Lesson by Pastor John Skaggs

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

P. O. Box 1173

Claypool, Arizona 85532

520-425-8345

Date: 08-06-00

Sermon Number: 047

Text: Romans 8:33

Topics Addressed in this Lesson

(Perseverance of the Saints)

In our most recent studies of Romans eight we have concerned ourselves with Paul’s closing arguments in support of the security of the Christian soul. He has put forth much effort with the intent of convincing the believer in Jesus that his soul is actually and permanently saved by the blood and righteousness of Jesus through faith in Him. Paul sets before us four final arguments. First he calls us to review all He has said thus far. He does this by asking, "If God is for us, (in all the above mentioned ways), who is against us?" Then, still concerned with giving rest to the weary Christian, he asks in verse thirty-two, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" In other words, If God has done the greatest thing imaginable, he speaks of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son for the sins of His people, surely He will finish saving us since this later work is the least costly and difficult. He has done the great work, therefore, He will do the lesser work of keeping us in Christ to the end of our earthly journey and entrance in to Heaven.

Today we come to the third of Paul’s closing arguments, found in verses thirty-three and thirty-four. {33} "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; {34} who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."

I remember, some years ago, listening to a television program where a young man was pleading for his life. He was intent on obtaining a stay of execution claiming he had been falsely accused of a vicious rape and murder. He had his day in court, in fact he had worked his way though the appeals system only to find that the verdict and sentence of death stood firm. Just a few days after the airing of that program the switch was thrown and this man, still claiming his innocence, died in accord with the laws of our justice system. The question is, "Was he guilty as charged or was he innocent as he claimed to be?" Only God knows for certain. We do know that mistakes are made. Completely innocent men and woman have been put to death for crimes they did not commit. Likewise, the truly guilty have been set free even though the Judge, the lawyer, and the Jury, have done their absolute best to ascertain the truth. You and I know these things have happened over and over again.

It is tragic when mistakes are made with people’s lives but such mistakes are only temporary. The Great Judge will one day reveal the truth about all men and will correct all injustices done in this life. The imperfections of our justice system will have no lasting or eternal effect. But imagine what a tragedy it would be if a man could be wrongly justified or condemned in a spiritual sense. What if one who had been declared innocent, justified, and destined by God for Heaven could, at last, be falsely accused and thrown into the prison of Hell forever? Now that would be a real and eternal travesty of justice with no possibility of correction.

This is the question Paul grapples with in today’s text. He speaks of the impossible possibility of the saved being accused of crimes sufficiently evil to cause God to withdraw His saving mercies. Paul asks, {33} "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; (or has justified them) {34} who is the one who condemns? (those God has justified) Christ Jesus is He who died, (for our sins) yes, rather who was raised, (for our justification) who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."

Can you conceive of such a thing? A person has come to faith in Christ, has been declared just by God the Father, but someone has brought a charge against him. The charge is serious and is backed up with a great deal of convincing evidence. Imagine, if you will, that a new trial is begun and when it is ended God’s verdict, His declaration of "just and acceptable" is overthrown and one of "guilty" is handed down. This person who was once saved by grace, declared just by God, is now condemned to hell. One moment this man had in his heart a hope and assurance of heaven now he must resign himself to the fact that he is damned. What if that could happen?

Sadly there are many who believe that the awful scenario I just set before you can and does take place. That it is possible for a person to be saved one minute and lost the next. That God, may not save His people whom He loved in eternity past and for whom Christ has died. I am so thankful to God for Romans chapter eight! I invite the trembling, the fearful, the struggling Christian to wade around in this chapter until they understand Paul’s arguments. Until they, you, are convinced there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus and that no one can ever bring a condemning charge against sinners who have been justified by God. I say, "Come, let us reason together. Come, find rest for your souls."

With the words of our text we are taken into a court of law. Each of us stands before the bar, we are on trial for our eternal souls. Suddenly there is a question which fills the air in this court room, "Is there anyone present who believes they have a winnable case against the children of God? Is there anyone here who can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has handed down a false, unjust, verdict concerning those He has saved by faith in Jesus? If there is any such person present in this court please step forward and present your evidence." "Who can bring a charge against the elect of God?

There are many accusers who do in fact step forward to present their case. These are convinced they can prove that God’s verdict must be overthrown. Our own conscience steps up accusing us night and day. Satan accuses us of crimes unforgivable against our Holy God. Other people, even our brothers and sisters in Christ, may accuse us of crimes they think will surely condemn us to an everlasting hell. But the Christian must not tremble in the face of these accusations. For no one can bring a condemning charge against God’s elect, believing, people. We must forever remember what so many have never understood in the first place, that our salvation has never depended on our performance. The world does not understand this, and the devil doesn’t either. The ground and basis for our salvation is not found in us at anytime! Rather, the ground and basis for our salvation is God’s eternal choice or election of us in eternity past. Take note of the wording of the question we deal with today, "Who can bring a charge against God’s elect?"

The elect of God are known by the two characteristics brought to our attention in the twenty-eighth verse of this chapter. They are the people who love God and do so because they have been called according to His purpose. The elect are also described in verse twenty-nine. In this verse it is said that God foreknew the elect. That is He set His redeeming love upon them before the world was ever made and determined or predestined that they should be saved and conformed to the image of His dear Son. The elect are those people on earth whom God, in eternity past, determined to save. He has determined to save them in spite of the fact that no man deserves God’s saving mercies. He has determined to save them even though every human deserves the torments of an eternal hell for sins committed against the Holy God. He saves His people from their sins in spite of their unworthiness, enmity, rebellion, hardness, and sinfulness. He saves them simply because He has set His love upon them and has chosen or determined to save them. This is election. It has to do with God’s will and purpose apart from any consideration of man’s condition or performance. Now if God’s choice of and continued love of an individual was based on his action or performance then it is conceivable that a charge might be brought against the Christian so damaging that God would say, "I obviously made a mistake, you no longer make the grade, to hell with you!"

Thank God, this is not the case. We are saved by grace and not by works of righteousness which we have done. Sadly there are truly saved people who do not understand the security of their position before God. They believe somehow that their acceptance with God is conditioned on their behavior. Therefore, they are never really at rest. They have never known the blessing of assurance apprehended. Conscience accuses them and they are afraid. The world points a finger and they cringe. Satan whispers in their ear saying, "I told God about your sin last evening," and they collapse in a heap of anxious misery. Such accusations are relentless. For, speaking of the devil, Revelation 12:10 declares that he ". . . accuses them (Christians) before our God day and night." The devil bombards heaven with accusations concerning the people of God. WHAT WE MUST COME TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER AT ALL. God’s love for His elect people has and never will be based on their performance. Let me show you this wonderful truth from the scriptures.

Notice that His election of those He would save and adopt through Jesus Christ was not because they were holy and blameless. Rather He chose them to make them holy and blameless before Him!!! His election of sinners unto salvation was finished before the foundation of the world and was based on the kind intention of His will and nothing else! Our future performance, sin, or lack of it, had nothing to do with God’s decision to save us! Consider the words of Romans chapter nine beginning with verse ten.

Whether we like it or not, agree with it or not, the Bible tells us that God’s choice of a sinner for salvation lies completely within Himself. It has nothing to do with the person who exercises his will or who runs so as to make a good showing, but only with God who chooses to have mercy on or withhold mercy from the sinner! Consider some Old Testament support for this truth.

(Deuteronomy 7:6-8 NASB) "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; (This is not a statement concerning the moral prowess of the Jews. The word here simply means set apart, chosen, as opposed to not chosen. Israel was an elect nation set apart for the purposes of God. But why be merciful to Israel and not Egypt? Was Israel more worthy of God’s choice than other nations were? The answer is of course no.) the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. {7} "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, (In other words God did not choose them for anything impressive in or about them.) for you were the fewest of all peoples, {8} BUT BECAUSE THE LORD LOVED YOU and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." The reason for Israel’s national election is the same reason behind the election of individuals to true salvation. It is not because we impress God as He compares us to other humans. He chooses and saves us because He loves us. The cause of that love is to be found in Him alone. It is unconditioned by anything He sees in us. He loves us in spite of our sin and rebellion.

Now let make the connection between all this and our text. In Romans eight thirty-three and thirty-four we find the question, "Who will bring a charge against God’s elect for God is the one who justifies?" The question imagines some sin or deficiency in performance brought to God’s attention by an accuser. Paul is arguing that all such accusations are irrelevant, even, laughable. Why? Because our election to grace and salvation is based on the love, mercy, and electing grace of the God who justifies the ungodly. Our relationship with our Father and His Son never has and never will depend on our performance or lack of it. So when your conscience points to your sin, or the world points to your sin, or the devil points to your sin in order to rob you of your peace and assurance of a heavenly home. Turn to them and say yes, yes, of course I am a sinner, you are all correct in your estimation of me. Each of you has a clear, sin detecting, eye. I have many faults and sinful stumbling as I try to live to the glory of God. Yet you will not steal my peace! You will not! For I have been saved by grace, grace, not works of any kind, past, present, or future. I have been saved by grace though faith in Jesus. It is His blood, it is His righteousness, that makes me acceptable to God, not my own. Jesus dealt with my sin for me on the Cross. He bore the guilt and condemnation due me so that I would never have to. Yes, you are right I am a sinner, indeed, the chief of sinners, but God has set His love upon me. By election God has determined to save me and make me holy and blameless before Him, therefore, I am saved to the uttermost forever!

I tell you, dear believer in Jesus, that if the devil was able to carry your sinful self into the presence of God to accuse you before Him all would be well with you. It would be well with you because salvation is by grace through faith not of works lest any man should boast. Consider this ancient text of holy scripture; (Zechariah 3:1-5 NASB) "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and SATAN STANDING AT HIS RIGHT HAND TO ACCUSE HIM. {2} And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! (Who can bring a charge against the elect of God?) Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Are we not children of wrath even as all the rest? Are we not due the eternal fires of hell? Indeed we are. But God! But God in electing grace and mercy has "plucked" us from the eternal flames and has saved us forever. Even Satan cannot change these truths.) {3} Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. (So it is with us. God does not deny our wretchedness. We are all sinners in the first degree. We are all clothed in filthy garments standing before the God with whom we have to do. But that is not a problem! For, Jesus came not to the well, or the clean, or the righteous, but to the sick, the filthy, the ungodly. He came to save us from our sins. He did not come looking for the sinless. For in that case none would have been saved.) {4} And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." {5} Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by." This, beloved, is a picture of salvation by electing grace. It is unconditional salvation. Yes, the accusations are true, we are and will remain sinful to one degree or another, but God has loved us with an everlasting love and that makes everything else irrelevant.

Do you see what satan gets when he accuses us before God? He gets a rebuke! God says, "You idiot! Don’t you know that no one can bring a charge against my elect people? For I am He who justifies them, I am their judge, and no one can overthrow my decision! Notice, please, when it was that God chose this man to be his servant. It was while he was clothed with the filthy garments of sin. Therefore, it was the choice of God that brought about Joshua’s cleansing or salvation. He did not clean himself up first so that he would be acceptable to God. It was the other way around. God set His saving love upon him and then He cleaned him up! Hallelujah! This priest was devoid of any righteousness of his own and so are we. But God gave him all he needed. He clothed him in the garments of salvation, the very righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord. Behold, dear people, a great sinner justified by God in the very presence of the accusing devil!

Who then shall bring a charge against God’s elect people that will persuade Him to damn us? Who can say anything about us that will cause God to cast us out of His elect family. Who can tell Him anything about us He does not already know, indeed, that He has not always known? Who can charge us with high crimes sufficient to remove us from the love of God in Christ? No one, beloved, for it is God who has justified the ungodly. It is God who laid our sin upon His dear Son. It is God who said "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!" Who will over throw the decision of God? Consider at last the words of verse thirty-four.

{34} "who is the one who condemns? (Who can condemn the elect people of God? ) Christ Jesus is He who died, (for them) yes, rather who was raised, (for their justification) who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."

Jesus has died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to prove that God had accepted His sacrifice on our behalf. Further Jesus, our risen Savior, is our High Priest who ever lives to make continual intercession with God for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He stands before the throne of God with His blessed wounds on display. He stands with his breastplate covered with the names of all God’s elect people. He stands to counter any and all accusations brought against us with His own blood and perfect righteousness. Therefore, when satan, or the world, or your conscience, cries out, "This man, this woman has had blasphemous thoughts in his mind, this person has sinned, condemn him!" God simply rebukes the accuser. He declares that this believing sinner is one of His elect people for whom His Son died and rose. On the foundation of the perfections of Christ I, the Creator of all, have justified this one for My sake and glory. Your accusations, though very true, mean nothing to Me!

God’s love for us, brothers and sisters, is unconditional, merciful, gracious, and eternal. It is a justifying love through faith not of works lest any mans should boast. So, when the accuser comes to you read to him from the word of God. When the world accuses you read to them the words of God. When your conscience will not be still though you are trying your best, praying, and living for the Lord. Read to yourself the words of God. Words like those found in Isaiah 50:7-10 NASB.

For, it is God alone who justifies.

Last Sunday Brother Todd White spoke at great length about the doctrine of justification by faith alone. God justifies the believing sinner. In closing I offer these additional comments. Justification is a judicial act of God pardoning sinners (wicked and ungodly persons, Rom. 4:5; 3:9-24), accepting them as just, and so putting PERMANENTLY right their previously estranged relationship with Himself. This justifying sentence is God’s GIFT of righteousness (Rom. 5:15-17), His BESTOWAL of a status of acceptance FOR JESUS’ SAKE (2 Cor. 5:21).

God’s justifying judgment of sinners may appear to be unjust until one understands that the basis upon which He does this is the righteousness of Jesus Christ the Second Adam, the representative head of all the elect acting on our behalf in all that He did and continues to do. He obeyed the law that bound us. He endured the punishment due us and so earned for us the justification God gives. Behold the righteousness of God who justifies the ungodly through His perfect Son Jesus Christ.

One man wrote, "God’s justifying decision is the judgment of the Last Day, declaring where we shall spend eternity, brought forward into the present and pronounced here and now. It is the last judgment that will ever be passed on our destiny; God will never go back on it, however much Satan may appeal against God’s verdict (Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:10; Rom. 8:33-34). To be justified is to be eternally secure, (Rom. 5:1-5; 8:30).

It is the eternal election of God that sees to our justification but it is only when the sinner believes that he comes to actually possess it. We are saved, justified, made acceptable to God through faith in the crucified and risen Lord (Rom. 4:23-25; 10:8-13). As we give ourselves in faith to Jesus, Jesus gives us His gift of righteousness, He imputes to us all His perfections and in that moment we receive divine pardon and acceptance which we could not otherwise have (Gal. 2:15-16; 3:24).

It is God who justifies but He does so through appointed means. Those means are the preaching, hearing, and believing, of the Gospel. The sinner who hears the good news that Jesus saves all who come to Him by faith and who goes to Christ by faith for the promised salvation is justified by God. His sins are all forgiven. He is proven to be one of God’s elect people for whom Christ shed His precious blood. And from that moment on no one can ever bring a charge against him. Is he yet a sinner? Indeed he is but he is a justified sinner saved by God through the death burial and resurrection of His beloved Son.

May God impress these great, liberating, soul saving, peace giving, truths upon the hearts and minds of all who hear. May He enable you to obey His command with a promise, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!"