Assurance in Christ: The Power of Romans 8

 

Summary

In today's exploration of Romans 8, we delved into the profound assurance that believers have in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul, in this chapter, seeks to comfort the Roman Christians amidst their suffering by affirming that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. This assurance is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us in our weakness, and in the eternal plan of God, who has predestined, called, justified, and glorified His people. The Holy Spirit's intercession is a divine mystery, a synergy between our spirit and His, ensuring that our prayers align with God's will, even when we are unsure of what to pray for.

Paul emphasizes that all things work together for the good of those who love God, which is not necessarily a promise of earthly comfort but a guarantee of ultimate conformity to the image of Christ. This transformation is the supreme good, surpassing all worldly treasures. The doctrine of predestination is highlighted as a source of comfort, not a license for sin, as it assures us of God's sovereign plan to make us like His Son.

The chapter also addresses the inseparable love of God in Christ Jesus. Paul assures us that nothing can separate us from this love—not tribulation, distress, persecution, or any other hardship. This love is secured by Christ's death, resurrection, and ongoing intercession at the right hand of God. Our confidence and assurance are not in our own strength or faith but in the finished work of Christ and His continual advocacy for us.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Holy Spirit's Intercession: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, aligning our prayers with God's will even when we are unsure of what to pray for. This divine assistance assures us of our redemption and strengthens our faith in God's eternal plan. [02:31:21]

2. The Supreme Good: The "good" that God works in all things for those who love Him is not material prosperity but the ultimate transformation into the likeness of Christ. This process, rooted in God's eternal plan, is the highest good we can attain. [02:43:07]

3. Predestination and Assurance: The doctrine of predestination provides profound assurance, as it confirms that God has chosen, called, justified, and will glorify His people. This divine election is a source of comfort, ensuring that our salvation is secure in God's immutable will. [02:50:12]

4. Inseparable Love of Christ: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. This assurance is rooted in Christ's sacrificial work and His ongoing intercession, providing us with unwavering confidence in our salvation. [03:29:28]

5. Confidence in Christ Alone: Our assurance and confidence are not based on our circumstances or the strength of our faith but solely on the finished work of Christ. In times of doubt and suffering, we are called to look to the cross and trust in God's sovereign grace. [03:30:00]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:28:08] - Introduction to Ligonier Ministries
[02:29:21] - Dr. Augustus Nicodemus Lopez Introduction
[02:30:02] - Romans 8:26-30 Overview
[02:31:21] - The Holy Spirit's Intercession
[02:33:05] - Understanding God's Will in Prayer
[02:34:23] - Our Limitations in Prayer
[02:36:07] - The Mystery of the Trinity in Intercession
[02:38:13] - Praying in the Spirit
[02:40:03] - The Father's Role in Intercession
[02:43:07] - God's Plan for a Holy People
[02:45:06] - The Supreme Good: Conformity to Christ
[02:47:05] - All Things Working Together
[02:50:12] - Predestination and Assurance
[02:52:25] - The Mercy of Election
[02:54:05] - Trust in Christ's Work
[02:56:05] - Reformation Day Reflection
[03:00:15] - Dr. Burke Parsons Introduction
[03:02:28] - Suffering and Theology
[03:05:04] - Assurance in Christ Alone
[03:09:04] - Response to the Gospel
[03:14:49] - God's Gracious Gifts
[03:19:13] - Justification and Judgment
[03:22:18] - Christ's Intercession
[03:29:28] - Inseparable Love of Christ
[03:30:33] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Romans 8

Bible Reading:
- Romans 8:26-30
- Romans 8:31-39

---

Observation Questions:

1. What does Paul mean when he says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with "groanings too deep for words"? How does this intercession help us in our weakness? [02:31:21]

2. According to Romans 8:28, what is the "good" that God works for those who love Him? How is this different from material prosperity? [02:43:07]

3. How does Paul describe the process of predestination, calling, justification, and glorification in Romans 8:29-30? What does this process assure believers of? [02:50:12]

4. In Romans 8:35-39, what are some of the things Paul lists that cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? [03:29:28]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the Holy Spirit's intercession provide comfort and assurance to believers, especially when they are unsure of what to pray for? [02:31:21]

2. What does it mean to be conformed to the image of Christ, and why is this considered the "supreme good" for believers? [02:43:07]

3. How does the doctrine of predestination serve as a source of comfort rather than a license for sin, according to the sermon? [02:50:12]

4. Why is the inseparable love of Christ a central theme in Romans 8, and how does it provide confidence to believers in times of suffering? [03:29:28]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt unsure of what to pray for. How can the understanding of the Holy Spirit's intercession change your approach to prayer in such situations? [02:31:21]

2. In what ways can you actively pursue being conformed to the image of Christ in your daily life? Identify one specific area where you can seek transformation this week. [02:43:07]

3. How does the assurance of predestination and God's sovereign plan impact your view of personal struggles and challenges? Share a specific instance where this assurance could provide comfort. [02:50:12]

4. Consider a current hardship or trial you are facing. How can the knowledge of Christ's inseparable love and ongoing intercession provide you with strength and hope? [03:29:28]

5. When you face doubts about your faith or salvation, what practical steps can you take to remind yourself of the finished work of Christ and His continual advocacy for you? [03:30:00]

6. Identify a person in your life who may be struggling with understanding God's love. How can you share the message of Romans 8 with them to offer encouragement and hope? [03:29:28]

7. How can you cultivate a deeper reliance on God's sovereign grace rather than your own strength, especially in times of doubt and suffering? [03:30:00]

Devotional

Day 1: The Holy Spirit's Divine Assistance
The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the life of a believer, especially in the realm of prayer. Often, we find ourselves at a loss for words, unsure of how to articulate our deepest needs and desires to God. In these moments, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf with groanings too deep for words, aligning our prayers with God's perfect will. This divine assistance is a profound assurance of our redemption and strengthens our faith in God's eternal plan. The Holy Spirit's intercession is a mystery, a synergy between our spirit and His, ensuring that even in our weakness, our prayers are heard and answered according to God's purpose. [02:31:21]

Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): "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. 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."

Reflection: Think of a situation where you feel uncertain about what to pray for. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers today?


Day 2: Transformation into Christ's Likeness
The ultimate good that God works in the lives of those who love Him is not material prosperity or earthly comfort, but the transformation into the likeness of Christ. This process is the highest good we can attain, surpassing all worldly treasures. It is rooted in God's eternal plan and is a guarantee of our ultimate conformity to the image of His Son. This transformation is a journey, often marked by trials and challenges, but it is through these experiences that we are shaped and molded into the character of Christ. The promise of becoming more like Jesus is a source of hope and encouragement, reminding us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. [02:43:07]

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you see God transforming you into the likeness of Christ. How can you cooperate with His work in this area today?


Day 3: Assurance in God's Sovereign Plan
The doctrine of predestination provides profound assurance to believers, confirming that God has chosen, called, justified, and will glorify His people. This divine election is not a license for sin but a source of comfort, ensuring that our salvation is secure in God's immutable will. Understanding that our lives are part of a sovereign plan gives us confidence and peace, knowing that nothing happens by chance. God's purpose is to make us like His Son, and He orchestrates all things to achieve this end. This assurance allows us to rest in His promises, trusting that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. [02:50:12]

Ephesians 1:11-12 (ESV): "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you doubted God's plan for your life. How can you remind yourself of His sovereign purpose and assurance today?


Day 4: The Unbreakable Bond of Christ's Love
The love of God in Christ Jesus is inseparable from those who belong to Him. This assurance is rooted in Christ's sacrificial work and His ongoing intercession at the right hand of God. No tribulation, distress, persecution, or any other hardship can separate us from this love. It is a love that is steadfast and unchanging, providing us with unwavering confidence in our salvation. In times of doubt and suffering, we are called to look to the cross and trust in the finished work of Christ, knowing that His love for us is eternal and unbreakable. [03:29:28]

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV): "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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."

Reflection: Consider a challenge you are currently facing. How can you rest in the assurance of Christ's unbreakable love for you today?


Day 5: Confidence in Christ's Finished Work
Our assurance and confidence are not based on our circumstances or the strength of our faith but solely on the finished work of Christ. In times of doubt and suffering, we are called to look to the cross and trust in God's sovereign grace. Christ's death, resurrection, and ongoing intercession provide us with a firm foundation, reminding us that our salvation is secure in Him. This confidence allows us to face life's challenges with hope and courage, knowing that we are held by the One who has overcome the world. [03:30:00]

Hebrews 10:19-23 (ESV): "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

Reflection: Identify an area of your life where you are struggling to trust in Christ's finished work. What steps can you take today to deepen your confidence in His grace?

Quotes


The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, aligning our prayers with God's will even when we are unsure of what to pray for. This divine assistance assures us of our redemption and strengthens our faith in God's eternal plan. [02:31:21]

The word weakness here refers to the state in which we live after the fall and which Paul already described here in chapter 8 from verses 23 to 25 as life in the world that groans under captivity, under the slavery of the sin, the domain of corruption and ourselves living here limited and marked by sin and the remnants of corruption that are in our hearts. [02:37:20]

We do not know what is best in certain situations, whether it is what is best for us or what is best for friends, for example, with a terminal illness, which is better pray that God will take him that he will go quickly to be in the presence of God and be free from suffering or pray that God will prolong his life here in this world. [02:43:20]

The Holy Spirit came, applied, and intercedes within us. How does he do this? How does he intercede for us? Paul tells us in verse 26 he intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. This means that he works in our hearts to awaken our desire, yearning for holiness, and to do God's will. [02:46:40]

The good here cannot be confused with material goods. It is the end result of the complete salvation process and the words of the Apostle Paul right here further ahead in verse 29 it is to be conformed to the image of his Son or simply to be like Christ. [02:51:20]

God knew and predestined us in eternity. Here in this world, he called and justified us, and at the end of time, God will glorify us. This is the supreme good that God has planned for us, which is superior to all the treasures of this world, is it not? [02:55:20]

The doctrine of predestination and election is not a blank check to live a life of sin since God predestined us to be in the image of his Son Jesus and those Paul says whom he predestined, he also called chapter 8 verse 30. [02:50:12]

The predestined, called, justified will never fall from grace or lose their salvation, and so these are the ones who love God mentioned in chapter 8 verse 28, and it is in favor of these and only these that God causes everything to cooperate for their good. [02:58:00]

Paul says in verse 28 that we know these things we know that all things work together for good for those who love God. This means that the one who loves God is aware that salvation is from God and that God will finish what he started. [03:00:00]

Our confidence, our assurance can only be now and forever in Christ alone, and when the devil comes accusing and wants us to look at our circumstances and our situations and our sufferings, what we have to do is not look at them but look at the cross for what God has done for us. [03:30:00]

The Holy Spirit's intercession is a divine mystery, a synergy between our spirit and His, ensuring that our prayers align with God's will, even when we are unsure of what to pray for. This divine assistance assures us of our redemption and strengthens our faith in God's eternal plan. [02:31:21]

Paul emphasizes that all things work together for the good of those who love God, which is not necessarily a promise of earthly comfort but a guarantee of ultimate conformity to the image of Christ. This transformation is the supreme good, surpassing all worldly treasures. [02:43:07]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Oct 31, 2020. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?