When I opened Twitter today, my news feed greeted me with an image donning the popular Christian phrase “If God is for us, who can stop us?” Sighing, I rolled my eyes and kept scrolling. I’ve grown sensitive to the way Christians put certain phrases on display without any explanation or context. What bothers me isn’t that it’s untrue; after all, it’s Scripture (Romans 8:31). I’m concerned because at face value this phrase suggests a dangerously skewed picture of God and how he relates to his children.
“If God is for us, who can stop us?” sounds like you’re unstoppable, invincible. When you combine our culture’s obsession with personal achievement with the prosperity gospel that haunts our TVs, it’s easy to see how someone could perceive this phrase as a promise of personal success. “If God is for you, then you’ll be successful,” the unchurched read.
There’s just one problem: God never promised that everything we touch will turn to gold. In fact, Jesus flat out told us we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). He talks about being rejected and how the last will be first in his Kingdom. Jesus specifically said we cannot serve both God and money (Matt. 6:24) and he modeled a simple way of life. All four Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus inviting people to take up their crosses and follow him. Go read these stories and see if you find any inkling that these cross-carrying people are now walking down Easy Street.
On another note, consider how off-putting this phase could be to someone who has suffered at the hands of the church. From their perspective, “If God is for us, who can stop us?” reinforces the same us-versus-them mentality that once caused so much pain. “If God is for you, he must be against me,” the de-churched read. This is just heartbreaking! Jesus isn’t about shutting people out; he invites people in. He invites in Jews and gentiles, sinners and saints, poor and wealthy, honest and devious, pure and scandalous.
So why, then, would Paul write “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31, NASB)
Let’s zoom out and look at the surrounding verses to get the context of Paul’s comment. In the NASB, the subheading “Our Victory in Christ” separates verses 26 through 39 from the rest of Chapter 8. Paul uses this section to reassure believers in Christ that their position as his beloved cannot be compromised. Paul first talks about how the Spirit of God is our help and strength (verses 26 and 27), and then in verses 28 through 30, he talks about all God has done to lift up his children. Finally, in verse 35 Paul asks who (or what) can separate us from God’s incredible love--hard times, hatred, hunger, homelessness, threats, backstabbing, terrible sins? Isn’t it interesting that Paul chose to mention some of life’s greatest challenges? If Romans 8:31 was intended to suggest that God would make us victorious in all of our endeavors, wouldn’t these troubles be irrelevant?
Paul summarizes his point (and hammers home mine) in verses 38 and 39:
“For I am convinced that 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.”
There it is, folks. Romans 8:31 gives us a promise far more meaningful than personal success. We live in a world where words, feelings, accomplishments, status, relationships, and everything else is fleeting. In the midst of this grim reality comes Paul’s reassurance that God's love is not like the love of this world. God is steadfast and his love for you endures longer than you dare believe.
Romans 8:31 is Good News, but it's also easy to misinterpret. When shared in isolation, it can easily become Good News Gone Wrong. Before you share a Bible quote on social media, take a second to consider the perspective of an unbeliever. Is this quote encouraging? Could it be perceived as exclusive? Has it been misused by prosperity preachers? Christians, please share Scripture responsibly.
