In Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul asks this question. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Of course, this question is not posed in isolation. He asks it of his readers during a fairly extensive narrative.
Jesus told his disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). We, as Christians, are going to face opposition in this world. Many people in the world actively oppose Christianity. Many of the philosophies of the world oppose us. Look what is being taught to our children. The Bible and its teachings are ridiculed, and there is a concerted effort to drag society on a downward spiral away from the teachings of our Lord. In some western societies the Bible is banned from schools, although, perversely, it is allowed in their prisons.
In our earthly lives, we can be persecuted, defeated, even killed. However, God has promised that we will overcome. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4). If you have been “born of God” you will enjoy eternity in the most glorious place imaginable. Paul states, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
However, when Paul asks, “who can be against us?” in our original question, he is not asking whether we will have opposition in this life, he is asking who will be there to condemn us in eternity. There is nothing that can separate us from God in eternity.
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
Colin R. Vine