Reflection on Rom 8:33-34

Rom 8:33: “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”

(29 Sept-13 Oct 2013)

Rom 8:34: “Who will condemn? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

(13 Oct-27 Oct 2013)

The question is who will accuse God’s elect. We can be accused by demons, by people, by our conscience or by God. Everyone who commits an offence is liable to a just punishment. “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23) “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) But it is God who justifies. How? “Freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:24) Whom? Him who believes in Jesus and receives by faith the power of His redemptive death on the cross for us. Because we sin time and time again, we need to repent accordingly. We sin in small things too – various manifestations of self-will, criticism of others in thought, laziness, selfishness in word and deed. I need to realize that God sees me, give Him my sin, elicit contrition in a second and be in living communion with the Heavenly Father again. God’s Word says that if we walk in the light – which means that we admit our sin and confess it as sin – the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. This is how God justifies us: He does not justify sin but forgives through the redemptive death of Christ on the cross. Through His blood we receive the forgiveness of sins.

Verse 34 asks: “Who will condemn (God’s elect)?” The following words tell us that no one has the power to condemn us because: “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Download: Reflection on Rom 8:33-34