In Him: Now and Forever • 08.02.26 | Harvest Bible Chapel Des Moines

In Him: Now and Forever • 08.02.26

Frasier Dew - August 3, 2026

In Him: Now and Forever

Romans 8:1-39

Finding our hope in Christ. For in Him, you are…

Free to walk in the Spirit – No longer condemned in the flesh (1-13)
Spirit-led heirs of a glorious future hope (14-27)
Predestined to be like Christ and with Him forever (28-39)

Manuscript:

Introduce Self
Invite ushers forward with Bibles

As you get your Bibles ready, please turn to Romans 8 for our study of God’s word this
morning. If you are using one of the black Bibles handed out, that is page ________.

As many of you know, we are continuing our way through our sermon series called, “In Him,” where we are beholding the amazing realities of our union with Christ, and how we then live in light of those realities in our daily walk.

(Series Layout Slide) Last week, as we entered the second half of the series, Pastor Nick led our study through Romans 6, where we asked the question: “Whose kingdom am I living for?” The kingdom of God or the kingdom of self?

And we learned that if you are in Christ, the answer must be that you are living for the kingdom of God! You are no longer enslaved to the power of sin, but have been bought with the precious blood of Christ! You no longer have to walk in those sins, and can instead make it your aim to please God by walking in righteousness.

As I mentioned, our study this morning is just a couple of chapters later, in Romans 8. But, obviously, chapter 7 is between those two, so I want to provide some brief context as we follow Paul’s line of thought. In Romans 7, Paul reiterates that Christians are free from the condemning power of the law, because we have died with Christ:

Romans 7:4 ESV

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

But before we can go down the dangerous rabbit trail of thinking that God’s moral law is somehow then our enemy, Paul corrects our thinking to show us that the Law was indeed a righteous and holy gift to mankind:

Romans 7:7 ESV

⁷ What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means!

Romans 7:12 ESV

¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

So the law of God isn’t the problem, nor is it an enemy that we should want to get rid of, but the problem is our sinful nature! Often called the flesh. And our being is so permeated by this sinful nature that it took something as beautiful and gracious as God’s moral law, and twisted it to bring death upon us:

Romans 7:11 ESV

¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

Paul explains that the law of God is still, in fact, our righteous guide in the Christian life. But because our sin nature still dwells in our body, even though we’re a Christian and are truly saved, that sin nature still wages war against our desires to please and obey God. Unfortunately, even we who have been saved commit the very sins we hate – because of this indwelling sin nature.

Paul puts it this way:

Romans 7:21–23 ESV

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

This is the inner war of all Christians, as they engage in the daily battle of killing their remaining indwelling sin, so that it can’t be killing them.

And Paul concludes chapter 7 by praising God for the reality that it is in Christ alone that any hope can be found in the midst of such fatal warfare:

Romans 7:24–25 ESV

²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So as we come to Romans 8, we are really answering and building upon the question:

Where is my hope really found? (Series Layout Slide)

And if you are a redeemed sinner, like me, and like Paul – people who are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone – then the answer is that we can only be Finding our hope in Christ. And chapter 8 proceeds to unfold hope, upon hope, upon hope for those who are in Him.

So please follow along as we turn now to Romans 8, we will start with verses 1-13:

Romans 8:1–13 ESV

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ 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. ¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Here we find our first hope-filled reality of being in Christ. In Him, you are…

1. Free to walk in the Spirit – No longer condemned in the flesh (1-13)

We must always start with what God has done in Christ. Look again at the beginning of the chapter.

It starts with a massive truth statement: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Now remember that this is immediately following chapter 7, which acknowledges and wrestles with the fact that even we as Christians still struggle with sin. But Paul can barely contain His excitement in proclaiming, “Yes that’s true, but because I am in Christ, I will never be condemned!”

Christian, think about that for just a moment. Not a little less condemnation. Not delayed condemnation. Not pending condemnation if you end up having a bad week – No. “No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” Praise God for that kind of assurance!

Someone might say, “How can that be? Paul just said that you still commit sins – how on earth will you not be condemned then?”

So, Paul explains:

God the Father condemned sin – that is, He broke sin’s ruling authority – by sending God the Son to take on a human nature and become a sacrificial sin offering on our behalf. The Son of God perfectly fulfilled God’s law and then, through His death, shattered the binding power of sin and death on behalf of sinners like us!

Sometimes we call this “sacrificial substitutionary atonement,” but it has also been called “The Great Exchange,” where Jesus took on the sin and condemnation of all His chosen people, and in exchange, He gifted them His own perfect righteousness. That’s the exchange that happened at the cross. That was redemption accomplished!

But then in verses 2 and 4, Paul explains how God the Holy Spirit takes the redemption accomplished by Christ, and applies it to particular individuals so that it is effectual in them.

And when the Spirit comes into you, the ruling power of the Spirit is so much stronger than the ruling power of sin and death that you are set free – you are regenerated, and you are justified. And being free from the ruling power of sin, you are able now to fulfill the righteous requirement of the moral Law for the first time in your life!

To put it all more simply:

Christ accomplished redemption at the cross.

The Spirit takes everything Christ accomplished and applies it personally to believers.

And that is why people like us who once loved sin now love righteousness.

And I don’t want to give anyone the impression that we Christians fulfill the requirements of God’s law perfectly, chapter 7 dismisses that myth, but we fulfill it in the sense that we walk according to the Spirit. Which means:

Having a real faith in Christ
Walking repentant lives which are oriented toward obedience
Sincerely desiring to please God by obeying His law and striving toward growth in holiness
(Helped greatly in this by: C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
the Epistle to the Romans, International Critical Commentary (London; New York: T&T
Clark International, 2004), 384.)

So what does that practically look like? Well, Paul gives us both positive and negative examples in verses 5, 7, 8, and then down in verse 13. By evaluating these examples, we see that:

Because I am in Christ, I can walk according to the Spirit by:

Setting my mind on the things of the Spirit (verse 5)
Reading the Bible daily and actually applying it to my situations in life
Memorizing God’s word and storing it in my heart
Meditating on God’s Word and praying for Him to show me what it means
Growing in the fruit of the Spirit each day (Galatians 5:22-23)

Because I am in Christ, I can walk according to the Spirit by:

Submitting to God’s law (verse 7)
Upholding the moral law of God – summarized in the 10 commandments
Submitting my own desires to the desires of God
Even if my desires aren’t sinful in themselves, they need to be in the right place
on my list of priorities

Because I am in Christ, I can walk according to the Spirit by:

Making it my constant aim to please God (verse 8)
Prioritizing loving God and loving my neighbors more than loving myself
Learning to love what God loves
Learning to hate what God hates

Because I am in Christ, I can walk according to the Spirit by:

Actively killing sin and temptation (verse 13)
Fleeing from temptation – even when it will cost me something
Reputation, fleshly pleasure, time, or effort

These are just a few examples, I’m sure we could list more, but I’m confident that each of us can apply and grow in at least a few of these areas as we walk according to the Spirit.

Now, some of you might look at that kind of a list and think, “Wow! That sounds like a high bar to live up to every day!”

But please, allow me to remind you of a few things:

1. This is talking about righteousness in sanctification, not justification

Remember that this entire section is dependent on the glorious realities of verses 1-4. And as we heard, God accomplished and applied salvation to your heart, meaning you are already justified. We don’t strive to walk in the Spirit to earn or add to our salvation – we walk in the Spirit to glorify the God who has already saved us to begin with! This walking in the Spirit and fulfilling the law of God is a matter of growth in holiness – it’s about sanctification.

2. You will not be able to actually do any of this on your own

In fact, Paul labors to make sure that nobody thinks they can just tighten their bootstraps and live righteously on their own. Notice that in verses 9, 10, 11, and 13 Paul repeatedly uses “if” statements. “if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you,” “if Christ is in you,” “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,” “if by the Spirit…”

Don’t miss the fact that this depends on God’s work in you, and not your own works by your own merit.

So if you are here and you are not a Christian, and you are still at enmity with God, the application for you is to repent of your bondage and life in sin and instead believe in Christ alone for salvation and the freedom to walk in the Spirit like we’ve been talking about so far here in Romans 8! Jesus willingly laid down His life as a substitution for sinners just like you, and He calls for you to believe in Him today.

And for us Christians, who are in Him, let us too put off any temptation to try to walk in our own strength. If we would ever follow the law and glorify God, it must be done – as verse 13 reiterates – in the Spirit.

3. The promised hope is worth it

Consider the hope found in these verses:

v.6 “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace”
v.10 “although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness”
v.11 “he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you”
v.13 “if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”

All of these are promises from God that if you are in Christ, you will be raised to eternal life and have eternal peace with God! What precious promises for us to remember as we seek to walk according to the Spirit!

And what’s amazing is that we’re only 1/3 of the way through the chapter! Paul is about to launch into an entire section about this blessed assurance and hope, so let’s pick back up in the text starting at verse 14, and see what he has to say:

Romans 8:14–27 ESV

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Here we find our second hope-filled reality of being in Christ. In Him, you are…

2. Spirit-led heirs of a glorious future hope (14-27)

There’s something uniquely identifying about a father-child relationship, isn’t there? Perhaps we live in an age which has lost touch with this reality, but in the ancient world your identity was closely woven to who your father was. Not only was this the case for telling people apart by name, but it shaped the trajectory of your entire life: Your social status, your vocation, your inheritance, and so on.

Even today, children typically inherit their last name from their father, they carry the reputation of that family name, and they receive an inheritance that is, of course, in line with who their father was.

And although it’s not a perfect comparison, this is a marvelous picture of our spiritual condition. By nature, we don’t actually enter this world as God’s children. We enter as children of wrath, enslaved to our sin and following the ruler of this world. Remember our passage from a few weeks ago:

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Every one of us begins as a child of wrath, under the rule of the devil. And because we belong to that fallen family, sin shapes our desires, distorts our character, confuses our identity, and leaves us facing an inheritance of judgment.

But listen to this, please take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this reality: If Christ is in you, and you are in Him, then this text here today in Romans 8 says you are now a child of God! You have been adopted, redeemed, justified, and set free from that old identity. You have been given a new name, new family traits, a new vocation, new brothers and sisters, new hope in life, and a new inheritance!

And that might be hard to accept. As a child adopted from such a dismal past, you may be tempted at times to doubt that God could possibly love you, but, dear Christian, you are His precious child! And God the Son is not ashamed to call you His brother or sister either – you are His co-heir!

Again, we may struggle to grasp this at times, but as we see in verses 14-16, the Holy Spirit leads us to an assurance that we are God’s children, by testifying of these realities to our spirit and enabling us to recognize God and cry out, “Abba! Father!” There’s no greater privilege in the world than to be a son or daughter of God, and no identity more precious in God’s sight, for you are a member of His covenant family!

Christian, this is one of the most fundamental realities about you. And I pray that we would all cling to this identity more and more, so that we can actually experience the joy of being a child of the King. Too often, even as Christians, we are tempted to find our identity in lesser callings, but no part of your life compares with the fact that you are a child of God!

Let’s think about some applications of that for a moment:

Christian women: Your identity is not ultimately defined by the number of children you do or don’t have, what your career trajectory is, or your relationship status. Those are important callings that may describe your season of life, but they cannot define you. If you are in Christ, your identity is defined by the fact that you are a cherished child of God!
Christian men: Your identity is not defined by how much money you make, how respected you are by others, or even by how successful you are as a husband or father. Those are all good gifts, but they cannot define you. If you are in Christ, your identity is defined by the fact that you are a beloved child of God!
Christian students: Your identity is not defined by how good you are at sports, your musical talents, how many people follow you online, whether you’re accepted by the crowd, or what other people think of you. If you are in Christ, your identity is defined by the fact that you are a dear child of God!
Christian kids: Your identity is not defined by how well you behave, whether you’re the first one to know the right answers, whether you’re picked first for the game, or how you compare to your brothers, sisters, or friends. If you are in Christ, your identity is defined by the fact that you are a precious child of God!

Everything else in your life may change. Jobs come and go, children grow up, health fails, influence rises and falls, talents fade, people you trusted may even betray you. But if you are in Christ and led by the Spirit, this identity will never change: you are a child of God. Your Heavenly Father will never stop loving you and welcoming you as His child.

And God doesn’t just tell you that you belong to His family for the sake of mere head knowledge. This is heart-changing motivation and assurance to look forward with confidence to everything He has promised His children. If we are children, then we are heirs. And that means an inheritance beyond anything this world can offer! This world will bring us many sufferings and groanings, and, yes, those are very real, as Paul talks about in verses 17-25, but those sufferings are temporary, while the inheritance is eternal. And God promises to deliver us through this temporary age into the glorious hope to come – which Paul keeps reminding us of in verses 17-24.

We can walk with patient endurance in this groaning creation, because we trust God when He tells us that:

We will be glorified with Christ (v.17) with an unimaginable glory – incomparable to what we see in this life (v.18).
This will happen at the final realization of our adoption, as our body is resurrected to life, when we behold the glory of Christ, and are set free from even our fleshly indwelling sin forever (v.21,23)
Resurrected and glorified, we will enjoy a redeemed creation – as both the world around us and the nature within us rejoice at such freedom from corruption! (v.20-21)!

And lastly, we can walk with patient endurance in this groaning creation, because:

The Spirit Himself is helping us in our weakness – particularly in interceding on our behalf and asking the Father to give us what we need when we don’t even know what’s best for ourselves, or what to pray (v.26-27).

The Apostle John reminds us in 1 John 5:14

1 John 5:14 ESV

¹⁴ …that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

And if God delights to grant our prayers according to His will, how much more will He delight to grant the Spirit’s prayers for you – when the Spirit perfectly prays for your endurance, your holiness, and your sanctification according to the will of God!

This is great hope! These are great promises! And they should fill you with comfort and boldness that because you are in Christ, and you are a child of God, and led by the Spirit, you will absolutely inherit this glorious future hope. He will make sure to see it through.

Just as Paul told the Christians in Philippi:

Philippians 1:6 ESV

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

That’s the hope and assurance we see here, too, in the riches of Romans 8. And again, what’s amazing is that Paul’s not even done yet! In the remainder of the chapter, he continues to unveil more wonderful promises about the unquenchable hope in Christ.

So again, let’s turn back to the word of God, starting in verse 28:

Romans 8:28–39 ESV

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here we find our third hope-filled reality of being in Christ. In Him, you are…

3. Predestined to be like Christ and with Him forever (28-39)

Let’s start with the hope of being like Christ. What I mean by that is what verse 29 calls being “conformed to the image of his Son.”

How immeasurably vast do you think God the Father’s love is for Christ His Son?

I was thinking about this kind of love earlier this week, and I just happened to glance over at my own son, Ezekiel, and so I sat and watched him for a few minutes. And I gotta tell you guys, I just absolutely love that kid. Don’t get me wrong – he’s still an unredeemed viper in a diaper who needs Jesus! But yet, when I look at him, I feel overwhelming love – and I sometimes think, “Wow, I wish I could just copy and paste you,” so that I can show even more fatherly affection to this son I love.

And it strikes me to think about how much more perfectly must the Father love Christ!? He infinitely loves every single aspect of Jesus. He loves watching Him walk in sinless righteousness, He loves seeing Him stand for truth, He loves seeing Him proclaim good news to the poor and brokenhearted, He loves watching Him sacrificially serve for the sake of others, and He loves watching Him reign in victory over sin and Satan – He loves everything about Him!

And God, in His infinite power and wisdom, is the only Father who can actually say, “I’m going to make more brothers and sisters who are just like you.” Read verses 28-30 again,

Romans 8:28–30 ESV

God has been planning to make you like Christ ever since the Covenant of Redemption before the beginning of the world! He foreknew you (which simply means He chose you beforehand – BDAG), and having chosen you, He predestined you to become like Christ. “Well how does He plan on accomplishing that?”

Look at verse 30: He predestined you, so therefore He effectually called you to faith at the moment of your salvation – and when you were saved you were justified – and being justified, He is now faithfully carrying you toward the day of your glorification. Even the “all things” of verse 28 – including the joys, trials, and sufferings of this life – are being used by God to shape
you into the likeness of His Son.

This is an unbreakable chain of God’s sovereignty meant to give us the utmost assurance that God will do exactly what He predestined to do in your life. And as a Christian, that means that from eternity past to eternity future, God is orchestrating every aspect of your life to conform you to the image of His Son.

More and more in your life, God will keep refining you until, in glory, Christ is reflected perfectly in you. He will teach you to walk in righteousness like your brother Jesus. He will strengthen you as you stand for truth, as you learn to share the gospel, as you lay down your life and serve others, as you learn to resist temptation and gain the victory over former sins, and as you patiently wait on God with steadfast endurance – in all this, God will lovingly smile as He sees you bearing the family resemblance.

And Paul’s not promising that this will be easy. Life doesn’t all of a sudden become sunshine and rainbows when you become a Christian; in fact, in many ways it probably gets harder in this sinful world – just look at verse 36 for that. But what Paul is promising you is that God will be with you, He will be for you, and He will not allow anything to ultimately come between the two of you, in this life or the next.

No wonder it is with such great confidence that Paul can proclaim verses 31-39:

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christian, hear the force of Paul’s assurance and hope.

If God Himself has justified you, no accusation can overturn His verdict.

There will certainly be accusations. Satan is the great accuser. Other people may accuse you.
Your own conscience may accuse you. And sometimes those accusations may even be
painfully accurate – you really have sinned.

But who can bring a charge that will overturn God’s verdict?

Nobody.

“It is God who justifies.”

Do you hear how Paul has brought us all the way back to where this chapter began? Verse 1 said, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And now near the end of the chapter, Paul asks, “Who is to condemn?”

The answer is still no one. This chapter begins with no condemnation, and it ends with the assurance that no one can ever reverse that verdict.

And why?

Because Christ Jesus is the One who suffered the wrath of God and died the death you and I deserved. More than that, He rose victoriously over the grave – proving He has infinite power to accomplish all His holy will. And at this very moment, He is seated at the right hand of God interceding for you!

The very One who would have every right to condemn you is the One who gave Himself to save you, and now intercedes for you! What greater assurance could you possibly receive?

“Okay, so if I can’t lose God’s love through accusations, what about some other way? If life gets hard, does that mean God doesn’t love me anymore? What if I come into ‘tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?’ Does that mean I am now under His condemnation?

By no means! While God doesn’t promise that none of these things will happen to you, He does promise that none of these things can separate you from His love in Christ!

That means suffering is not proof that God has abandoned you. Hardship is not proof that God has stopped loving you. Persecution is not proof that His purposes have failed. Even death itself cannot separate you from Him!

Paul says that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Not “because we will never see these things,” or “if we escape these things, we are more than conquerors.” No, “IN all these things.” God may even lead you through every single affliction on this list, but not a single one of them can separate you from the almighty love of God who holds your soul so dearly!

That is the glorious assurance of being in Christ. The God who foreknew you, predestined you, called you, and justified you, is with you in the valley on the way to eternity with Him! He is with you every single step of the way! As His beloved child, He is for you! He will use anything and everything necessary to grow you and to bring you all the way home.

And if God is for us, then we can face every fear, every accusation, every affliction, and even death itself with confidence – not because we are strong enough to conquer them on our own, but because we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. In all these things, we find our hope in Him, in Christ, and trust that we will be with Him forever.

My dear Christian, never forget these truths. Set your mind on these truths. Constantly find your hope in Christ. For in Him, you are…

Free to walk in the Spirit
No longer condemned in the flesh
A Spirit-led child of God with a glorious future hope
Predestined to be like Christ and with Him forever

That is where your hope is found.

Let’s pray.