It means that if God is on the believer's side, no opposing force can overturn the salvation and security He has established—but it does not promise freedom from suffering.
Paul wrote this after showing that those whom God called, He also justified and glorified, and that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Les Feldick says the verse is a tremendous promise that should impact us, yet believers may still face tribulation, persecution, and even death. The point is that none of these can separate us from God's love or force us out of His Body.
Romans 8:31 — This is the verse in question; Paul asks 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' to summarize the security that comes from all that God has already done for believers.
Romans 8:31 asks, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" This comes after Paul has written that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and that those whom God called He also justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). The question is not about the absence of enemies; it is about the sovereign power of God on behalf of believers. Romans 8:32 says that God "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all," and asks how He will not also "freely give us all things." Romans 8:36 even acknowledges that believers are "killed all the day long" and "accounted as sheep for the slaughter," showing that suffering is part of the believer's experience. Yet Romans 8:37 says that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:38-39 then declares that neither death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present or to come, height, depth, nor any created thing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Les Feldick calls Romans 8:31 a tremendous verse and a great promise. He says most people skim right over it without realizing what an impact it should make. The verse rests on everything Paul has just written: God calls, justifies, and glorifies, and for those in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. Les teaches that this security is not because of anything we have done or merited; it is only because of the work of the cross. Les also speaks to the believer's experience of feeling outnumbered and timid. He says the world's attitude toward believers is like sheep for the slaughter, and that tribulation, distress, or persecution can come against us. But he insists that none of these can force a believer out of the Body of Christ. God is sovereign and in total control, and He has placed believers in an 'arc of safety.' Because God gave His own Son, Les argues that He will freely give us everything we need, and believers can rest on these promises. He also says the 'I am persuaded' of Romans 8:38 is much stronger than our ordinary idea of finally consenting to something.
No. The verse is not a guarantee that nothing harmful will happen. Scripture itself says, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter' (Romans 8:36). Les Feldick says that is the world's attitude toward the believer and has been since the beginning of time. He also acknowledges that tribulation, distress, or persecution can happen. The promise does not mean an absence of enemies; it means no opposition can overturn what God has secured.
Les Feldick teaches that God is sovereign, in total control, and will be the final avenger. Since God did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, Les asks, 'Is there anything else that He can withhold?' No, God will freely give us everything we need. Romans 8:38-39 reinforces this by saying that neither death, life, angels, principalities, nor powers can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The believer's security is not built on human effort but on God's supreme power and the finished work of the cross.
Before Romans 8:31, Paul has written that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and that those whom God called are also justified and glorified. Les says this preceding teaching is what makes verse 31 so tremendous. The question 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' is not a stand-alone wish; it rests on everything God has already done in calling, justifying, and glorifying His people.
Les acknowledges that believers can feel outnumbered and timid, but he points to Romans 8:31 as a promise to rest on. In all these things, he says, believers are 'more than conquerors through him that loved us.' The word 'persuaded' in Romans 8:38 is much stronger than merely consenting to something. Since God's power is supreme and He has placed us in an 'arc of safety,' believers can trust that no external force can remove them from God's care.
The Context of Romans 8:31
Les emphasizes that Romans 8:31 is a tremendous verse that follows God's calling, justifying, and glorifying, and it should have a real impact on believers.
A Promise for the Outnumbered
Les calls Romans 8:31 a promise to rest on when believers feel outnumbered, fearful, or timid.
Security in the Body of Christ
Les says tribulation, distress, or persecution cannot force a believer out of the Body of Christ because security is guaranteed by the work of the cross.
The Arc of Safety
Les shows that neither Satan nor human reasoning can remove a believer, because God's power is supreme and He has placed us in an 'arc of safety.'
More Than Conquerors
Les says the world treats believers as sheep for the slaughter, yet 'in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.'
God's Complete Provision
Les argues that if God delivered up His own Son for us, He will freely give us all things and ultimately be the final avenger.
Assurance Against Doubt
Les says these promises give believers assurance and confront the idea that one must work to hang on to salvation or could lose it.
No Condemnation
Les bases the promise on Romans 8:1's declaration that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and says if God said it, that settles it.
Romans 8:31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
This is the verse in question; it captures the assurance that God's presence guarantees the believer's security.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Les grounds the promise in the reality that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
If God gave His Son, He will not withhold anything else believers need.
Romans 8:36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
This shows that believers can face suffering and even death, so the promise is not immunity from harm.
Romans 8:37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Even in suffering, believers are more than conquerors through Christ's love.
Romans 8:38-39: 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing in creation can separate believers from God's love in Christ Jesus.
No. The Bible says believers are 'accounted as sheep for the slaughter' (Romans 8:36), and Les Feldick says that is the world's attitude toward believers. The verse promises that no opposition can overturn what God has secured, not that suffering will be avoided.
Les says never. Tribulation, distress, or persecution cannot force a believer out of the Body of Christ because God has guaranteed our security through the work of the cross. Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
No, says Les. We never maintain our assurance because of who we are or what we are; it is only because of what God has done. God is sovereign, and those in Christ Jesus are under no condemnation.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "If God Be for Us" Really Mean? Romans 8:31