Romans 8:31 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” This is what we call a rhetorical question, for the obvious answer is NO ONE can be against us. This does not mean that the believer in Christ “has no enemies”; it means that “no enemy can defeat God’s purposes for those who have trusted in His Son for salvation.” The words “these things” speak of God’s purposes that He just mentioned in verses 28-30. In verse 28 we read, “And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” His “purpose” is seen in verses 29-30 where we have FIVE steps in God’s “Divine Program” for the believer. One has likened this unto a “Golden chain with 5 links, stretching from eternity to eternity.” We do well to consider these before we answer the second question in verse 31.

1) God FOREKNEW us (verse 29a)! Before time began God chose us for salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and thus He FOREKNEW US as those who would be ‘sons of God’ who spend eternity with Him.

2) God PREDESTINED us (verse 29b)! Those whom God chose for salvation and foreknew He “PREDETERMINED to be like His Son.” This was the blessed PURPOSE that He planned for those of us who are saved! Ephesians 1:5 states, “…having PREDESTINED US to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” Hebrews 2:10 declares that God is “bringing many sons to glory” and at the time of the Rapture this will occur. “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He (Jesus) is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

3) God CALLED US (verse 30a)! God foreknew us and predestined us to be like His son before time began but He CALLED US in time. God “called us” when the gospel was presented to us and we believed it. See 1 Corinthians 1:18-28 with Acts 13:47-48.

4) God JUSTIFIED US (verse 30b)! The moment we believed the gospel, God “declared us RIGHTEOUS” for He is “JUST and the JUSTIFIER of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26). See also Acts 13:38-39.

5) God GLORIFIED US (verse 30c)! Even though we have not yet been raptured to glory and received our glorified bodies, from “God’s vantage point” and “in His eternal counsels” it is as certain as if we had already received it. God’s PURPOSES cannot be thwarted; WE WILL BE GLORIFIED. Even now God sees us “in Christ” (that is our POSITION before Him” and thus we read in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

In view of THESE THINGS, we can shout from the roof top, “God is for us!” We can also boldly proclaim, “Who can be against us?” Again, we do have enemies that are against us (see Ephesians 6:10-20 where we see the Devil and his angels who are warring against us), but they will NOT SUCCEED in defeating God’s purposes for us. So, we read on in Romans 8:33-35 it says, “WHO shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. WHO is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. WHO shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” NO ONE or NO CIRCUMSTANCE shall “be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (see verses 36-39).  (DO)  (728.5)