Context: Those who are in Christ Jesus are those who, by faith in Jesus Christ, walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, in obedience to God. And those who are in Christ Jesus are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if you are living according to the flesh, you will die in your sins, and you will not have eternal life with God. But if, by the Spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the sinful flesh, you will live with Christ for eternity. For we are children of God if we suffer with Christ in putting sin to death in our lives.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (v. 28). And to love God is to obey him, in practice. If we do not obey him and his New Covenant commandments, in practice, we do not love him, and we do not know him, and we are not in fellowship with him. And to be called according to his purpose is a call for us to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. But if we refuse, and we choose our own path, instead, we will not have eternal life with God. Heaven will not be ours.
For those God foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (see verse 29), to be becoming like Jesus in character.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31-37 NASB1995)
So, when we read these verses in Romans 8, we need to read all of Romans 8 to get the correct biblical context so that we correctly interpret these words. For God is only for us if we are for him. He is only for us if we have died to sin and if we are walking in obedience to his commands, in practice. He is for us who do not walk (in practice) according to our sinful flesh, but who walk (in conduct) according to (in agreement with) the Holy Spirit. He is for us who, by the Spirit, are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and who are no longer living according to (in agreement with) our sinful flesh.
If God is, thus, for us, who is against us? They are all who are against Jesus Christ, and who he is, and what he did for us in putting our sins to death with him so, by faith in him, we will die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of surrender to God, in obedience to his commands. And this includes many people professing faith in Jesus Christ, too, who are enemies of the cross of Christ because they will not surrender to the cross in dying to sin and now living holy lives, pleasing to God. They just want a free ride into heaven without them having to sacrifice their sinful lifestyles.
And, so, if we are following Jesus with our lives, in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, and so we are sharing the message of the gospel of our salvation with the people of the world, in truth, and we are, thus, also refuting the lies of the enemy coming against the truth of the gospel, our Lord’s enemies will also be our enemies. But the opinions of other humans is not what matters. What matters is how God sees us who love him and who are following him with our lives. We cannot be separated from the love of Christ no matter what we suffer for the sake of being followers of Christ.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
As Sheep to Be Slaughtered
An Original Work / August 22, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (v. 28). And to love God is to obey him, in practice. If we do not obey him and his New Covenant commandments, in practice, we do not love him, and we do not know him, and we are not in fellowship with him. And to be called according to his purpose is a call for us to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. But if we refuse, and we choose our own path, instead, we will not have eternal life with God. Heaven will not be ours.
For those God foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (see verse 29), to be becoming like Jesus in character.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31-37 NASB1995)
So, when we read these verses in Romans 8, we need to read all of Romans 8 to get the correct biblical context so that we correctly interpret these words. For God is only for us if we are for him. He is only for us if we have died to sin and if we are walking in obedience to his commands, in practice. He is for us who do not walk (in practice) according to our sinful flesh, but who walk (in conduct) according to (in agreement with) the Holy Spirit. He is for us who, by the Spirit, are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and who are no longer living according to (in agreement with) our sinful flesh.
If God is, thus, for us, who is against us? They are all who are against Jesus Christ, and who he is, and what he did for us in putting our sins to death with him so, by faith in him, we will die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of surrender to God, in obedience to his commands. And this includes many people professing faith in Jesus Christ, too, who are enemies of the cross of Christ because they will not surrender to the cross in dying to sin and now living holy lives, pleasing to God. They just want a free ride into heaven without them having to sacrifice their sinful lifestyles.
And, so, if we are following Jesus with our lives, in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, and so we are sharing the message of the gospel of our salvation with the people of the world, in truth, and we are, thus, also refuting the lies of the enemy coming against the truth of the gospel, our Lord’s enemies will also be our enemies. But the opinions of other humans is not what matters. What matters is how God sees us who love him and who are following him with our lives. We cannot be separated from the love of Christ no matter what we suffer for the sake of being followers of Christ.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
As Sheep to Be Slaughtered
An Original Work / August 22, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love