This second perspective on salvation, the Biblical perspective, actually has a triple aspect to it. Please notice that there is a salvation to come, a glory yet to be accomplished. But there is an aspect of salvation which is enjoyed today. And yet, the whole thing was begun before our birth – in fact, before creation itself.
Obviously, in thinking of those two primary opinions about salvation, the first does not address these three tenses very well. For example the average religious man, despite his religion, or perhaps because of his religion, is unsure about where he will spend eternity. He hopes that he is good enough for God; but one can never be sure, he tells us. And as a result his religion, his current salvation, is not the joyful blessing that it ought to be. If we can’t ever be sure that we’re good enough for Heaven, especially as we approach the portal of death, this has to cast a gloom over our heart. And one of the reasons for his doubt is that for him the past tense of salvation is ignored or denied. But for me, my current and future salvation has been guaranteed in eternity past. I know that all things work together for my good, because the Lord foreknew me, predestinated my ultimate end, and has already glorified me by divine decree.
These three tenses of salvation are still the subject in verses 31-32. Remember that the purpose of this chapter is to strengthen the hearts of saints who were suffering to some degree and in various ways. While, I may not be suffering, and I am not living in Rome, I am still blessed by what I read here.
But rather than concentrate on this, let’s think about the past & God’s grace as it passes through the Saviour. John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Who is the One called “the Word?” It is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And when was that beginning, in which Christ was with God and was God? It might be argued that it was at the point of creation. But that can’t be, because this One who is called “the Word” was there prior to Creation. The beginning was prior to the existence of anything other than God Himself. And then, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made.” But did the Lord Jesus’ relationship to creation stop with mere Creation? God knew and even gave permission, before He created anything, that man would become sinful. The Lord wasn’t caught off guard on the day that Adam sinned. The idea is contrary to the definition of God. If your god can be surprised by sin or surprised by someone’s salvation, then you are worshiping a false god. Having decreed to permit sin, Jehovah then ordained salvation to go over and above, conquering that sin. I Peter 1:18-20 – “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” Ephesians 1:3-6 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” So before creation itself, God determined to redeem – to save – a few, very unworthy souls.
Then moving forward in time, but still in our past tense, we come to Galatians 4:4 – “In the fulness of time, GOD SENT FORTH his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And “God SPARED NOT His own son, but DELIVERED him up for us all” – Romans 8:32.
There are two very special things declared in this text in Romans 8. First, God, the Father, spared not His own son. I need to mention that the Greek word here is “pheidomai” – (fi’-dom-ahee). Do you remember Abraham taking his son up the mountain called Moriah? He built an altar out of stone, then he bound Isaac’s hands and laid him on that altar Do you picture him with tears running down his face as he raised the knife to slay his son? That would be normal and natural; he probably wept at what he thought that he was about to do. But does that Old testament prophetical picture depict God the Father “sparing not His Son?” If all that we had was this one image and one English word we might think so. But the Greek word “pheidomai” (fi’-dom-ahee) forbids that thought. Let’s look at a couple of other verses which have that same Greek word in them. Romans 11:21-22 – “If God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” II Corinthians 13:2 – “I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare.” Acts 20:28-29 – “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” As better seen in these other verses “pheidomai” (fi’-dom-ahee) means:: “to show no mercy, no leniency.” But remember that here in Romans 8, the Bible is talking about God’s Son. God sacrificed His own Son, without the least bit of remorse, regret or retraction – in order to save souls.
The second word in this verse is “delivered” – the Father delivered His Own son to die. That is the Greek word “paradidomi” (par-ad-id’-o-mee). It is found very commonly in God’s Word, but let me give you just a few of them. II Peter 2:4 – “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” I Corinthians 5:4-5 – “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” This word is used several times to describe prisoners being remanded as in Acts 27:2 – “And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.” The word means, “to betray, cast away, give up or give over.” In John 6:64 Christ Jesus said, “there are some of you that believe not. For (He) knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should BETRAY him.” Remember that Romans is not talking about Judas, but the Heavenly Father delivering up the Son. He treated His own Son very roughly in order that we might be redeemed. He gave up His Son to the demands of the law showing no mercy whatsoever, in order that you might be saved from your sins.
More specifically, or perhaps less so, for whom was the Son given-up so many years ago? It was for “us all.” Does that mean that all the wicked sons of Adam shall be saved? Does that mean that Christ died for those whom He didn’t actually save? Once again the context is from verse 28 down: The Son was given for all of us who are “THE called according to his purpose” to save. I wish that all the world could read Jamison, Fausett and Brown’s commentary on this verse. Whichever of those three good men described this verse he said, “For us all” – “that is, for all BELIEVERS alike; as nearly every good interpreter admits must be the meaning here.” This verse doesn’t say that Jesus died to save people who go to hell. It says that he died for all those who do NOT go to hell.
It is important to get the past tense of God’s grace correct in order to keep the rest of the program correct.
When Philip of Macedon came to Laconia, he sent a messenger to the people residing there. “If I enter Laconia, I will level it to the ground.” The people of Laconia sent back a very simple message: “If.” I remind you that Paul uses two different “if’s” in His epistles. Sometimes there is the “if of doubt,” and sometimes he uses the “if of absolute certainty.” If you are a child of God, proven to be so by faith in Christ Jesus, there is no doubt in this verse for you – this is certain. “If God be for us (and we are certain that He is), who can be against us?”
Of course, this presumes that we have enemies, but whoever they are, they are nothing to worry about. For if we be children of God, then our enemies are actually God’s enemies. So we’re talking about the children of Satan, our former brothers and sisters. I made a study of the New Age movement a number of years ago, doing a lot of background research. Some authors purposely tried to instill fear of all New Agers – a kind of spiritualist. They tried to say that some of them were being told to murder Bible believers. Assuming that is true, isn’t also true that God is for us? And if God be for us, who can successfully be against us? Satan is certainly an enemy of the saint who wants to openly serve the Lord. Have you ever spent much time reading about demons and their tactics? Just thinking about their power, and what they can do, ought to send a chill down our spine. But If God be for us, what demon can victorious against us? The world, too, is no friend to help us on to God. But that doesn’t mean that the world is guaranteed to defeat us at its will. Elisha had enemies – II Kings 6:15-16. “When the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” David had enemies – Psalm 27:1 – “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Jeremiah had enemies – Jeremiah 1:17-19 – “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.” Joshua had enemies – Joshua 1:9 – “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Do you have a fear of the possibility that some day you might loose your redemption? Put away that Satanic thought – “Get thee behind me Satan.” “If God be for us, and we know He is, because we are the called according his purpose, who can be against us?” The present tense of God’s great grace is greater than anything the world, the flesh, or the Devil might throw at us.
The first thing that we that have to ask is: what “things” is the text talking about? Does this mean that God is going to give His child all of his selfish whims? Is this the promise that the Pentecostal Prosperity deceivers are looking for? If you want a Lear Jet just ask God, and He is obligated to give it to you? If you want a 10 carat diamond ring just pray in Jesus’ name, and you shall have it? If you want your dead grandmother to be restored to life, she will be restored. This is not what the text is talking about. This is talking about the various aspects of the decree of God in election and predestination. This is the same “all things” that we found in verse 28. John Newton put it this way in one of his songs: “His love in time past forbids me to think, He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink: Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review, Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through. Since all that I meet, shall work for my good, The bitter is sweet, the medicine food; Though painful at present, ‘Twill cease before long; And then, O how pleasant, the Conqueror’s Song.”
I won’t promise you that everything for which you pray will be granted by God. “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” But I will say this: Jehovah has already given the greatest gift of all. So it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask Him for any lesser blessing. One old preacher years ago said, “God has given you an estate. And if He’s given such a great gift as a country estate, it’s certainly not too much to expect the apples off the trees of that estate.”
But I remind you that this promise is one of tomorrow and not today. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how SHALL he not with Him freely give you all things?” Child of God, lift up your head, don’t be down-cast. “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
And how can I know that it is the Lord’s purpose to save me and to give me these “all things?” Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Humbly fall on your face before the cross.