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God's Eternal Love
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Explore Romans 8:31-39 in this sermon: In a funeral setting, Romans 8:31-39 gives grieving believers assurance that no accuser, suffering, created power, or…
- In a funeral setting, Romans 8:31-39 gives grieving believers assurance that no accuser, suffering, created power, or death can separate them from God's love in Christ.
- God's love is demonstrated rather than merely spoken: he did not spare his eternally beloved Son but delivered him for undeserving sinners.
- Human consciences, other people, and Satan may accuse, but the decisive verdict belongs to God, who justifies his elect.
- No person earns God's favor by moral achievement; every sinner breaks God's law and needs the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
- Christ lived the obedient life sinners failed to live, bore the death they deserved, and clothes believers in his righteousness.
- Jesus is risen, seated at the Father's right hand, and continually intercedes for his people, proving that his saving payment is complete.
- Christian grief remains real and painful, but it is grief with hope because the grave does not end the believer's story.
- The believer who dies is with the Savior in peace, while the unbreakable love displayed at the cross sustains those who mourn.
Romans 8 answers grief and accusation with the accomplished and continuing work of Christ. God gives his own Son for sinners; God justifies; Christ dies, rises, reigns, and intercedes. The believer's confidence therefore does not rest on an unblemished personal record but on Christ's righteousness and verdict. Tribulation and death remain painful realities, yet none possesses the authority to cut God's people off from his love. Preached at a funeral, the passage offers a distinctly Christian comfort: mourners grieve honestly, while trusting that the believer who dies is with Christ and remains held for resurrection.
Biblical Themes
- God's demonstrated love in giving his Son
- The silencing of accusation
- Justification by Christ's righteousness
- Christ's death and resurrection
- The risen Lord's intercession
- Perseverance in suffering
- The believer's state after death
- Grief transformed by gospel hope
Scripture Connections
- Psalm 117:1-2 — The Lord's steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever and summon all nations to praise.
- Numbers 6:24-26 — God's covenant blessing of keeping, gracious presence, and peace supplies the sermon’s closing image.
- Romans 3:9-26 — All fall short, and God justifies freely through the redemption accomplished by Christ.
- Romans 5:6-11 — God demonstrates his love by Christ's death for sinners and reconciles them through his Son.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 50-57 — Christ's resurrection guarantees the defeat of death and the resurrection of his people.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 — Christians grieve, but not without hope, because the dead in Christ will rise.
- Hebrews 7:23-28 — The living High Priest saves completely and always intercedes for those who approach God through him.
- Revelation 21:1-4 — God's final dwelling with his people removes death, mourning, crying, and pain.
Practical Applications
- Answer accusations by returning to God's justifying verdict rather than defending your moral record.
- Measure God's love by the gift of his Son instead of the comfort or pain of current circumstances.
- Confess specific lawbreaking honestly while trusting the righteousness Christ supplies.
- Remember that the risen Jesus continues to intercede when prayer and assurance feel weak.
- Permit grief to be real without treating death as the end of the believer's story.
- Comfort mourners with Christ's promises rather than speculation about human merit.
- Use the certainty of resurrection to endure present loss without despair.
- Ground the answer to ‘Why does God love me?’ entirely in Jesus Christ.
Historical Context
This is a funeral sermon addressing the family and congregation after the death of a professing believer named Bob. Rather than attempting a full biography, it applies Paul's climactic assurance in Romans 8 to grief, accusation, justification, and death. Personal references in the transcript serve that pastoral setting; the theological claims are grounded in Christ's completed work and the promises given to all who are in him.
Westminster Standards
Westminster Confession of Faith 17.1
They, whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from the state of Grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
Connection to the sermon: Romans 8 declares that no created thing, including death, can separate believers from God's love in Christ. The confession states the certain perseverance and eternal salvation flowing from that acceptance.
Westminster Larger Catechism 79
True beleevers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God, and his decree and covenant to give them perseverance, their inseparable union with Christ, his continuall intercession for them, and the spirit and seed of God abiding in them, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Connection to the sermon: The sermon rests assurance on God's unchangeable love and Christ's present intercession. This answer gathers those exact grounds with union and the Spirit's abiding work.
Westminster Shorter Catechism 37
The souls of Beleevers are at their death made perfect in holinesse, and do immediatly passe into glory: and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the Resurrection.
Connection to the sermon: The funeral message says death is not the believer's final address and speaks of being in the Savior's presence. The catechism states immediate glory, continuing union with Christ, and future resurrection.
- How does the funeral setting shape the sermon's use of Romans 8?
- What proof does Paul give that God is truly for his people?
- Why can inner condemnation feel persuasive even when it cannot overturn God's verdict?
- What does honest examination of God's commandments reveal about human righteousness?
- How does Christ's obedience answer the believer's failed record?
- What does the resurrection demonstrate about Christ's payment for sin?
- How does Christ's present intercession strengthen assurance?
- What kinds of suffering does Paul explicitly say cannot separate believers from Christ's love?
- Why is Christian mourning neither denial of pain nor despair before death?
- Is your confidence in God's love based on personal goodness or on Jesus Christ?
- God's eternal love
- The unchanging divine love centered in Christ and bestowed freely upon those united to him.
- Accusation
- A charge brought by conscience, people, or Satan that cannot overturn God's justifying verdict in Christ.
- Election
- God's gracious choice of a people whom he justifies, keeps, and brings to glory in Christ.
- Justification
- God's free declaration that sinners are pardoned and righteous because Christ's obedience is credited to them by faith.
- Imputed righteousness
- The perfect obedience of Jesus counted as the believer's legal righteousness before God.
- Intercession
- The risen Christ's continuing advocacy for his people at the Father's right hand.
- Perseverance
- God's preservation of believers so that no trial, power, or death can finally sever them from Christ.
- Grief with hope
- Real mourning transformed by confidence that believers who die are with Christ and await resurrection.
It's a short psalm with a powerful punch. Psalm 117. I love at the end there where As the rendition has it in the Psalter, for great is your love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. That's a theme we're going to pick up as we look at Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, if you have a pew Bible, you're more than welcome to turn there. Romans chapter 8, and we'll just be looking at a few verses today. Verses 31 through 39. Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 31. Hear now God's word.
What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? 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.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Prayer for Illumination
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's pray. Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would indeed be our teacher now. Lord, we pray that these would not just be dead words written upon a page, but you might inscribe them on our hearts, that we might know your eternal love. In Jesus's name, amen. If God is for us, who can be against us? Paul is writing this as he's in chains, as he's in prison. Paul has been persecuted from country to country. He's been jailed. He's been shipwrecked. He's been beaten. He's been mocked. He's been ridiculed. He's been run out of entire cities.
Sermon
And he asks in verse 31, what shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Now we live in a country where thankfully you're not being run out of the church. Paul was. But yet, we know in our own lives, our hearts can condemn us. Our minds can make accusations. Sometimes it seems there's a whisper in our ear saying that you're not good enough.
How could God ever possibly love someone like me? Well, we need proof. Is that true? Are those accusations true or not? We'll look at verse 32 with me. He, that being God, God who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with us, with him freely give us all things? God's love was not just spoken. Have you ever met someone like that? That they'll tell you they love you, but it's just vaporous air. You know what I mean? It's all breath, but no reality. That's not how God demonstrates his love. No, God demonstrated his own love by giving us his very own son. We don't deserve this love. We sure didn't earn his love.
In Ephesians 2, it says that while you were dead in your trespasses and sins, Christ died for us. See, God demonstrates his love toward us in a different way. Not when we're good enough, then He shows us love. Not when we've done enough good things, then He'll show us love. But God demonstrates His love in that while we are still sinners, Christ died for us. This is the hope of the Christian gospel. This is the good news that Jesus came and told His disciples to go and spread out. God didn't show His love for us when we were good enough.
God showed His love for us when we were the unlovable. And this is God's blessing. What does God take most delight in? What has God the Father taken most delight in from all eternity past? Well, it can't be anything in this world because, well, the world's not eternal. Okay, well maybe it's, maybe God loved forever the angels. Well, hold on. He created the angels. If God is love, what did God love from all eternity? He loved Christ. He loved his only begotten son. He loved the one that was with him in the beginning, by whom and through whom all things were made. And he loved Jesus Christ that much, eternally loving him that much.
And I don't get it. This is the part of the gospel that I don't understand. If we are honest with ourselves, we don't get it either. He gave that one for a sinner like me, for someone like Bob. God did not spare his own son. What in the streets of gold of heaven could compare to Jesus Christ? And yet that's exactly what the Father gave.
So for you who have faith in Jesus Christ, who is trying to convince you that God doesn't love you? Yourself? Someone outside yourself? Who is accusing you? Satan? Look at me at verse 33 and 34. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? 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. Is the world trying to judge you? Maybe you've fallen into this trap of believing that you had to earn God's love.
But the reality is you were never righteous on your own. I was never righteous by myself. None of us have ever been good enough to earn God's love. We were never clean enough for our gowns to be able to go into heaven spotless. We were never worthy enough to stand before a thrice holy God. So when your accusers come up to you or your own mind condemns you and it says you're not good enough, you're right, I'm not.
But Christ is. And maybe some of you are thinking, well, hold on, this is a big charge to bring against maybe a broad brushstroke in here. Is this really true? Just look at your own life. Maybe you're not convinced that you're unrighteous, but have you ever found yourself chasing your career rather than wanting to read God's Word to go and worship Him? Well, that's idolatry. You've put another god before the Lord of Heaven. Or maybe you'll say, well, I never did that. I read my Bible every week. Well, that's great. Good.
When you were a child, did you ever disobey your parents? Makes you a lawbreaker. Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever been unfair in a business practice, taken advantage of a situation so that you can get ahead? Congratulations, you've indulged in a form of stealing. Have you ever committed adultery? You might say, no, I've always been faithful to my spouse. Well, let me ask, have you ever looked at someone lustfully?
Have you ever indulged in reading that book you know you shouldn't have and gone to that website you know should have been off limits for you? Have you ever watched a television commercial and just lingered a little bit too long on the image on the screen? Jesus says, it's not that you physically commit lust with your body, but it's in your heart. That's only a couple of the commandments.
Have you ever been dissatisfied? Driven past your neighbor's house and thought, man, I wish I had that truck? Gone past somebody and thought, man, why can't my house look like that person's house? Seen some child who's just behaving perfectly and looked at your own child and said, why can't you be like their children? It's covetousness.
This is the reality, it's just ingrained in us. And the reality is what Romans chapter 3 says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God has set his bar and we've just surveyed a few of the commandments and every single one of us knows when we look back on our life, we've broken at least one of these. And if we've broken any law, we are categorically lawbreakers. That's like taking a piece of fine china and hitting it with a hammer one time, even if it only gets one crack, that's a piece of cracked china. If you've broken the law in a single place, you're a lawbreaker. So yeah. Yeah, we're not good enough. Robert wasn't good enough in and of himself to get to be in the presence of a holy God. But that's not what kept him in God's favor. See, what did the text tell us? Verse 33, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. It is God who declares righteous. It is God who does not look on our sins, but looks on Jesus Christ's righteousness.
It is Jesus who lived a perfect life. It is Jesus who never had any other God. It is Jesus who never committed idolatry. It is Jesus who always hallowed his father's name. It is Jesus who never broke the Sabbath and always honored his parents. It is Jesus who never stole, killed, or committed adultery. It is Jesus who never told the smallest white lie. It is Jesus that though he was the ruler and the king of the universe, gave it all up. and was born into a poor family, didn't have a place to lay his head, and yet was never covetous of another person's things.
It is Jesus who lived the perfect life that I never could, you never could, no one ever will. It is Jesus who died the death that we deserve, paid the price that we owed. See, the good news, the hope that Bob had was not that he was gonna strut into heaven with a robe of his own righteousness. But see, he was washed clean in the blood of Jesus Christ. And he was given a robe of Jesus's righteousness. And when he walked into heaven, the Father smiled because he was clothed in Christ. Jesus paid that price perfectly and Jesus earned the righteousness perfectly.
But how do we know that that is true for me? How do we know this is true in our lives? How do we know this isn't just a fancy fable? Because yes, Jesus died on that cross. Yes, he was buried in the grave and often that's where a lot of Christians stop. But that's not where the text here stops. Look with me again at verse 34. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God and who makes intercession for See, Jesus Christ died for our sins, but was raised for our justification. It is Jesus Christ who sits in heaven now. After over 40 days on the earth in his resurrected body, teaching his disciples, eating with them, fellowshipping with them, being with them, he rose up into heaven, he sat down at the right hand of God, and he's not just up there eating bonbons, but he's praying for his people. He's always mindful of his children. He's still the good shepherd. He's still leading us. He's still guiding us.
The empty tomb shows us that Jesus paid the bill in full. Do you get it? We were those who had a ledger deep in red, a debt that we could never pay. And Jesus Christ canceled out the debt, paid the price that we could never pay. And the proof of that is his resurrection from the dead. So what could keep Bob? What could keep Bob now from the love of Christ?
Tell me. Tell me, maybe you know a sin in his life that I don't. Go ahead, tell me a sin that you know, maybe he dealt with somebody in a way that was unscrupulous, maybe he stole money that he shouldn't have, and I'm not making real accusations here, maybe he had this secret double life that none of us knew. One, I doubt it. But two, who can bring a charge against God's elect because Jehob was not brought into the presence of God because he was a righteous man, but because he had faith in the righteous man.
So let me ask you, do you think God loves you? Honest question. Does God love you? Let me ask a follow-up question. Why would God love you? If the answer is not because Jesus Christ loves me, then you're basing your love on something other than what the good news tells us.
This is why Jesus Christ came. This is why Jesus Christ died. This is why Jesus Christ is alive today. This is why we call him our Prince of Peace. God bought that peace for Bob. This is the only comfort I can give you. Because this is a true balm for your soul.
This is why in the book of 1 Thessalonians it says, oh we weep, we mourn. Make no doubt about it, tears are shed and death has a pain that sears deep into our souls and it hurts because we know this isn't the way the story is supposed to end. But we grieve with hope because the grave isn't the end of the story.
God poured out his love for Bob. And now he stands in the presence of the God who is love. At the end of every worship service, I, I shouldn't say always, but normally I give the benediction from Numbers chapter six. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Bob has God's face beaming down with joy upon him. Bob has peace now. A peace that we could only hope for. He doesn't hope for it though. He knows it. Because he's in the presence of his savior. Forever.
Closing Prayer
Let's pray. Oh God, we thank you for the hope we have in Jesus Christ. God, we pray that your spirit would bury this hope to the deepest core of our souls. Lord, that even when all the accusations seem to pile up against us, Lord, we pray that in those dark hours, we would see the light of the gospel, that Jesus Christ died for us and lives now, and he is with us forever. Lord, we pray that you would give us hope as we grieve in Jesus's name, amen.
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