Romans 8:34 Romans 8:34 Christ Raised For Us

The Introduction

Romans 8:34 (CSB) Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.

Let’s try to find a verse that sums up the whole Bible concerning the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will have your choice of a few verses:

John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Galatians 2:20 (CSB) I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 5:8 (CSB) But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

… just to name a few.

But if we contend that Romans chapter 8 is the summation of the gospel of Christ, then I submit that verse 34 is the summation of the chapter itself.

In verse 33, we gave the possibilities of the list of people who could charge you with one wrongdoing or another. But using the theology and logical thought, we have concluded that no one could bring any charge against the chosen of the Justifier.

In passionate rhetoric, Paul immediately asks one question that you might ask and quickly answers it only to follow up with another pertinent question you might ask and directly refutes it.

You see, in this particular case, when you are reading, unless the author instructs the reader to take a moment to think through what they have written, the author expects the reader to continue reading.

But in this case, the questions asked and the answers given are given in such a way to where the person is reading, equipped and filled with any doubts or disbeliefs, would have no time to build a case against the gospel of God.

“But the author does not know what I have done? How can he be so sure that I am not subject to condemnation?” While it might be true that the author does not know you or I and the time he when wrote this a little over 1930 years ago, Saint Paul does know of all the saints of the past because of the Old Testament that was available at that time. And if we have read our Bibles, we can see that no one born of man was good except God alone.

Let us run down the list of the believers before us, shall we?

Noah- Built the ark to be sure but not only was he wicked and continuously had evil thoughts in his heart , you should take the time now and read his mess in Genesis 9. (For the life of me, I cannot figure out we don’t get to hear this side of Noah in church.)

Abraham- Ah yes, the father of our faith, who not once but twice pimped his wife out for fear of losing his own life.

Isaac- The sins of the father is in full effect here.

Jacob- What hasn’t he done? Whose name means “Trickster,” he has stolen his brother’s birthright through lies, dishonor, and scheming against his father.

Joseph- The folly of his pride was his downfall (perhaps don’t tell your brothers that they will worship you someday) but by the sovereign grace of God, it was not his ultimate demise.

Moses- Circumcise every male as a sign of the work of God upon our hearts? Check. Except for Moses forgot that little part of the covenant and consequently, God comes to kill him.

And that’s just the ancient patriarchs of our faith!

David- This one is a keeper. Whom God called “a man after my own heart,” who cheated on his wife, got the girl pregnant, and then murdered her husband to cover it up. Hence, we get the 51st Psalm out of it.

Our God

And yet, look at what Paul says about all the sins of the Old Testament saints:

Romans 3:21–26 (CSB) But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

The old saints were just as jacked up as any sinner who ever lived, but they were not given a free pass. What saved the saints of old is the same thing that saved the saints of the new (including you and me) and that is the cross of Jesus Christ.

The old saints never knew Jesus Christ. They didn’t even know his name. But they knew the explicit promises of God proclaimed by God and his prophets that everything is jacked up, but God will make it right by sending Someone to come and save them.

What the Old Testament saints didn’t know (except John the Baptizer) is that Someone was going to be God himself, becoming fully man and staying fully God, in Jesus Christ His Son.

So, because of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, buried, and rose again to save his people from their sins, His people will face NO CONDEMNATION because of God who loves us.

The Gospel

First, he is at the right hand of the Father. That might not mean much to you or me. My kids sit at my right hand all the time when we are watching cartoons. But to God, it is everything:

Daniel 7:9–14 (CSB) “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

And to naysayers who would say, “Nah, I don’t care how obvious the Son of Man reference is. That is not Jesus Christ.” Except, Paul writes:

Ephesians 1:15–23 (CSB) This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

So Christ is ruling and reigning over all creation. Cool, cool, cool. Got it.

But secondly, Christ is interceding for us.

Christ is praying for us. Not the world. Not everybody. But praying and interceding, along with the Spirit , for the people who he has definitely and perfectly saved once and for all.

Do you think your King and your God and your Lord who is Almighty and powerful and sovereign and gracious and kind and giving and generous and tender and loving knows you to the core of your being and your heart? Do you think that Christ knows all your wicked thoughts and sins and yet, loves you and saves you?

He does because He is God.

And He never stops thinking about you because He loves you.

Our Response