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April 12

31  What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?
Romans 8:31-32

Some are perhaps surprised when they read in today’s text that “God is for us.” Just a casual reading of the Book of Romans up to this point might lead one to conclude that God is actually against us. After all, in the opening chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul has meticulously set forth God’s slam shut case against us: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10), “all have turned aside” (Romans 3:12), and, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It would seem then that a holy and righteous God is rightly against us.

But hold on, because now comes the Good News: “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Sinners though we are, God is for us!

The sure proof that God is for us is the cross. And it is the cross that leads Paul to his confident exclamation: “If God is for us, who is against us?” Yes Paul, if God is for us, then who or what could ever be against us?

When we celebrate Communion we remember the night when Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my body that is for you.” Jesus is for us in the giving of his body, he is for us in the giving of his blood.  Who would doubt that the greatest thing that God could give would be to give his beloved Son as a sacrifice for sinners. There could be nothing greater giving than this. Everything else would be less, infinitely less.

Logicians call Paul’s reasoning that of the greater to the lesser. That is, if God has gone so far as to give for us the greatest, would he not then give us anything else? If God goes to the extent of giving his Son for us, will he not give us all that we need for this day!

Seen on bumper sticker: “I asked Jesus ‘How much do you love me?’ ‘This
much!’ he answered. Then he stretched out his arms and died.”

MEDITATION

Soaking in Scripture…

Today’s Andy Moments…

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