His Purpose Will Not Fail

I’ll always remember the excitement and concern that I experienced in 2003.  Suzanne and I were beginning a new chapter in our lives, moving from the Midlands to Greenville to serve a congregation that we already loved – Pendleton Street Baptist Church.  I was given the privilege of preaching at the start of January, and was praying hard about where to start.  Prayerfully, I determined that there was no better place to start than with the Gospel, and no more essential text than Romans.  I didn’t know it would take almost 18 months to preach through the book, but I did know how God was using it to transform my heart, and the heart of our church.

Most believers will tell you that the pinnacle of the book of Romans is the 8th chapter. I agree with Derek Thomas in his introduction to his book, How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home.  He says, 

“No chapter of Scripture reaches the same sustained levels or covers the same ground as Romans 8. It is a description of the Christian life from death to life, from justification to glorification, from trial and suffering to the peace and tranquility of the new heaven and new earth. It contains exhortations to persevere as well as reassurances of God’s preservation of His people… Romans 8 gives us a picture of salvation in its completeness.   (Derek Thomas, “How the Gospel bring us All the Way Home.”)

Beginning with one of the most reassuring declarations in all of Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), it ends with the assurance that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

Between those two great promises, Paul describes the sanctifying and securing work of the Holy Spirit, and the hope of every believer. We have been set free from the law of sin and death. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, leads us, and assures us that we are children of God. We have not received “the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,” but the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15).

This text is honest about suffering. Creation groans under the effects of sin. Believers groan as we wait for the redemption of our bodies. There are times when our burdens are so great that we do not even know how to pray. Yet even then, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us “according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27).

Our groaning is real, but it is not the end of the story. Paul reminds us that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). God is at work in all things, conforming His children to the image of His Son. His purpose will not fail.

God has proven His promises are true again and again.  He does not promise that everything we experience will be easy or immediately understandable. He promises something far better: He is for us. Christ died for us, was raised for us, and the Holy Spirit now intercedes for us. No accusation can overturn God’s verdict. No suffering can defeat His purpose. No power in heaven or on earth can separate us from His love.

Whatever you are facing today, rest in these truths. In Christ, you are no longer condemned. You have been adopted into God’s family. The Spirit is helping you. Glory is coming. And nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.