Have you ever thought of yourself as being spiritually spoiled?
Romans 8:32-34 (NIV)
... If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 26: The Intercession of Christ
We believe that we have no access to God
except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor:
Jesus Christ the Righteous.
We should not plead here
that we are unworthy—
for it is not a question of offering our prayers
on the basis of our own dignity
but only on the basis of the excellence and dignity
of Jesus Christ,
whose righteousness is ours
by faith.
Since the apostle for good reason
wants us to get rid of this foolish fear—
or rather, this unbelief—
he says to us that Jesus Christ
was “made like his brothers in all things,”
that he might be a high priest
who is merciful and faithful
to purify the sins of the people.
For since he suffered,
being tempted,
he is also able to help those
who are tempted.
Since it has pleased God
to give us his Son as our Intercessor,
let us not leave him for another—
or rather seek, without ever finding.
For when God gave him to us
he knew well that we were sinners.
Therefore, in following the command of Christ
we call on the heavenly Father
through Christ,
our only Mediator,
as we are taught by the Lord’s Prayer,
being assured that we shall obtain
all we ask of the Father
in his name.
Summary
Romans 8 never fails to disappoint. I've always taught students that when (not if) they come to the end of their rope and don't know where else to turn, open a Bible to Romans chapter 8. Every verse in it is pure comforting truth, and today's short passage is no exception.
Today's opening line announced that "God is for us". Just let that sink in.
Maybe that phrase seems sort of cheesy to you, like an overly saccharin sweet greeting card given to cheer you out of a low moment in life. Maybe it triggers your cynical side, as you wonder how different the world would look if God were actually 'for' everyone.
But that's not what it says. God isn't for everyone, He's for us! This statement comes on the heels of a passage we looked at earlier this year called the 'golden chain of our salvation,' which unpacks how God bends history for the good of those He chose for Himself before creation. God is for you!
And that's not all! No matter who drags you through the mud - even if and when you might deserve it - our Savior is right there before the Father's throne interceding for you.
Dig Deeper
This morning as I walked to the office I began thinking about what the day's post would be about, and I thought 'oh yeah, we're still on article 26... just another passage on how Jesus is our intercessor.' There's a little part of me that was actually getting bored with this topic! After a week and a half I was ready to move on to another topic.
But how could what we just read in Romans 8 - or any one of a number of passages that say something similar - ever be considered boring? The fact that I considered dull, even for just a moment, the truth that the all-powerful Creator of all things is interceding for me is an indication of just how spiritually spoiled I am!
Being spoiled - both physically and spiritually - is a big danger we face in our day and age. We think we know all there is to know about the Bible and Christianity, so we keep it on the shelf in favor of more interesting distractions. After all, we know where to find it when we need it. It's so easy to let our regular spiritual disciplines like Bible reading, ongoing prayer and attending corporate worship begin to slip, all because they begin to seem boring after awhile.
It's no wonder that Guido de Bres, the author of our Confession, spent so long describing such a wonderful truth here in Article 26. Read these truths again with fresh eyes - both our Confession, and especially awesome passages like Romans 8 - and, as one famous theologian once said, wake up from your dogmatic slumber.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father in heaven, who is for us!
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that these wonderful truths will seem exciting to you, and thank God that Jesus intercedes for you even when you're bored with Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Corinthians 1
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