV). Believe this Good News. Unbelief loses Jesus, faith holds on to Jesus.
Does such a faith want to keep sinning, since forgiveness is free? Of course not! Paul says in Romans 6. As believers in Jesus, we do not want to be conquered and enslaved by sin again. We want to serve Jesus. We fight against sin. But so often our sinful flesh betrays us, as Paul reminds us of in Romans 7. Our rescue comes only “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25 NIV). Then in Romans 8 Paul tells us that Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). He has made us God’s children and heirs of heavenly glory that far outweighs are earthly suffering (Romans 8:17, 18). He promises to make all work out for good for us whom he has called to faith (Romans 8:28). For he has worked out our salvation from beginning to end (Romans 8:29, 30).
Because of what Jesus has done for us, we more than conquer. Because God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, you know that God is for you. And if God is for [you], who can be against [you]? No opponent will succeed.
And yet how often doesn’t Satan or our own conscience level accusations against us? We become like a marathon runner who doubts whether he will finish the race. Satan lead us to doubt whether God’s forgiveness will be with us when we finish our life. Our conscience, like a prosecuting attorney, files charge after charge against us, saying: “That’s a pretty bad sin. Do you really think God can forgive you!”
But what does God’s Word say to us in the face of these accusations? “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.” When Satan or your conscience accuses you and leads you to doubt God’s forgiveness, picture yourself in God’s court room. No matter what accusations or charge or evidence or arguments are against you, God is the one who justifies you. He acquits you. He declares you not guilty. The gavel has sounded. Just like in our courtrooms, after the judge’s verdict, there are no more arguments or accusations. No one can be tried twice for the same crime. God has declared you not guilty of all your sins. You are freely justified and fully forgiven.
But is God’s verdict just? Our guilt is obvious. How can he rightly forgive us? Might there be a mistrial? Might there be an appeal? Might his verdict be overturned? Could someone else condemn us? Not at all! Why? Listen again to God’s Word, “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.”
God’s verdict is just and right because Jesus died. God did not leave guilt unpunished. He punished his guiltless Son in our place. Justice was satisfied. What’s more, God’s verdict is irreversible. For Jesus was raised from the dead and is seated at God’s right hand using his divine power for you and for me. No one else can condemn us for the God-man, Jesus Christ, intercedes for us. As your Go-between he points to the perfect sacrifice of himself in your place as the full payment for all your sins.
So in Christ Jesus, you more than conqueror. Doubts about God’s forgiveness can not conqueror you as long as you hold on to God’s verdict, which forgives and acquits you because Christ Jesus our Lord died and rose for you.
2) No force can separate us from his love
But what about the pains and troubles of life? Just like the pain of a runner’s cramp can plant doubts about his endurance, the pains and troubles of life can plant doubts about God’s love for us.
“Would I be going through this if God loved me?” “How could God let the cruelty of war, terrorism, crime, hunger, or famine strike innocent people?” “How could God take my loved one away from me at such a young age?” “How can he allow unbelievers to prosper while I fight to make ends meet?” “Would my family and I really have these problems if God loved us?” “Why does he let others ridicule me when I try to stand up for him?”
These and countless other questions try to use the evils of this life to drive a wedge of doubt between you and God’s love. Will they succeed? Will these forces separate us from Christ’s love?
Hear what God’s Word says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution of 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.’”
Can any of these separate us from Christ’s love? What if God’s enemies round us up like a flock of sheep to be slaughtered and butchered? Could that yet separate us from Christ’s love?
“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.” Nothing. No force can separate you from his love.
But don’t forget those last five words “in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In Christ Jesus our Lord – that is the only place God’s love is found. Apart from Jesus there is nothing but God’s anger and punishment. With Jesus is everything. For he is our Lord who bought us with his own life-blood to be his people. What wondrous love is this!
A runner keeps his eyes on the finish line so that he can finish the race despite his doubts and pains. Keep your eyes on Christ Jesus our Lord. God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Contemplate his cross. “See, from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e’er such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so rich a crown? (Christian Worship 125:3, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts) Keep your eyes on Christ Jesus our Lord, who died – more than that, who was raised to life. He is at the right hand of God. He has won the complete victory for you. In Christ Jesus our Lord, you more than conqueror. He drives out your doubts. He assures you that no accusation can rob you of his forgiveness , no force can separate you from his love. He has conquered them all for you. Amen.
