{"id":69392,"date":"2025-02-22T01:03:15","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T06:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/?p=69392"},"modified":"2025-01-28T14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T19:49:18","slug":"wrights-into-the-heart-of-romans-part-eight-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2025\/02\/22\/wrights-into-the-heart-of-romans-part-eight-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright’s Into the Heart of Romans– Part Nine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Rom. 8. 31-39 should probably be seen as one paragraph, though it could be divided up at vs. 4 as Tom does, but then vs. 4 has to serve as a bridge for both sections of this climactic portion of Rom. 8 so it is better to take them together.\u00a0 \u00a0It is interesting that at the outset of Tom\u2019s discussion about 8.31ff. he notes that the list of potential threat in vss. 35-38 does not include personal sins, or the accusations of judgments on those sins.\u00a0\u00a0This is because the list in vss. 35-38 is about external threats to one being separated from God\u2019s love. Paul is saying that no third party, no angel or demon, no third force, nothing else in all of creation can separate the believer from God\u2019s love.\u00a0<\/em>. What is not a part of this list is the believer himself, precisely because it is possible for a believer to commit apostasy.\u00a0 What we have then at the end of this passage is a reassurance to Christians in Rome that under pressure, or persecution, or exile or even accusations and execution that none of these things can separate them from God. And some, like Priscilla and Aquila had indeed been sent into exile by Claudius and returned to Rome after he died.<\/p>\n

There is something to Tom\u2019s point about 5.6-11 being a theme brought up here again.\u00a0 That text says: \u201cYou see, at just the right time,\u00a0when we were still powerless,\u00a0Christ died for the ungodly.<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup>Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.<\/span>\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>Since we have now been justified\u00a0by his blood,\u00a0how much more shall we be saved from God\u2019s wrath\u00a0through him!<\/span>\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup>For if, while we were God\u2019s enemies,\u00a0we were reconciled\u00a0to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!<\/span>\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup>Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Again the point is to reassure Christians in precarious situations how much God loves them and has already demonstrated this.\u00a0 \u00a0And as Tom says, each of the major subsections ends with a Christological summary cf. 5.11,5.21,6.11,6.23,7.25a, and 8.39.\u00a0 \u00a0What is also very notable is the series of rhetorical questions, all implying a negative answer\u2013no power, no person, no third party can separate us from God\u2019s love.\u00a0 Even though some people can oppose Christians and cause them suffering and grief, nevertheless, if God is for a person, no such opposition can finally prevail.\u00a0 \u00a0The reason no one can condemn the believer is because Christ has already paid the price and pronounced the verdict\u2013 no condemnation (Rom. 8.1), and he is beside the Father interceding for the believers,not as if the Father is reluctant to forgive or to love his people, but because Jesus wants to act as our advocate.\u00a0 As. Tom says, Gentiles would be used to thinking that some deity was cursing them when things went wrong for them, which is just the opposite of how Paul sees the Biblical God operating.\u00a0 The assumption that good Christians would not be having a bunch of problems is contrary to the evidence.\u00a0 Some of the greatest Christians lived short painful lives like Blaise Pascal who after years of illness died at 39.\u00a0 As Tom stresses, we should not see the signs of other Christian groups greatly suffering as signs of God\u2019s displeasure or our superior spirituality to but rather as an opportunity to mourn with those who mourn (p. 203).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worthwhile to review the passages that speak of Christ\u2019s love\u20132 Cor. 5, Gal. 2 , Ephes. 3, 5.2, and 5.25, 2 Thess. 2.13.\u00a0 \u00a0Tom makes a good point that nowhere in the whole OT do we hear about the Messiah\u2019s love as how he would act when he turned up (p.209).\u00a0 Notice also Phil. 4.13 which is not a superman verse saying \u2018I can do all things in him who strengthens me\u2019. Rather I am able to endure all things previously listed including living in want or in plenty, through Him who strengthens me.\u00a0 This verse is about endurance, not about being superman.\u00a0 (p. 217).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Rom. 8. 31-39 should probably be seen as one paragraph, though it could be divided up at vs. 4 as Tom does, but then vs. 4 has to serve as a bridge for both sections of this climactic portion of Rom. 8 so it is better to take them together.\u00a0 \u00a0It is interesting that at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":69245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15281],"class_list":["post-69392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-the-love-of-god"],"yoast_head":"\nWright's Into the Heart of Romans-- Part Nine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rom. 8. 31-39 should probably be seen as one paragraph, though it could be divided up at vs. 4 as Tom does, but then vs. 4 has to serve as a bridge for\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta 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