Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him? ³³ Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! ³⁵ What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written: For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered 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 convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.     (EHV)

A new word has entered our vocabulary recently—the word “lawfare.” It’s a combination of law and warfare. It’s often successful because it’s waged by people who can afford to destroy you financially if you try to defend yourself. For example, the government has unlimited resources. How can you afford the lawyer you need to defend yourself if the government comes after you? Think of the family father who was unjustly tried simply for praying outside an abortion clinic with his son, and then protecting his son from a pro-abortion protester harassing him. He survived that case, but only because a Christian law firm defended him. Fortunately, there are some defense teams like that that will defend such victims pro bono. That means “for good” but in practical terms, it means for free, because they consider it a worthy cause.

We all have a wicked and powerful accuser. And plenty of his accusations stick—precisely because they’re true. We’re not innocent by any stretch of the imagination! There’s only one way for us to make it through trial, and that’s to have the best lawyer ever.Fortunately for us, Jesus Is Our Defender.

We’re Acquitted

There are a lot of different kinds of lawyers: tax lawyers, divorce lawyers, lawyers who sue for damages. And then there are criminal defense attorneys. Chances are, you’ve never had to call one of those.

But all of us are facing a trial where we will need one. It will be the biggest trial of your life, in a court far higher and more significant than even the U.S. Supreme Court. You’re facing trial for every misdeed you’ve ever committed in your entire life. There’s not a single one of your thoughtless words, your loveless deeds or even your wicked thoughts that’s gone unnoticed and unrecorded. You know about them, and you wish nobody else did. But God knows about them. Even scarier, your worst enemy knows about them. There’s no point denying them. They’ve all been exposed.

Your worst enemy, who wants you tried and convicted, who’d be happy to see you dead … that enemy has detailed knowledge of all your sins. That enemy, of course, is Satan, the devil. His names tell you all about him. “Satan” means adversary, and “devil” means accuser. And that’s what the devil does. He continually opposes and accuses. How could you expect to be spared when he even went after Jesus? Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to commit just one little sin—even the slightest doubt—then he could bring a case against him and destroy our one defense and Defender.

If he dared to take on Jesus, he’s certainly not going to leave you alone! His strategy is simple. He tempts you, and then if and when we sin, he accuses us. He not only plagues our consciences with guilt, but he also even accuses us before God. Satan is the meanest, dirtiest, most hateful prosecutor. He’s a corrupt District Attorney, and his district is the world. He wants you locked away in his prison, where he can abuse you for pleasure forever. And he’s “got the goods” on you. He knows you’re guilty and you know it too.

That’s precisely what makes our text such an incredible relief. Paul’s defiant words offer courage to Christians everywhere. As Luther translated it in his German Bible, Who will accuse God’s elect? God is here, who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he that wants to condemn us? Christ is here! who died—yes, much more, who was raised to life and is at God’s right hand advocating for us!

Who dares to bring any charge against us? Well, the devil dares! He lives for it. If he can make just one of his charges stick—we’re goners. We’re toast. Our own consciences bring charges against us too, don’t they? They nag at us and eat away inside of us, until sometimes we’re sick to our stomachs with guilt, and can’t even sleep. We hate ourselves for not living up to what we know God expects of us. And Satan uses our own conscience against us! He wants us to give up in despair. He wants us to go out and hang ourselves like Judas, whether literally or figuratively.

‘Well how dare he!’ Paul is saying. What kind of overconfident prosecutor would be foolish enough to take on Jesus Christ, the best Defender ever! Who would dare bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? God is here, who declares us not guilty. Who is the one foolish enough to try to condemn us? [Pity the fool!] Christ Jesus—heaven and earth’s greatest Defender is here! He is our defense attorney! He defeated you, devil, by dying and rising and He’s got the Judge’s ear. God has already declared us not guilty, acquitted, and justified for Jesus’ sake. He’s made the decision and slammed down the hammer. “Bailiff, release those folks,” He says.

And how did that strange verdict come about? After all, we have committed the crimes. Shouldn’t we do the time? Well first of all, we’ve been acquitted because Jesus went into the witness box in our place and confessed to all our crimes—every one of them, as though He Himself had done them! “I’m guilty, punish me!” He said. And punished He was. He received the harshest possible sentence from the Judge and it was promptly executed. He was executed for all our crimes—not only executed but tormented by hell. Paul describes how the verdict came about this way in 2 Corinthians: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (5:21). He was convicted and we’ve been acquitted. The verdict stands: Justified. Reconciled. Redeemed. Set free! We can’t be retried and convicted. The only thing that could keep us locked up is if we refuse to believe it and stay in our cell willingly and willfully.

The devil hates God’s verdict of not guilty. He will not drop his accusations. He keeps bringing motions for a retrial. He keeps jotting down every move we make and bringing new evidence to the Judge. But our Defender doesn’t just move on and leave us on our own to face the barbs. He also stays right there in the Judge’s chambers, bending His ear on our behalf. He shows Him the nail marks in His hands and feet and says again and again: “It is finished.” He points to our baptism that washed us clean and released us from prison. Hence Paul’s defiance: Who will accuse God’s elect? God is here, who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he that wants to condemn us? Christ is here! who died—yes, much more, who was raised to life and is at God’s right hand advocating for us!

We’re Safe

And our Defender does even more! When God declared us free to go, He didn’t just turn us loose onto the streets alone, helpless, and penniless. He put us under His protection and promised to take care of us. What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?

He will give us “ALL things.” How could He refuse us when He’s already given us the biggest gift of all? —sacrificing His own Son. He loves us that much! Food, clothing, shelter, guidance, protection…done! He even promised 3 verses before our text, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

We need to hear that reassuring promise again and again, don’t we? Hardly a day goes by, without something or someone tempting us to doubt God’s good and gracious care for us. It’s always been that way. And the temptation to doubt is even tougher when hardships come specifically because of our faithfulness to God. A thousand years before Christ, David experienced that. He was being hunted down by the king of Israel, Saul, because God had chosen and anointed him to replace Saul. So David wrote “For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered,” and Paul quotes him here to make the point that David was not the exception to the rule. Christians have been persecuted from the beginning. And the devil tries to use these and all our hardships to undermine our faith.

But God will not let him succeed, not as long as we are armed with the Word like Jesus.

Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us

We tremble not, we fear no ill, they shall not overpower us

The old evil foe, now means deadly woe   But!

He can harm us none. He’s judged, the deed is done.

One little word can fell him!

What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written: For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered 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 convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you have any of those enemies threatening you? Powerful forces…evil angels? You do, even though you don’t see them. Famine, or lack of clothes—maybe not. But trouble or distress? Sometimes. “Things to come”? Have you ever feared the future? Probably. Death? All of us. But not one of these things nor anything else will ever be able to separate us from the Love of God. Why? Because Jesus Christ is our Lord and we are His. He died for us. We are guilt-free before the throne of God. He rose for us: Even death is only a minor inconvenience for us who will also rise and  spend eternity in heavenly glory.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors…. We’ve already won in court. We’re acquitted, and the devil is doomed. We’re winning on the battlefield every day, because we are armed with all the promises of God’s Word. And in the end, we’ll stand in the winners’ circle above!

The best court system in the world may get it wrong. But God can’t! He’s the ultimate Judge, and we have the best Defense Lawyer ever! We committed the crime and He did the time! Our Defender saved us pro bono—free of charge! Plus, He’s still on retainer! He continues to plead for His clients, interceding for us every day at the right hand of God. We’ve beat the rap, thanks to Christ. And through Him, we’ll beat the devil as well. Amen.