Book review: St. Thomas Aquinas by G. K. Chesterton

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First published in 1943, this book attempts to summarize both the theology of Aquinas, the context in which he developed it, and its subsequent consequences for Christianity over the centuries. Chesterton begins by contrasting Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) with St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). But the thrust of the discourse is to explain how Aquinas rescued Aristotle’s works from being rejected because Islamic theology for several hundred years had incorporated them, and Christian thought in the 13th century rejected all things Islamic. 

The crusades had ended, and Islam was still dominant across the mid-East. Although the battle of Tours had stopped Islam’s spread in Western Europe, it was still ascendant in Eastern Europe. Islam’s use of Aristotelian philosophy was consistent with Islamic theology (Chesterton summarizes how), but the point was that the Manicheean theology held unorthodox views. By contrast, Aquinas used Aristotle in the context of Orthodox Christian theology, using Aristotle’s common-sense approach to philosophy that the senses of the material body can be used to understand the world, fully consistent with orthodox faith.

Philosophers and theologians after Aquinas apparently did not appreciate his writings. The basic concepts that he used, and the higher level arguments that he made, were opaque to those steeped in the tradition of Augustine. This is not to cast aspersions on Augustine, but to note that his successors had gone down a path that rejected both common sense and Aristotle. Unfortunately a lot of modern philosophy has gone down even stranger pathways. 

In the last few pages, Chesterton goes on a rant about Martin Luther. While some of his points are valid, the overall vitriolic tone bespeaks his anger at Protestant Christianity as a whole.  I think he overlooks the fact that the Catholic Church at that time had serious problems (for example, selling indulgences) that were supported from bad theology. And Chesterton himself points out that theology as a whole did not quickly adopt Aquinas’ Aristotelian approach. 

In many respects, the modern convergence of Catholic and Protestant theology (as I perceive it) is largely due to two influences that were just emerging in Chesterton’s lifetime. One is the writings of C. S. Lewis, in such books as Mere Christianity that focus on the basic truths of the faith that both Catholics and Protestants hold. The other is the new wind of the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh, that stirred new life via the Charismatic renewal in both. The role of Aristotle and Aquinas in this trend is that God is the ultimate source of truth, and He uses willing instruments. This is not abstract mysticism, but the same sovereign Will of God that moved in revelation to those who recorded the Scriptures.

Book Review: Gentle and Lowly - The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, by Dane Ortland

Dane Ortland, senior pastor at Naperville Presbyterian Church in Illinois and a Wheaton PhD, lays out his case that most of us, Christians and non-believers, do not understand or appreciate the heart of Jesus. He goes through a large number of scriptures, both Old and New Testament, to give the Biblical basis for his statement that the heart of God is gentle, compassionate, humble, and eager to forgive. He starts with Matthew 11:28-30, from which comes the book’s title. 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There are typically human reactions against this perspective on God’s heart. When we think of the plagues on Egypt, the final judgment, or the problem of pain, we have a hard time reconciling this with the picture of Jesus’ heart being forgiving and gracious to us. In the last few chapters he deals with these problems. To cut to the chase, when we come to Jesus asking for forgiveness and restoration, He is overjoyed to do so. But those who do not come to Him will face the consequences of their actions and decisions. Jesus is reluctant to do so, but His holiness compels Him to protect the innocent by judging and justly dealing with those who choose evil.

We tend to think of God as harsh and judgmental when we suffer, but as soft and forgiving when others get away with things, especially if the things they get away with impact us negatively. It seems so unfair that we question God’s fairness. This type of situation was only briefly discussed in the book, it was not in the focus. Another area not discussed is God’s disciplining of His children. (Hebrews 12:1-11) Often, when we are in this situation, we question God’s gentleness and doubt that He has a forgiving heart. The perspective that Ortland gives is to compare this to physical therapy - painful for the moment but necessary for health.

This is not to doubt the essential value of this book. It is written to explain that even when circumstances don’t seem to reflect loving and gentle care for us, that is what God’s essence is. (1 John 4:8) And the case is solid. There are doubtless dimensions of God that we cannot fathom, but at least this one we can comprehend. 

Romans 11-12 God’s Dealings with Israel and Living Sacrifice

 

Romans 11 The culmination of God’s Sovereignty and man’s free will applied to Israel.

Romans 11: 1-6 God did not reject Israel - they rejected Him. But He still saved some of them anyway - those He could, those who would. Did they choose Him or did He choose them? Yes!

• Romans 11:3-4 quotes 1 Kings 19:10-18.  God’s response to Elijah was that he (Elijah) did not have the full picture. God had sovereignly kept a remnant of Israel faithful to Him. Elijah should not take the rebellion of Ahab and his cronies as the totality of the Northern Kingdom.  

Romans 11:5-10 The few in Israel that remained faithful to God did so because of faith in Him and His grace. Those who tried to earn His favor by the Law (thus making it not grace but an obligation on God), failed completely, because legalism led to spiritual apathy and blindness, and because they could not keep it.

• Romans 11:8 quotes Deuteronomy 29:4 about Jews who wandered forty years in the desert. They were consigned to this because they did not believe God’s promise.  (Numbers 14) It was fear in the natural level, giants in the land, that led to grumbling, rebellion, and talking about returning to Egypt.
• Romans 11:9-10 quotes Psalm 69:22-23 - David’s incantation regarding his enemies. He had earlier in this psalm described his trust in God and the flood of troubles his enemies had brought on him, because they did not seek God as he did.

Romans 11:11-12 It seems counterintuitive and self-contradictory, but since the Jews rejection of Christ led to blessing the gentiles with the gospel, the final outcome will ultimately be greater blessing for the Jews. 

Romans 11:13-24 Gentiles are not superior to Jews, as all are grafted in solely by God’s grace. And just as the Jews were broken off from God by their rejection of the gospel and Jesus,  so too will gentiles be if they similarly reject it and Him. To persist in unbelief is to reject Jesus, regardless of religious or ethnic identification.

Romans 11:25-32 Man’s free will and God’s sovereignty play out on both an individual and national level. Both are true, but at the individual level, there is a final result. Nationally, at the end, there is a division and a remnant. Those who don’t want to be with God, won’t be. (Deuteronomy 24:4)

Romans 11:33-36 God’s mystery leads to revealing His glory. This song of worship incorporates some Old  Testament quotes, but verses 33 and 36 appear to be unique, Paul’s own words.

• Romans 11:34 quotes Isaiah 40:13, which follows the challenge in Isaiah 40:10: See the sovereign Lord coming with power.
• Romans 11:35 quotes Job 41:11, one of a series of rhetorical questions that the Lord asks Job out of the whirlwind.

On the whole, most readers are likely still mystified or dissatisfied with Paul’s explanation of reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. In the end, it remains a mystery, but Paul worships God out of faith in His transcendent goodness.

Romans 12 Offering ourselves to God by living in Community

Romans 12:1-5 Paul urges us to present our whole selves to Christ, body and soul. As C. S. Lewis pointed out, the problem with being a living sacrifice is that we continue to be tempted to crawl off the altar. In presenting our selves as a sacrifice, we recognize  that only what is given to God will endure for eternity. In 12:1 & 4-5 Paul speaks to the presenting of our own body (12:1) and then to being part of the body of believers (12:4-5). In 12:2-3 he speaks to making our mind and judgment renewed so that we think in accordance with faith. Thus body and mind are both devoted to the Lord. Also, being part of a body of believers means that we we should recognize and encourage the gifts of others. 

Romans 12:6-8 speaks to the gifts we are given by God, a different list than is found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.  These seem to be different types of gifts. Paul’s list of charismata  (grace-gifts) in Romans identifies ministries or callings such as serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading. To the Corinthians he identifies enablements that are necessary for supernaturally, divinely-enabled actions. There is only one that is the same in both lists, although others might be linked.

• Prophecy appears in both lists, the outward bubbling of what the Holy Spirit is saying. Paul links this to faith.
• Teaching might be linked to supernatural wisdom and/or knowledge; at least, the act of teaching, presumably based on study, provides an opportunity for God to reveal new truths to and through the teacher.
• Giving could be an avenue for miracles, if, for example, the recipient of the gift desperately needs some very specific thing, that the giver does not know about but provides. Perhaps that could exhibit a Holy Spirit-given word of knowledge to the giver.

Romans 12:4-16 explains living in community. Beyond presenting ourselves to exhibit God’s gifts as per the above, certain behaviors are identified as specifics that demonstrate brotherly love. 12:9-16 lists many ways to show love to others, and gives practical ways we can practice the gifts listed in 12:6-8. How many children in families behave this way toward their siblings? But this is what we are called to.

Romans 12:17-21 dwells on Jesus’ theme in the Sermon on the Mount about loving our enemies. (Matthew 5:38-48) Specifically, Paul says to overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19 quotes from the song of Moses, which speaks to letting the Lord repay, i.e., not taking vengeance ourselves. 12:20 quotes Proverbs 25:21-22 which says to heap burning coals on the head of our enemy by giving him food and drink. Metaphorically speaking, this does not necessarily mean the fire of judgment, but perhaps the burning conviction when an enemy recognizes that they would rather live life in a community of love than to be dominant and evil. Romans 12:21 wraps up this last discussion with the admonition to overcome evil with good, just as Jesus did on the cross and through the empty tomb. 

The Problem of Pain - The Epicurean Paradox

Wikipedia describes the Epicurean Paradox (attributed to the Greek Philosopher Epicurus, 341-270 BC) as follows:

• If God knows everything and has unlimited power, then He has knowledge of all evil and has the power to put an end to it. But if He does not end it, He is not completely benevolent.
• If God has unlimited power and is completely good, then He has the power to extinguish evil and wants to extinguish it. But if He does not do it, its knowledge of evil is limited, so He is not allknowing.
• If God is all-knowing and totally good, then He knows of all the evil that exists and wants to change it. But if He does not, it must be because He is not capable of changing it, so He is not omnipotent.

This seemingly logical trilemma is based on a fallacious assumption, to wit, that God operates with the same limitations in logical space that we do. But the Bible makes it clear that God exists in a transcendent, eternal dimension that we cannot understand. He is outside of time, and His infinite access to every person, event, and location enable Him to make decisions and take actions for the best possible outcome from His eternal perspective. Our definition of benevolent is earthly.

In practical terms, when we look at suffering and ask God to intervene, and He doesn’t, we rule out lack of knowledge because we told Him about it. What does this mean? There are at least three possibilities:

• It is the result of a decision or decisions that people have made. If God were to trump every bad or evil decision made by people by overriding its results, that would effectively eliminate free will from humans. Reaping what we and others sow may seem cruel, but that is how God intends humankind to learn and grow. If others inflict suffering on someone, the human race is responsible for mitigating it as best they can and bringing justice. For example, World War II and the Nuremberg trials.
• God may intend that His children (us!) learn and grow through suffering. This not a school that we normally want to enroll in, but God from His transcendent perspective knows when it is the best way for us to learn, things like compassion, patience, character, and faith. We can look at the suffering of Job, and see that he seriously questioned God’s character. His ‘comforters’ bought into the legalistic school that Job was reaping what he sowed. Job knew he hadn’t sowed the seeds of everything that happened, so it was unfair. In the end, God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind and revealed both His transcendence and Job’s innocence. The rest of Job’s life hints at what he had learned.(Job 42:13-17) 
• A third possibility is that God simply wants to deepen a person’s relationship with Him, sometimes  called intimacy with Christ. When we are in great pain, it opens our hearts to turn to the Lord more fully, because the pain blocks our mental functioning from being distracted. Of course painkillers can weaken or nullify this pathway, but sometimes God sovereignly chooses it for us.

There are likely other paradigms fully consistent with God’s perfect love and omnipotence, based on His transcendent sovereignty. We need the recognition that we possess none of these ourselves, to be humble enough to hear His voice in the storm so that we can receive what He has planned for us.

Romans 9-10 God’s Sovereignty, Divine Election, and the Declaration of Faith

Romans 9

Romans 9:1-5 Paul might have been perceived as loving his enemies in the spirit of Matthew 5:44 because of all the grief that the Jews had caused him, but instead his love for them is that of a grieving relative for family members whose lives have gone off the track.

Romans 9:8 refers back to 4:18-22

Romans 9:11 God’s purpose(s) in divine election remain sovereignly inscrutable to us. He is transcendent. 

Romans 9:15-24 How do we reconcile God’s sovereign choices with either ‘the just shall live by faith’ (chapters 3-4) or life in the Spirit (chapter 8)? It is that we care about this! Jesus offers redemption, but we have to receive it (and Him).

Romans 9:19-24 Paul answers questions with rhetorical questions about God’s sovereign actions. Who are we to resist God’s will, or talk back to Him? (Job 42:2-6)  Cannot the potter make whatever He pleases out of the clay? (Genesis 2:7) How do we respond to His long-suffering mercy?

Romans 9:30-33 Paul asks two more questions as food for thought, and gives answers. What shall we say to God saving gentiles? Why did Israel not get saved by their works of the Law? (See Matthew 23)

 

This chapter is sprinkled with about a dozen Old Testament quotes. There are two major themes that the Old Testament reveals about the coming of Jesus: the essence of faith in God is acting on what He has said; God’s sovereignty is revealed in our faith choices in response to Jesus - we can choose but God’s sovereignty cannot be manipulated by us.

• Romans 9:7 quotes Genesis 21:12; children of faith are God’s children, not necessarily the physical descendants of saints. Those raised in the household of faith have the advantage of a godly upbringing, but they must choose for themselves.
• Romans 9:9 quotes Genesis 18:10 & 14 - in between which Sarah laughed; Sarah’s laughter did not nullify God’s promise to give Abraham a child by her. He delivers what He promises on His timetable, not ours. He is not constrained to our understanding of reality.
• Romans 9:12-13 quotes Genesis 25:23 and Malachi 1:2-3. Some might interpret this as saying Esau never had a chance, because God’s mind was made up before he and Jacob were born. But from God’s eternal perspective, outside of time, He knew that Esau would despise his birthright, the first-born’s privilege of being God’s advocate to others, but choose instead to grasp the heel of his brother and to focus on worldly things.
• Romans 9:15 quotes Exodus 33:19; God’s mercy and compassion on some is not unjust. He transcendently knows and does what is best, based on His merciful heart. If we have free will to accept or reject His love, how much more does He have freedom to show mercy to whom He will?
• Romans 9:17 quotes Exodus 9:16; Pharaoh similarly was given the opportunity to know God as Moses did, growing up in the same household, surrounded by Hebrews, and could have joined in displaying God’s power as Joseph’s Pharaoh had, but instead chose paranoia and domination, which God foreknew from an eternal perspective.
• Romans 9:20-21 refers to Isaiah’s discussion of God as a potter (Isaiah 29:16, 45:9). This alludes to God’s sovereignty over all the He has created. What can a character in a play say to the playwright who wrote the script to question why it is written a certain way?
• Romans 9:25-26 quotes Hosea 2:23 and 1:10. Although God called the Jews His chosen people, He now chooses to do the same for gentiles who will respond to Jesus’ invitation. Being called is not the same as being chosen; although God loves them all, they must reciprocate to be included, both Jews and gentiles.
• Romans 9:27-28 quotes Isaiah 10:22-23, where he prophesied that although Israel might prosper numerically, the day will come when only a fraction of them will remain His, and that separation will happen quickly and irreversibly. That day was when the gospel was preached to them, and only a few received Jesus.
• Romans 9:29 quotes Isaiah 1:9, repeating the theme  of 9:27-28.
• Romans 9:33 quotes Isaiah 8:14 & 28:16. Jesus is a stumbling stone to the Jews who think that having the Law and the Prophets means they have God figured out and are blind to what is in front of them (Jesus). But He will protect and defend those who recognize and receive Him.

Romans 10

Romans 10:4-5 The purpose of the Law was to bring right living to believers, which it could not do; Jesus did. This is the sense in which He is the consummation of the Law. Paul cites Leviticus 18:5 as to the purpose of the the Law - living it. 

Romans 10:6-8 Paul cites Deuteronomy 30:12-14 to make a parallel to Christ. Just as the Law is not far from them, so Jesus, the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1), is near us. We can read the Law any time we have a Bible in our hands, we don’t have to hunt for it, and so with Jesus.  It was not so in the times of Josiah (2 Kings 22). But even in Paul’s time, before the printing press, the Torah was in every synagogue. How much more is Jesus in every person’s life all the time.

Romans 10:9-10 Our verbal confession of faith is important both for us and for those around us. Heart-belief  results in justification (legal right-standing), and mouth-confession results in salvation (rescue, an action by God). 

Romans 10:11 is a bit of a mystery. The Scripture Paul apparently quotes Isaiah 28:16, but that verse doesn’t seem to quite match his quote of it. In Isaiah, talking about the precious cornerstone He will lay in Zion, the sovereign Lord says, “the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic”, or maybe “…shall not hurry.” How does this relate to shame? But Paul’s point is that Jesus provides the covering for our exposed sin before God, so that we will not be ashamed to be with Him. 

Romans 10:13 Quoting Joel 2:32, Paul simply says whoever calls on the Lord by name will be saved. 

Romans 10:14-15 The purpose of life, and the purpose of the church, is to declare the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Beyond purpose, it makes our feet beautiful. In John 13:4-17, Jesus washed the disciple’ feet in anticipation of their taking His message to the whole world. His point was that service to others is the kingdom lifestyle. 

Romans 10:16 quotes Isaiah 53:1 which is the lead-in to Isaiah’s famous messianic prophecy, and supports Paul’s famous statement that faith come from hearing the declaration of the word concerning Christ. Paul does not, in this passage, review the fulfillment of particulars of Isaiah’s prophecy in Christ, because Paul’s point is related to the impetus for preaching the gospel. But …

• Isaiah 53:2 Jesus’ appearance must have been unremarkable because those who rejected His message saw only a troublemaker or false prophet, not God incarnate.
• Isaiah 53:3 In the garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish priests and guards bound Jesus, then took Him to stand trial before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. Peter denied Him three times. 
• Isaiah 53:4-6 During His scourging and on the cross, Jesus suffered for our sufferings, paid the price for our sins, and the crowds jeered and cheered. 
• Isaiah 53:6-7 Jesus was the good Shepherd and gave His life for us, His sheep. YHWH supernaturally allowed our sins to be placed on Him, so that He could atone for them Although Jesus was the good Shepard, He took the role of a sheep, to be sheared and slaughtered.
• Isaiah 53:8 The people of Jesus’ time saw Him die. We know He went to Sheol to rescue those who had died in faith because their transgressions were paid for.
• Isaiah 53:9 Jesus was crucified between two thieves, and Joseph of Arimathea took His body and buried it in his tomb, not knowing Jesus only needed to borrow it for three days, because He was innocent.
• Isaiah 53:10 YHWH was pleased with Jesus’ offering of Himself, raised Him from the dead, and gave Him all believers as His inheritance. They would become His bride.
• Isaiah 53:11 Jesus paid the penalty for sins of many, many people, a vast multitude, providing them the legal status of justification.
• Isaiah 53:12 summarizes the plan of redemption and its outcome.

Romans 10:18 Paul quotes Psalm 19:4 that the heavens declare God’s truth to the entire world. It is hard to see how the plan of salvation is declared in the stars, but some say that the constellation names show a picture-book rendering of the gospel.  Perhaps the virgin (Virgo) provides the pathway for the Lion (Leo) of the Tribe of Judah to satisfy the requirements of the scales of justice (Libra). These are all preceded by twins of human and divine origin, Castor and Pollux (a.k.a. Gemini).

Romans 10:19 Paul quotes from the song of Moses, to show that it was prophesied that Israel would be jealous of the gospel going to the gentiles. (Deuteronomy 32:21)

Romans 10:20-21 quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 to reinforce that because of God’s disappointment with Israel’s response to Christ, and their overall lack of obedience to Him, He would reveal Himself to the gentiles. 

Romans 7-8 The Cancer of Sin and Life in the Spirit

Romans 7

Romans 7:1 Paul takes a different perspective than Jesus did in the beatitudes.  In Matthew 5:3-10 Jesus talks about the happiness and blessedness of those who have certain attitudes and behaviors. Paul looks at the Law as having jurisdiction over us as long as we live. (We will see that his perspective changes on chapter 8.) Jesus went on to to explain that the Law would not be done away with, but must be met to enter the kingdom of heaven. How did Jesus reconcile these? The same way Paul does in Romans 8. Paul repeated this statement in Galatians 5:1.

Romans 7:2-5 Paul did not discuss divorce, but simply used the prohibition of adultery while married as an illustration (a metaphor) of our sin when we are under the Law. Jesus said words about divorce and adultery that closely parallel what Paul said. (Matthew 5:27-32) The difference is that Jesus was illustrating purity of heart and actually talking about lust, while Paul is making an analogy to a legal distinction and trying to illustrate a difficult theological truth. 

Romans 7:6 There is no shortcut or magic deliverance from sin, only death to the flesh so the life of the spirit is released. Consider modern treatments for cancer, which usually involve combinations of one or more of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. Cancer is found in tumors, but residual cells that may have been released by tumors that are removed surgically can create new tumors. Radiation and chemo kill these rogue cells, but also kill a lot of healthy cells as well, to make sure that all of the cancerous cells are dead. Cancer cells infiltrate healthy tissue in their insidious campaign to reproduce and spread. The parallel to sin is obvious. The healthy cells lack any ability to eliminate invading cancer cells. The penalty of death is paid by these otherwise healthy cells.

Romans 7:7-9 Coveting was the tenth command given to Moses. (Exodus 20:17) It is the only commandment that is internal, not an action. Perhaps that is what makes it so insidious.

Romans 7:10-13 The commands were intended to bring life by helping us as humans to live full lives. In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned that no one can serve two masters, about storing up treasures on earth, and how earthly treasures’ effect on our hearts. (Matthew 6:19-24) 

Romans 7:14 Paul echoes Jesus’ words that whoever commits sin is the slave of sin. (John 8:34)

Romans 7:15-25 The internal struggle that everyone faces is to do what is good, even though we know deep down that it is right and want to do it. We can try to exercise self-control, or blame “the law of sin” inside us. In our right minds, we want to be rescued. Paul is deluded in his mind if he thinks it is master over his nature, but his mind is also able to discern righteousness and sin, and also desires to do what is right. They can’t all be correct at the same time. There is some comfort in knowing that even Paul had this struggle. Most likely, the truth is that our sin nature is not just part of our mind, but is an infection in the heart.

Romans 8

Romans 8:1-4 This is God’s answer to the dilemma posed in 7:21-25. It contrasts directly the Spirit of life as against the law of sin and death. God’s law is satisfied in those in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit. Since most of our experience is with a lifestyle of sin and suffering, it seems to me that Paul is vision-casting here. This is what God’s ideal is for us, we could live this way if we live according to the Spirit, not the flesh. 

Romans 8:11 Jesus’ body was resurrected. We can have life now! The implication is that if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, as Jesus promised, then that Spirit is working in us to bring His life to us, even as we struggle to receive it because of the works of the flesh described in earlier chapters. God will ultimately have His way in the lives of those who choose Him.

There are many aspects of life in  the Spirit

• Romans 8:1  There is no condemnation.
• Romans 8:4  We will fully meet the Law’s requirements.
• Romans 8:6  We can have a mind of life and peace.
• Romans 8:10  Righteousness brings life.
• Romans 8:11-13  Life in mortal bodies in which fleshly misdeeds are put to death.
• Romans 8:14-17  We are children of God and His heirs.
• Romans 8:17-21  We share in Jesus’ sufferings and glory.
• Romans 8:23-27  The Holy Spirit prays through us without words. Perhaps a reference to glossolalia. (1 Corinthians 14:2) These prayers are in accordance with God’s will.
• Romans 8:28  God works all things for good.
• Romans 8:37-39  There is no separation from God.

Romans 8:18-23 Earth will become like heaven when God’s kingdom is established here. We are agents to bring this about through the Holy Spirit. The birth of the new creation is directly tied to our bodily redemption.

Romans 8:31-39 gives five questions, some rhetorical, and answers.

• Romans 8:31 (rhetorical) If God is for us, who can be against us?
• Romans 8:32 (rhetorical) Since God did not spare Jesus, in order to rescue us, how will He not give is all things?
• Romans 8:33 (rhetorical) Who brings charges against us (Gods elect)? God justifies us.
• Romans 8:34 Who condemns us? No one. Jesus intercedes for us.
• Romans 8:35-39 Who separates us from the love of Christ? In this list of troubles, beings, events, and aspects of the universe, nothing trumps the love of God in Jesus. Psalm 44:22 is quoted to demonstrate that trials and tribulations are nothing new, especially for those who fear God, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are overcomers of it all.