My dear readers,

Who is he that condemneth?

Romans 8:34: “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Who on earth can condemn a believer and declare that he deserves to die because of his sins and does not deserve to enter the kingdom of God? Believers cannot live perfect lives as long as they live on earth in their earthen vessels. They will still sin even after salvation in Christ. Hence, the incessant accusations will prick every believer’s conscience; perhaps the allegations might have some elements of truth, filling the heart and mind of the believer with the guilt of sin!

When the babe in Christ leans heavily on his feelings to feel saved rather than on God’s Word, he becomes a prime target for the evil one. But when he grows in the grace and knowledge of God in Christ, his faith is anchored in God's promises, even though he might not feel so saved; he has matured sufficiently to know that it is not based on his feelings that he has the assurance of salvation but on the finished work of Christ and God's eternal and unbreakable Word.

There is no better verse in the Bible than Romans 8:34 to give every born-again believer the assurance they need. God offers four rock-solid foundational truths to anchor the believer’s faith. One is more than sufficient, but God gave four to strengthen believers, knowing their faith is fragile.

• Christ who died – Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man. He came from heaven to earth and took on flesh and blood to suffer and die on behalf of all sinners. There was no other reason except to go and be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. Being the God-man, Christ’s death was of infinite value and scope and can save all sinners from any sin man may commit against God. There is no sin that God the Father will not forgive through the death of Christ if the sinner were to repent. There is no such teaching of an unpardonable sin in the Bible. If there is, then the infinite value and scope of Christ’s death to save sinners would be compromised and diminished. Christ’s death fully satisfied the divine justice of God. God said to Adam, who represented all humanity, in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:15-17, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Christ came to suffer and die for our sins as the perfect lamb of God to take away all our sins. He did die. Was it sufficient?

• Christ who is risen – If Christ’s death was insufficient to fully satisfy God’s divine justice (i.e. as full payment to pay for the sins of the whole world), Christ would remain dead. Thank God, according to the Scriptures, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead three days after He died. Because of sin, man will die and be cast into hell. When sins are forgiven, man no longer need to die and be cast into hell. Christ died in their place. All believers have been crucified with Christ, and just as Christ rose from the dead, so did they spiritually; and they will rise from the dead literally when Christ returns in glory. Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

If you are a child of God, do not fear death, man’s last enemy. Christ has wholly defeated death by His death and resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of every believer’s resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Christ, who is even at the right hand of God – The position of the “right hand” is one of trust and power. Christ is at the right hand of God, which means Christ is God’s trusted Confidante and has been bestowed all the powers of God. The “right hand" position was earned by Christ when He became the Son of Man and suffered and died for man. To be at the right hand of God signifies His completed mission as the Saviour of the world. His God-given divine mission was completed to perfection and wholly accepted by God as all-sufficient to deliver all sinners from all manner of sins they have committed against God. All accusations from all accusers, including Satan, have no justification for an accusing finger at any child of God whom God saves through Christ. All the consequences, like the sinful nature, death, hell and state of condemnation, have been thoroughly removed from the believer’s life till eternity. The guilt of sin that constantly plagues every sinner has been completely pardoned. Once the blood of Christ has washed the sinner, God will see him as one who has never sinned a single sin in his life. Otherwise, God would not have imputed unto him the righteousness of Christ that is based on the fulfilment of God's laws. Romans 4:22-25: “And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. ²³Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; ²⁴ But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; ²⁵Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

• Children of the heavenly Father, who are saved and left behind on earth to serve the Lord and do His holy will, need this assurance so that when they serve, they can do so with renewed zeal, fervency and courage, for there is absolutely nothing on earth that can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. What every one of us needs to do in these last days of great apostasy within Christianity is to make sure of our salvation. The greatest tragedy is for one to have an assurance of salvation when there is no salvation to be assured of; and to only find that out when the Lord Jesus returns in glory or when one meets the Lord at death. By then, his destiny is sealed in hell. There is no escape. Let us take heed to ensure our salvation in Christ today so that no condemnation awaits us in the near future. Amen.

Christ who maketh intercession for us – The fourth and final foundation is that Christ continues to make intercession for all believers who serve and witness a good confession on his behalf. He prays for them continuously. God always answers all the prayers of Christ because Christ always knows God's mind and always prays according to God’s will. He prays for God's peace to keep His disciples' hearts and minds when they suffer for His sake. He prays for courage and discernment as they earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints so that all will be faithful to heavenly Father to keep all His disciples in the will of God as they learn daily to walk by faith, trusting in God to always give them the best for their spiritual well-being. He prays that they will not be weary in well doing as they serve Him and learn to be still and lean upon God so that they will mount up with wings like the eagle, and when they run, they will not faint, and when they walk, they will not be weary. With Christ praying for all of God's children, none will ever be lost, and all will arrive home in heaven and glory.