“If God is for Us” (10)

[Romans 8:35-39]

Look at Romans 8:36-37: "As it is written: 'For your sake we are killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Here, "as it is written" refers to the apostle Paul quoting from the Old Testament, Psalm 44:22: "For your sake we are killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered" [(Modern Bible) "We are exposed to the danger of death all day for your sake and treated as sheep destined for the slaughterhouse"].

Now, in the phrase “we” (Rom. 8:36), it refers to three groups in context:

Those whom God has chosen (v. 33),
Those whom God has justified (v. 33),
Those for whom Christ, who is at the right hand of God, intercedes (v. 34).

The apostle Paul wrote to the saints in the Roman church, saying that “we are killed all day long for the sake of the Lord.” Here, “all day long” refers to a whole day, but ultimately it means for one’s entire life. As Paul wrote this letter from prison, he told the Roman saints that he was living according to the teachings of Jesus. These teachings can be found in Mark 8:35: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."

That is, Paul first obeyed Jesus' words, willing to lay down his life for Jesus Christ and the gospel, living this way even while in prison. As he wrote the letter to the saints in Rome, he quoted Psalm 44:22 to say, “As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long...” Therefore, when Paul says "for the Lord" (Rom. 8:36), it means "for me and for the gospel" (Mark 8:35), that is, for Jesus Christ and the gospel of Christ.

See Romans 14:8: "If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s" [(Modern Bible) "If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord"].

See Luke 9:23: "Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" [(Modern Bible) "And then Jesus said to everyone, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me'"].

A disciple of Jesus Christ lives for Him and for the gospel of Christ, denying themselves (abandoning their own desires), taking up their cross daily, and following Jesus.

Paul, in quoting Psalm 44:22 to the Roman saints, said, "For your sake we are killed all day long..." (Rom. 8:36), and the Modern Bible translates this as "exposed to the danger of death." The meaning of this passage is that the disciples of Jesus, such as Paul and the saints in the Roman church, faced tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and the sword (v. 35), all of which represented the danger of death. This danger of death brought them to the very edge of death itself. The Bible tells of Job, who went through extreme suffering that brought him to the point of death. Even today, there are brothers and sisters among the disciples of Jesus who, living for the gospel of Jesus Christ, are enduring such extreme suffering.

Moreover, Paul says, "We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered" (Rom. 8:36). The purpose of raising sheep is to lead them to the slaughterhouse. Listen to the prophecy of Isaiah about Christ (the Messiah): "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" [(Modern Bible) "He remained silent in his suffering, like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep before its shearers, he did not open his mouth"] (Isaiah 53:7).

Paul, while writing the letter to the Roman saints from the Roman prison, said, “As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long, we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered...” (Rom. 8:36). Paul was reflecting the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7, where it was foretold that Jesus Christ, the Lamb, would suffer and die, and Paul himself, following the example of Christ's suffering and death on the cross, was enduring hardship for Christ and the gospel. That is why he says, “we…” in Romans 8:36.

See 1 Corinthians 4:9, 11-13 in the Modern Bible: "For I think God has exhibited us apostles as the last, as those sentenced to death... To this present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed, we are beaten, and we have no fixed abode, and we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world, the dirt of all things."

Also, see 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 in the Modern Bible: "... I have worked harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."

In this way, the Apostle Paul himself was facing the danger of death "all day long" for the Lord (Rom. 8:36, Modern Bible), but he said to the saints of the Roman church: "However, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37). He told them that even though "we" (Paul and the saints of the Roman church) face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword, as mentioned in verse 35, still, "in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (v. 37). It is not that we win on our own, but that we win through Him who loves us. And it’s not a narrow victory, but we win "abundantly" or "easily" (Modern Bible). The reason for this is that the beloved Son, Jesus Christ, has already overcome the world.

Look at John 16:33: "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Therefore, who can accuse us, whom God has chosen? (Rom. 8:33) Who can condemn us? (v. 34) Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (v. 35) Is it "tribulation"? "Distress," "persecution," "famine," "nakedness," "danger," or "sword"? Absolutely not! Through Christ, who loves us, we will overcome all of these things easily (v. 37, Modern Bible). Therefore, we cannot help but be thankful.

Look at 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 in the Modern Bible: "'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Let us all live with the assurance of salvation and victory, living for Jesus Christ and the gospel of Christ.