Why Romans 8?
Romans chapter 8 is one of the most theologically dense chapters in the New Testament, and in the Bible as a whole—so much so that we have actually already covered sections of the passage in our study of Romans chapter 9. However, due to the sheer depth of the chapter and the breadth of theological topics that would have distracted from our conversation in Understanding Romans 9, we've decided to revisit Romans 8 and give it some more attention, especially verses 31 - 39.
Our particular interests today will be to walk through the passage's major themes in its first half, and then to focus closely upon what it says about redemption, justification, and assurance in verses 28 - 39. This study is meant to be read in conjunction with our studies of John 6, Romans 9, Ephesians 1, and, to a lesser extent, Hebrews 10. We believe that by putting these five passages together, we are presented with a fully-orbed understanding of God's sovereignty in salvation and Christ's perfect, finished work in redemption.
A Brief Note Before We Begin
Similarly to Ephesians chapter 1, Romans 8 does not tend to be as emotionally divisive as the two other passages that we have looked at so far (Romans 9 and John 6). This is likely because, while Romans 9 and John 6 make negative presentations—saying that God prepares some for hell, or that men are unable to come to Christ on their own, for example—Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 make positive presentations of what God has done for believers. The overwhelmingly positive nature of the passage seems to keep it from becoming a source of tension or divisive debate. However, the truths found in Romans 8 are not as easy to dig out as the impressively straightforward Ephesians 1, and it will require more work to capture what Paul is saying to us here.
In light of this, let us remind ourselves what we are here for: we are here to find what the text means—nothing more, nothing less. Our work today is built upon one single presupposition: that Romans 8 really is understandable. We hold strongly to the perspicuity of Scripture—that Scripture is, at its core, understandable and clear. While we recognize, of course, that certain passages of Scripture are confusing in particular details (the Nephilim of Genesis 6 or the various images of Daniel and Revelation), we believe that the main messages of Scripture are inspired by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of being clearly understood. Furthermore, we understand that Romans 8—the thrilling climax of Paul's most in-depth theological work—really did mean something when the Apostle Paul wrote it. That is, when the Apostle Paul put his pen to the page and wrote this section of Holy Scripture, not only did the Holy Spirit intend to clearly communicate divine truth, but the Apostle himself understood the meaning of what he was writing.
The question then, as we are sure you already understand, is not “does Romans 8 have a particular meaning” but “what does Romans 8 mean?” We are not here to wonder what interpretation of the text we prefer, but what interpretation of the text is true. In our pursuit of this truth, we have outlined certain hermeneutical principles that we believe are absolutely necessary—the chief of which is consistency. The hermeneutical methodology used to exegete this passage will be one and the same with the methodology we use to exegete passages of Scripture that teach monotheism, the nature and offices of Christ, justification by faith, and ecclesiology.
And now, one final note before we turn to the text: one’s interpretation of this passage’s latter half is not an issue of salvation. We will not call into question anyone’s state before God based on which side of this issue they choose to fall. And, as a personal matter, we believe that the unity shared between Christians of differing perspectives is a glorious evidence of the bond created by the Holy Spirit. However, this cannot be an ‘agree to disagree’ issue. That is, this is not an issue to be taken lightly. The first half of Romans is Paul's defining theological work on the doctrines of redemption, justification, and assurance; Romans 8:28 - 39 is his grand finale. Certainly, Paul believed the truths presented here to be both glorious and supremely important for his readers to understand. With that, let's walk through the text.
Turning To The Text
As noted, Romans 1 - 8 is Paul's largest and most in-depth theological treatise. In chapter 1, Paul pronounces divine condemnation upon those “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” [1:18 - 19]. He then, in chapter 2, pronounces God's anger against those who have His Law and yet fail to keep it [Romans 2:1 - 3, 11 - 13]. Thus, having demonstrated the sinfulness of both Jews and Gentiles, Paul concludes:
“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” [Romans 3:10 - 12]
Following his explanation of man's hopeless state, Paul can now proclaim The Gospel, that
“Now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” [Romans 3:21 - 27]
Moving forward, Paul will defend the doctrine of justification by faith [chapters 4 & 5], will discuss union with Christ [chapter 6], and will dive deep into the relationship between faith and good works in a believer’s life [chapters 6 & 7].
This then brings us to the chapter that we will be examining today. Romans chapter 8 serves as the climactic summing-up of everything Paul has expressed. He starts by boldly proclaiming, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” [8:1], mirroring his declaration at the beginning of chapter 5. From this point forward, Paul will revisit the topic of Christian living as discussed in chapters 6 & 7, specifically identifying the role of the Holy Spirit:
“You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But 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.
So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” [Romans 8:9 - 17]
Then, having shown us the supreme blessing that we currently experience through the grace of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, Paul turns out eyes to the infinitely superior age that is still to come [8:18 - 27], calling us to rejoice in our hope of coming glory with full assurance: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” [8:28]. This assurance of inheriting the “glory that is to be revealed” [8: 18] rests upon God's inviolable will of redemption, as spelled out in verses 29 - 30…
“Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.”
…And upon Christ's perfectly accomplished work in Atonement:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us…
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:31 - 34, 38 - 39]
All-in-all, Romans 8 serves as the shining reminder that we, as believers, can have full hope and confidence that we shall enter into the glory of eternal life. Our goal from here forward will be to examine why that is the case, specifically looking at the doctrine of justification as it relates to the various things presented in this amazing chapter of Scripture.
Justification: Our Experience
It could be said that the whole book of Romans centers around one thing: Justification. In Paul's writings, justification means “the declaring of one to be righteous” and is the means by which we are pardoned of our sin and enter into right standing with God. Justification is central to The Gospel message, and if our doctrine of justification becomes diluted or corrupted, then we will have lost the biblical message of salvation.
Because of the centrality of justification throughout Romans, our understanding of chapter 8 must be shaped by Paul’s prior statements and informed by his overall flow of thought. This isn’t hard to do, as Paul draws us right back to the doctrine of justification in the first verse: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” [Romans 8:1]. This declaration calls back strongly to his statement in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The “condemnation” spoken of in Romans 8:1 is the condemnation brought to us by sin. Because of our sin, we stand before God as condemned and deserving His righteous punishment. But, for those who are “in Christ Jesus” and “justified by faith,” they are instead pardoned of their sin and will not have to face God’s holy wrath. What Paul will then go on to explain are two equally essential aspects of the doctrine of justification: First, he will explain the believer’s experience of being forgiven and transformed by Christ; Second, he will examine justification from the perspective of God’s actions and eternal plan, explaining why it is that we can have full confidence in our salvation.
Will we begin, as Paul does, by looking at our experience of justification. Paul says:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” [Romans 8:1 - 4]
You’ll note already the interplay between what we experience (no longer being condemned, being set free, walking by the Spirit) and these things being the result of what God has done (sending Jesus, setting us free, etc.), but let’s continue to focus on our side of the equation. All throughout Romans 8, we are going to see a focus on the Holy Spirit—specfically, we’re going to see the refrain of living by the Spirit. Paul uses this idea (here expressed as “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”) as a descriptor of what a justified, believing Christian looks like. In verses 1 - 4, Paul says that those who are no longer condemned, set free, and righteous are those who “walk… according to the Spirit.”
And now comes our first interpretive challenge (although not so difficult when we consider it correctly). Here’s the question:
Does Paul believe that in order for one to be justified he must walk according to the Spirit, or does Paul believe that walking according to the Spirit is the natural consequence of someone being justified?
While these two options may seem to be one and the same, they are actually fundamentally different notions that change one’s understanding of The Gospel. Let’s break down the differences: In the first statement, one’s justification is dependent on whether or not he continually walks in the Spirit. Stated as bluntly as possible, that statement teaches that someone’s relationship with God is dependent on works, or his own meritorious actions. This, however, is completely contradictory to everything Paul has labored over thus far in Romans, and even contradictory to the first four verses in Romans chapter 8. Paul has already said that we are “set free from the law of sin and of death” (8:2), that is, we are no longer bound to the demands of God’s Law or to the need for meritorious good works. But if we make “walking by the Spirit” the requirement for justification, then we have placed ourselves again under the demands of God’s Law and of maintaining our right-standing before God ourselves.
On the other hand, the second statement makes walking in the Spirit the result of being justified, instead of the requirement. This preserves Paul’s teaching that we are saved “by grace through faith” and that we are justified “apart from the Law” [Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:21]. This also saves us from the question that must be asked of the first statement: If walking according to the Spirit is the requirement of salvation, then how can anyone be saved? Paul has already demonstrated that both Jews and Gentiles are dead in their sin, haters of God, and said that “no flesh will be justified in His sight” [Romans 3:20, 23]. Furthermore, he will go on to say that:
“Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is at enmity toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.” [Romans 8:5 - 8]
If the natural man is “unable” to please God or to set his mind on the Spirit, then no one could be saved if the requirement was walking by the Spirit, because no one is naturally able to do that. Thus, we must conclude that when Paul uses the phrase “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” he is not saying that spiritual obedience is the requirement for salvation, but the result. Paul uses the idea of walking in the Spirit to describe those who are already justified.
Understanding this allows us to grasp Paul’s point throughout the first half of Romans chapter 8, which is, put plainly, that those who have been justified experience the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This is an absolutely beautiful truth. We who are justified now enjoy the benefits of having God’s Holy Spirit living and working inside of us, continually making us more and more like the Lord Jesus.
This reality of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit ought to be a cause of great joy and security. Paul says that we who have the Holy Spirit can be sure of receiving eternal life because, “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” [Romans 8:11].
So the person who is justified by faith in the Lord Jesus is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and experiences His inward, transforming power. What an amazing blessing! But, Paul makes it clear that this gift demands a certain responsibility to use it:
“So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live.” [Romans 8:12 - 13]
And:
“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” [Romans 8:9]
We, having been justified by faith in Jesus Christ have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we have a responsibility to now walk in the Spirit. Remember, it is not this walking by the Spirit that earns our salvation, but being sanctified by the Holy Spirit’s work is the necessary consequence of a truly saving faith.
This leads us into an interesting dilemma (which is really no dilemma at all, as we shall see): We are justified by faith alone, apart from works, but the evidence of our justification is those very same good works by which we cannot be justified. How should we understand this? Well, consider the words of James in James chapter 2:
“What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? … Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? … For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” [James 2:14, 17 - 20, 26]
James’s point is that the kind of faith which saves is a faith that produces good fruit, it is a faith that works. These good works cannot justify in themselves, but they are the completion, the perfect outcome, of justifying faith [James 2:22]. Paul’s point in Romans 8 is one and the same. “As many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” [Romans 8:14]. This does not mean that one becomes a child of God by his spiritual discipline, but that those who have become children of God are and will be led by the Spirit in their daily life.
How, then, does being led by the Spirit manifest itself in the believer’s life? Chiefly, by this: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” [Romans 8:15 - 16]. The Spirit’s primary work in a believer’s life, alongside the ongoing process of sanctification, is providing assurance. The Holy Spirit provides assurance to the believer by continually turning his eyes back to the promises of The Gospel and thereby confirming to him that he is a child of God.
This truth is so beautiful, but it raises the question: is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification and assurance a reality in our lives? Do we find that we are in fact putting to death the works of the flesh, or at least striving to? When we fail, and fall short, do we run back to the grace of God and cry out for our Father, or do we give up and say, “I’ve tried hard enough”? Let me be clear, our justification does not depend on how we live—we’ve already addressed that. But someone who is justified will, throughout the course of their life, experience these things. Do you?
Justification: God's Complete Work
We’ve just seen how the Apostle Paul describes the believer’s experience of justification. Now, he’s going to explain to us the unshakeable foundation and necessary assurance of justification, which is found in the sovereign, finished, complete work of God.
We’ll start in verse 28, one of the most famous verses in the whole Bible: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Note a couple things here: First, pay attention to the total certainty of the statement above. Paul says that “we know” these things to be true, indicating that the reality of the statement is obvious. The apostle’s point in such a statement is clear: he wants us to have confidence in the good intentions of God and His ability to bring them about—and dare I say, Paul actually assumes that we already believe (or “know”) such things.
Second, observe the group for whom “all things work together for good.” Paul defines this group as “those who love God… who are called according to His purpose.” There are a number of things to be noted in this phrase alone. First, that those who love God and those who are called are the same group. As we will see soon, those who love God do so because they are called, and all of those who are called come to love God. Loving God is our experience of justification, calling is God’s work in justification—but more on that later. Second, note that it is God’s purpose to which Christians are called, and reasonably inferred, is that to which all things work together [see Ephesians 1:11].
Thirdly, let us also note the context in which this statement occurs: redemption. All of Romans 8 is situated within a context of redemption, and especially this latter section. Verses 18 - 25 describes the coming glorification of believers, and verses 26 - 27 describes the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, both of which are clearly tied to salvation. We must, therefore, primarily understand the “working together of all things” in a redemptive context, which will only be further illuminated by the following verses.
In Romans 8:28, Paul states the unquestionable reality that God works all things together (primarily, in context, in the sense of redemption) for those who love Him, whom He has called. The natural question that must be asked, then, is how do we know this? What gave the Apostle Paul such confidence of this truth, that he takes it as an obvious given? Verses 29 & 30 answer that question.
“Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.”
For Paul, our confidence that God will work all things together for us is built upon the reality of what God has already done. Let’s examine verse 29 & 30 more closely. First, notice the linking term “because.” Obviously, this connects verse 28 to verses 29 & 30, showing that the content of 29 & 30 are explanatory of verse 28.
Now, let’s break down the substance of what is being said, starting with an analysis of the vocabulary in verses 29 & 30. Here, Paul uses five key terms: foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. The meanings of justified and glorified are obvious from the overall content of Romans. “Glorified” speaks to the point in time when believers pass from this life into the glory of heaven and eternal life [see Romans 8:18 - 21]. “Justified,” as we have already examined, describes how God makes a sinner righteous through faith in the Lord Jesus [see Romans 3:24, 4:5, 5:1]. Both of these terms are specifically redemptive terms, which is to be expected due to the context of the passage itself, and they inform us as to the meaning of the other three.
“Called” refers to the temporal work of God by which He brings someone to faith in Christ [see 1st Corinthians 1:9]; “Predestined” refers to the decretal work of God whereby He appoints particular individuals to eternal life [see Ephesians 1:5, 11]; “Foreknew” is harder to strictly define, but we maintain that it refers to God’s active creation of individuals whom He will predestine to eternal life, synonymous with election [see Ephesians 1:4].
We should notice that these are all presented as actions on God’s part. God is the one who foreknows, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies. What we have in Romans 8:29 - 30 is an unbroken chain of divine initiatives, which together result perfectly in the salvation of a particular group, “those who are called according to [God’s] purpose.”
That the actions presented are relevant only to a particular group becomes obvious from simply working through the text. When the text repeatedly says “those whom…” as a linking phrase between God’s actions (foreknowing, predestining, calling, etc.), it indicates that the same group is in view throughout the chain. That is, everyone who is foreknown is then predestined, and everyone who is predestined is called, and everyone who is called is justified, and lastly everyone who is justified is glorified. However, we know that not everyone will be glorified, because glorification is synonymous with salvation, and not everyone will be saved. Likewise, we know that not everyone will be justified, because Scripture speaks clearly about the reality of non-believers. Therefore, because foreknowledge, predestination, and calling necessarily result in salvation for those who are such, we must conclude that only a particular people are or have been foreknown, predestined, or called… an idea to which we will return at the end of the study.
Paul then moves logically from what has already been stated, tying it back into the topic of justification more directly. He says:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” [Romans 8:31 - 34]
See here how fluently Paul moves through his exposition. He began this discussion by declaring the believer’s confidence in God [verse 28], and then he leads the readers to that conclusion themselves; the answer to “what shall we say to these things” is to conclude the believer’s total security of salvation!
In verses 29 & 30, Paul explains the overarching plan of God in redemption: God willed to foreknow, predestine, call, justify, and glorify a particular group of people. Here in verses 31 - 34, he is going to focus-in upon justification specifically to further demonstrate the security of our salvation. He starts by asking the rhetorical question, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” The answer, of course, is no one! No one can stand against us! God, through His sovereign activity of electing, predestining, calling, and justifying us has demonstrated Himself to be wholly on our side. The greatest demonstration of God being for us, of course, is the work of the Lord Jesus: “He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” Notice again how Paul’s delivery of the question clearly indicates the intended answer: God absolutely will give us all things.
For Paul, not only has God inviolably planned for our redemption to take place, but He has perfectly accomplished it through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Notice how verse 32 ties Paul’s hope to the perfect work of Christ, citing the work of Christ as both the sufficient cause and demonstration of God’s ability to grant us eternal life. This leads Paul to conclude:
“In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:37 - 39]
Because of what God has done, there is nothing that can separate us from His love, His grace, His forgiveness, or His eternal life. Nothing can stand against us, and nothing can separate us—we are able to rest fully secure in our God’s perfect plan and victory.
Putting it all Together
We have just walked through two sides of looking at justification: Our experience and God’s actions. Now, we can put them together to complete a beautifully full picture.
Our experience of justification begins by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus to save us from and forgive us of our sins. Upon confession of our faith in Christ, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and sanctifies us. Then, throughout the whole of our life, our faith bears fruits of good works and increasing holiness, which demonstrate a Spirit-born change in our hearts. The Holy Spirit continually draws our eyes back to God, confiding in Him as our “Abba, Father!”
We are able to fully throw ourselves into the hands of God because He has promised faithfulness to us, those who are foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and soon to be glorified. We are totally secure in the fulfillment of God’s perfect plan through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
From this perspective we can understand the relationship between faith and works. We place our faith in the finished work of Christ, offering nothing for our salvation but trusting in Him alone; we strive to accomplish good works out of the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts. We rest in Christ, knowing that nothing could ever separate us from His love, while simultaneously emphasizing the need to “put to death the deeds of the body” and “confirm our calling and election” [2nd Peter 1:10, ESV].
Whom Does God Justify?
The last thing that will be worthwhile to examine is the question, Whom does God justify? The answer, within the text, is quite clear, but we have decided to dedicate a particular section to this discussion, as it touches on the ever-divisive doctrine of Limited Atonement. Nevertheless, as this text does present a strong case for Limited Atonement, we felt that it would be a disservice to both the passage and to the reader to not address the topic. Note, we are not approaching the text of Romans 8 hoping to prove Limited Atonement, but believe that Limited Atonement is the logical conclusion of what Paul teaches in this section of Scripture.
First, let’s define Limited Atonement. The definition that we will be operating with here is this: Limited Atonement teaches that when Christ died, He bore the punishment for the sins of the elect only, in harmony with God’s sovereign plan to save a particular people. As such, the sins of the elect are fully paid for, while the non-elect will themselves bear the punishment of their sins in hell. This way of viewing Christ’s death is far from popular in American Christianity today, but we believe that it is the most logical conclusion of the passage.
With that definition now presented, let’s examine the text. I do not believe that we need to completely re-exegete verses 28 - 30, as we have already treated them in detail, so we will pick up right where we last left off. To summarize: Romans 8:28 - 30 teaches that God has sovereignly foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and willed to glorify a particular people. We know that He has done this for only a particular people because the end result of these initiatives (salvation) will only be made a reality for a particular people. Again, note the perfect nature of these actions on God’s part: all who are foreknown are predestined, and all who are predestined are called, justified, and glorified.
From there, we can easily deduce that those who are justified are justified on the basis of their having been foreknown, predestined, and called. The only people who will be justified are those whom God has sovereignly willed to bring to salvation in the first place.
And now, we can examine verses 31 - 34. As we previously noted, Paul’s overarching point in verses 28 - 39 is the total assurance of salvation that believers can enjoy. Notice, then, that Paul’s target audience is believers in verses 31 - 34. He says,
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
The “we” and “us” in this passage are synonymous: they are believers, those who have been foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and are soon to be glorified. It is this group whom God is for, and it is this group for whom God delivered over His Son. Therefore, it is this group who will be graciously given all things. That distinction is extremely important.
It is also extremely important that we understand this: for Paul, our confidence that God will “graciously give us all things” is built upon the reality of His electing work (vv. 28 - 30) and the work of Christ (v. 31) as the sufficient causes. The electing work of God and the atoning work of Christ are the necessary and sufficient causes of our salvation. It is because Christ has died—and died on our behalf, as Paul says that Christ was delivered over “for us all”—that we will be given eternal life.
But now, allow us to ask this question: If Christ’s death is the necessary and sufficient cause of salvation for all on whose behalf He died, then if He died for all individual people in human history, would we not be forced to conclude that all individual people will be saved? We certainly would be. And yet, we know that not everyone will be saved, and therefore, we know that Christ did not die for every individual person and the atonement is limited to the elect only.
That the atonement is limited to only the elect becomes even more clear only a verse later: “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Here we see clearly that God justifies the elect, and none else. The parallelism makes it clear that this justification is because of Christ’s death. The phrases “who will bring a charge” and “who is the one who condemns” are clearly intended to be parallels, and thus their respective answers (“God is the one who justifies” and “Christ is He who died… was raised… who also intercedes for us”) are also parallels. Justification is affected by Christ’s death; only the elect are justified; therefore, Christ died only for the elect.
Even more could be said concerning this topic, but I do not wish to belabor the point. We see from verses 28 - 30 that justification is done only and to all those who have been foreknown, predestined, and called (otherwise called “the elect”). The necessary and sufficient cause of justification is the intercessory, atoning death of Christ, which guarantees eternal life to all for whom it was made. Therefore, because of God’s sovereignty over redemption, and because of the perfectly effective nature of Christ’s death, we are forced to conclude that the atonement is limited to the elect only, and thus that Limited Atonement is true. No other system can properly explain, nor takes into account, the whole of Paul’s teaching here in Romans chapter 8.
Closing Thoughts
As we’ve said over and over again, Romans chapter 8 is a beautiful passage of Scripture. Its beauty, I think, comes from its theological richness. We’ve seen how the Apostle Paul outlines the glory of the Christian life—freedom from sin, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, ability to obey God—and we’ve been encouraged by the security that we can find in God’s sovereign, perfect work of redemption. I hope this study really has been of great encouragement to you in your walk with the Lord, knowing of His powerful love for you, which has been expressed perfectly in His death and resurrection, and which is currently being perfected in your sanctification. Soli Deo Gloria!
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