The Most Important Promise in My Life: How God Supports My Hope

Some words penetrate so deeply into your soul that they change the way you think about everything—and that change fills you with hope. That’s what happened to me when the apostle Paul revealed to me the all-encompassing logic of heaven in Romans 8:32. I was 23 years old. When I saw that verse like never before, God planted it so deeply in my soul that it became a lifelong source of practical, hope-giving, life-changing power.

Of all the places in the Bible that provide solid support, this verse has been a keystone for me more than any other: «He who did not spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?» (Rom. 8:32).

The logic of heaven

Romans 8:32 is a classic example of the argumentation (and the word «argumentation» is apt here!) of the first eight chapters of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. This greatest of all letters has its own logic, which I call the logic of heaven.

This type of logic has a technical name. You may not know it, but you know exactly how to use it. You might call it a greater-than-less argument or logic. Technically, it's called "a fortiori," which is Latin for "the stronger." The point is that if you put in the effort to achieve something difficult, you can certainly do something easier.

Imagine you say to your child, «Please run over to your neighbor, Mr. Smith, and ask if we can borrow his pliers.» But the child asks, «What if Mr. Smith doesn’t want to lend us his pliers?» How can you convince your child that Mr. Smith will definitely lend us his pliers? You are using the «a fortiori» argument!

You say to a child, «Yesterday, Mr. Smith was willing to lend us his car for the day. If He was willing to lend us his car, He would be even more willing to lend us the pliers.» Even children understand the logic of «a fortiori.» Borrowing a car is a greater sacrifice than borrowing the pliers. Therefore, borrowing the car was more difficult than borrowing the pliers. If He was willing to do the harder thing, He would certainly agree to do the easier thing. That’s how we use the logic of «a fortiori.».

Paul's grand argument "a fortiori"«

Now let's see how Paul uses this kind of argument for the greatest event in the history of the world. He says, "He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." That's the harder thing, so He will definitely give us all things with Him. That's the easier thing.

When this argument penetrates our layers of familiarity, it becomes gloriously hopeful and all-encompassing. I have read this verse all my life. But when I was twenty-three, for the first time this logic—God-inspired logic, holy, heavenly, glorious, inexhaustible—entered my soul and took root there, becoming an unshakable foundation and a living source of hope and strength. I will explain why this is so in a moment. But first, let us focus on the content of both parts of this verse.

The biggest obstacle to eternal happiness

First, let’s look at the first part of Romans 8:32: «He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all…».

What are the greatest obstacles standing between us and eternal happiness? One such obstacle is our sin. We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23), and the wages of sin is eternal death (Rom. 6:23). Another obstacle is God’s wrath. If God is justly angry with us because of our sinful guilt, then we have no hope of eternal happiness. And Paul leaves no doubt that we are under God’s wrath. We, like all mankind, are «children of wrath.» (Eph. 2:3).

These obstacles seem to be the greatest obstacles to eternal happiness. But is that really the case? I believe there is an even greater obstacle that will be much more difficult to overcome—the one Paul is talking about in the first part of Romans 8:32. That obstacle is God’s infinite love and joy in the beauty and glory of His own Son.

Let’s look at this obstacle in the first part of Romans 8:32: «He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all…» Paul expects us to sense a tremendous tension between the phrase «his Son» and the phrase «did not spare.» This must sound like the hardest sacrifice ever made—the sacrifice of God the Father when He gave up His Son, God’s «own Son.».

Could God give up His Son?

When Paul calls Jesus «the Son of God,» he emphasizes that there is no one else like Him and that Jesus is infinitely precious to the Father. Twice during Jesus« earthly life, God said: »This is my Son, the beloved.« (Matt. 3:17; 17:5) At Colossians 1:13, Paul again calls Him »the beloved Son.”.

Jesus himself told the parable of the vinedressers, in which the servants of a householder were beaten and killed by dishonest tenants when they came to take the harvest that belonged to the householder. The householder, impressed by his forbearance, decides to send his own son to make another attempt to take what was rightfully his. Jesus describes this image of God in these words: «He had yet one only son, the beloved» (Mark 12:6). One Son was all that God the Father had. And He loved Him infinitely.

The point of Romans 8:32 is that this love of God for His only Son was a huge obstacle—a veritable Everest—between God and our salvation. It was an almost insurmountable obstacle. Could God, or would He, overcome this tender, rapt, loving, and ardent attachment to His Son and hand Him over to be slandered, betrayed, denied, abandoned, mocked, scourged, beaten, spit upon, nailed to a cross, and pierced with a spear, like an animal that had been stabbed and hanged?

God did not spare Him.

Could God really do this? If He could, then we can be absolutely sure that whatever goal He pursued, having overcome this obstacle, will definitely be achieved. There is no greater obstacle. Therefore, what He pursued has already been definitely accomplished.

«"God Himself gave His Son. Nothing greater or more difficult has ever happened. And never will.".

The unthinkable reality that Romans 8:32 confirms is that God did it. He did give up His Son. God did not spare Him. You may ask, didn’t Judas betray Him (Mark 3:19)? Didn’t Pilate betray Him (Mark 15:15)? Didn’t Herod and the mob betray Him (Acts 4:27–28)? And, worst of all, didn’t we betray Him (1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24)? And, perhaps most surprising of all, didn’t Jesus himself betray Himself (John 10:17; 19:30)? The answer to all of these questions is yes.

But in Romans 8:32 Paul cuts through all these intermediaries, all these instruments of death. He says the most unthinkable thing: behind all this—behind Judas, Pilate, Herod, the crowds, the Roman soldiers, our sin, and Jesus« humility as a lamb—God Himself gave His Son to death. »Him, delivered up according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Through Judas, Pilate, Herod, the crowds, our sins, and through Jesus’ humility, God Himself gave His Son. Nothing greater or more difficult has ever happened. And never will.

The easy half of the argument

So, in Paul’s argument, «a fortiori,» God has done his utmost to give us eternal happiness. He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for all of us. What does this guarantee? Paul puts it as a rhetorical question: «Will he not also with him freely give us all things?» He hopes we will translate this into a strong, definite statement: «He will certainly also with him freely give us all things.».

Since God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, He will certainly give us all things with Him. EVERYTHING! This is not a promise of a carefree life. Four verses later Paul says, «For Your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered» (Rom. 8:36).

«He will give us all things» means everything that is necessary to accomplish His will. All the things that are necessary for His glory. All the things that are necessary to move from predestination to called, to justified, to glorified—that is, to eternal happiness (Rom. 8:30).

Since God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, we can confidently say that:

• All things will work together for our good (v. 28).
• We will be conformed to the image of His Son (v. 29).
• We will be glorified (v. 30).
• No one can successfully resist us (v. 31).
• No accusation will be accepted against us (v. 33).
• Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (v. 35).
• In suffering, in distress, in persecution, in hunger, in nakedness, in danger or sword—we are more than conquerors (vv. 35–37).
• Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv. 38–39).

My hope is based on Romans 8:32

Now back to the beginning. I said that when I was 23 years old, this logic of heaven penetrated so deeply into my soul that it changed my perception of everything—and this change was full of hope. This logic teaches that the Father, without sparing the Son, guarantees every promise I have ever relied on or ever will rely on.

«"I live my life every day based on the promises of God. I owe every one of them to the logic of Romans 8:32.".

I live my life every day, relying on the promises of God. I am bound by every one of them by the logic of Romans 8:32. Do you see how all-encompassing this truth is to me? All my hope depends on the promises of God. And all the promises (everything, all things) are guaranteed by the logic of Romans 8:32.

Paul said, «For as many as the promises of God are in him, they are yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God through us« (2 Cor. 1:20). This is because the Father did not spare His Son. He did this so that all things—all these promises—would be absolutely certain to those who hope in Him. I have fought all the battles of my life with the promises of God—battles against fear, lust, greed, pride, and anger. Battles for courage, purity, contentment, humility, peace, and love. All of them—thanks to the Word of God—are promises of God.

Behind each of these battles is the logic of heaven: "I did not spare My own Son; therefore My promises to you cannot fail. I will help you. Go. Do what I have called you to do.".