Paul teaches us in Romans 8:31 that God is “for us.” In His great love for His people, God's desire for us is to live in the life and freedom available in Him. He wants us to find hope in Him amidst the hopelessness of sin and death. As Paul continued writing in this passage of Scripture, he gave proof that God is, indeed, for us: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who conquered sin and death so that we could experience eternal life with Him one day.
After explaining in Romans 8 that God is “for” His people, Paul wrote these beautiful words: “Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?” (verse 32). In other words, God is so “for us” that He held nothing back when it came to rescuing us, even when it meant the death, burial, and resurrection of His only beloved Son. Jesus Himself explained the depths of God’s great love for His people in the very well-known verse John 3:16. He said, “This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” It is one thing to tell someone “I love you.” It is a completely different thing to show your love through your actions. God showed us how much He loved us by sending Jesus to earth to live a perfect life, die a criminal’s death on a cross, although innocent, and rise from the dead. This kind of love is sacrificial. This kind of love never gives up. This kind of love has changed the course of history. It was this sacrificial, history-changing love that God showed you through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
If God did not even hold back His Son when it came to rescuing humanity, the implication Paul makes in Romans 8:31 is that there is nothing that He won’t do to help us become more like Him and live this Christian life. There is truly no greater love than this!
My friend, you have a God who stopped at nothing when it came to rescuing you when you were lost in your sin, headed toward death. This is the greatest picture of love that could ever exist. May you rest in His great love for you today.
The news of what God has done for us and what is awaiting us if we have placed our faith in Christ is too good to keep to ourselves. The Bridge Illustration is a helpful tool for us when sharing the hope of Christ with others. It helps us clearly and articulately explain exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross and how we can experience eternal life with God forever. If you have not yet learned the Bridge Illustration or need to review it, watch the video here. As you watch, take steps toward memorizing this tool to help you share your faith. If you have the Bridge Illustration completely memorized, your challenge is to share it with at least one person today who needs the hope of Christ. Let’s commit to doing everything possible to make Christ known all around us.
“God, Your love changes everything. I love You for…”
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
