July 10, 2018
Court Is Adjourned. The Verdict Is in Before It Ever Started.
Romans 8:33–34
Meg Whittaker
Central Truth
Although the world judges us and Satan accuses us, God has already paid the price and found us innocent if we put our faith in Jesus. How? It is all because of the selfless work of Jesus on the cross. His love and sacrifice for us mean that we receive salvation and get to spend eternity with Him. There's no greater love than that!
Romans 8:33–34
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 1 8:34 Or Is it Christ Jesus who died for us?
Dive Deeper | Romans 8:33–34
I used to be so caught up in what others thought about me. Am I thin enough? Pretty enough? Worthy of love? In college, I even decided to join a sorority so I could have automatic acceptance and worth with the people I felt I needed it from.
But the Lord sent me a gift in the form of a life-threatening illness, multiple surgeries, and hospital stays. When the glitz of the life I had made melted away, I was left raw, friendless, and scared. My only understanding of the Lord was from my Catholic school upbringing, and I didn't have a real relationship with the Lord to depend on.
Verse 34 says that Jesus "is interceding for us," and I have felt that intercession personally. When I was at the very end of my rope, the Lord grabbed me and changed my life for good. In response to my trials, the Lord blessed me with my two closest, accepting friends. Jessica is my best friend and sister from another mother. And Deb is my wise and faithful friend who taught me more about love, acceptance, and walking with Jesus than anyone. Both of my friends suffered from terrible diseases and have since received ultimate healing in heaven. I miss them terribly each day, but I carry with me the gifts they brought into my life. The Lord was so merciful to me that He gave me friends who taught me how to live with joy and hope in the midst of suffering.
We have hope because of the truth in Romans 8:34. It tells us that we will receive no condemnation because of Jesus. Not only did He die for us, but He also was raised from the dead. If that wasn't amazing enough, He is also at the right hand of God constantly interceding for us! What grace—Jesus praying for me! This is why I have hope: no one can condemn me because of His wonderful sacrifice on the cross! The Lord already knows my past, my present, and my future and has declared me righteous because of my faith in and relationship with Jesus!
This month's memory verse
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
– Romans 7:24–25
Discussion Questions
1. Describe a time when you experienced trials and suffering. How did the Lord intercede on your behalf?
2. Will that knowledge of hope and assurance in the Lord give you a new outlook on viewing difficult times?
3. What verses and wisdom would you give to someone going through a difficult season?