AW Tozer once wrote that what comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. And I think that is right and true. Knowing God, the true God is all important. The prophet Daniel said, “The people who know their God will be strong and take action” (Daniel 11:32). Well, Romans 8 has significantly shaped my understanding of God. When I set out to memorize this chapter about 10 years ago, there were familiar verses and phrases that I had read dozens, even hundreds of times. Romans 8:1 → There is therefore now no condemnation… 

Romans 8:14 → If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit…

Romans 8:18 → The sufferings of this present time… 

Romans 8:28 → And we know that for those who love God… 

Romans 8:31 → If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:37 → more than conquerors… 

Romans 8:39 → nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ… 

These were familiar paths for me and perhaps they are for you.  But over the years of meditation on Romans 8, verse 32 has come to hold a peculiar place in my understanding of God. It reveals something to us about God that must be central to our understanding of God, the gospel, and truly the entire Christian faith. But it is stated in such a way that you get a sense of the depth of meaning underneath. This verse unpacks a profound truth about God and does so by sinking our roots deep in divine truth. Listen to these words again:

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?

This verse highlights the all important truth of “The Generosity of God”. God gives. He gives, gives, and then gives some more. The triune God of scripture - the Father, Son, and Spirit - is a generous, giving God. Now, this truth will be a good and necessary corrective for those who view God as tight-fisted. A God who is reluctant to give. Or who gives after we have proven ourselves worthy of the gift he bestows. No! Our Father gives to his children. In revealing his Father, what did Jesus say?

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

He gives. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16). So those here who believe God is a miser, listen up. You need to encounter the God who gives and does so extravagantly. This verse, however, is also a corrective to those who may like to talk about God’s generosity, but do so untethered to the ground and basis of his generosity - which is drawn out so clearly in this verse. It is just, “God’s and likes to give us stuff”. Kind of like the rich father who spoils his naughty kids. There is a difference.

So what Paul does in this verse is show us what God has done in the past to demonstrate His immense generosity and how that is the ground and basis for what we can expect now and in the future. Listen again:

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?

Paul uses what’s called an “a fortiori” argument, which is an argument from the greater to the lesser. An example of this argument would be if I said, Mr. Gladwell gladly let me borrow his boat last weekend. Certainly he will let me borrow a screwdriver today. God did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all - that’s the greater. And that is great! How will he not also “with him” freely give us all things - that’s the lesser. And compared to the gift of Christ, it is far lesser. 

The language is interesting. It is in the form of a question, but includes a double negative. Do you see that? He did not spare. How will he not give us all things. We could turn it around and make a positive statement that would go like this: 

God delivered up His own Son for us, therefore he most certainly will give us all things with him.

That’s a big deal! So let’s think about this. “God the Father who did not spare his own Son.” The word spare means to withhold or hold back or abstain. The Father did not withhold his own Son. This phrase is an echo of the words God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22. Without question, these words were inspired by the Spirit so that we would think about the scene of Abraham and his beloved son Isaac. It’s that strange story where the LORD tells Abraham to take his son and sacrifice him. They come to the place of sacrifice and,

Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:9-12)

Why is this significant? Well, Abraham loved his son Isaac. Isaac was the son of promise, the son of his old age. The son who brought laughter and joy to Abraham and Sarah. But Genesis 22 is not mainly about Abraham and Isaac. That’s why Paul echoes those words. It’s about Romans 8:32. God affirmed that Abraham feared him because he did not withhold his only son. We look at the cross and can see and should see that the Father did not withhold his Son, his only begotten Son and know the deep and profound love and grace of God. 

How deep the Father’s love for us. How vast beyond all measure. That he should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure!

Think for a moment about those three words “His own Son”. He didn’t spare his own son. The love that Abraham had for Isaac was intense and deep. I know that kind of love. I have four daughters and a couple sons. But Abraham’s love for Isaac paled in comparison with the love the Father had for the Son from all eternity. We are sons and daughters of God by adoption, but Christ is according to his eternal nature in the godhead. Jesus, the Son, is and has been one with the Father for all eternity. In John 17:24, Jesus said to the Father, “You loved me before the foundation of the world.” And yet, the Father did not withhold the Son of his love. What did he do instead? Well, instead of withholding, he gave him up for us.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all…

Unlike Abraham and Isaac, God the Father not withholding his own Son did not stop short of sacrifice. It led to it. It required it. That was the point. If the Father had withheld his Son, the withholding would have meant Jesus did not go to the cross - and we would be lost… 

So the Father “gave him up for us all”. There is so much here. But we must see a couple things. First, the phrase “gave him up” or “delivered him up” communicates the Father’s action in the crucifixion. We often think of the Jewish people’s envy, the Roman soldiers’ brutality, Judas’s traitorous betrayal, Pilate’s spineless expediency, and so forth. All of that is true. They all did what they did and did so of their own accord. And yet, they were carrying out the Father’s plan. Ultimately it was the Father who delivered up the Son to the cross. There is no better place to see this confirmed than in the beautiful prophecy of Isaiah 53. This is a clear prophecy of the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. And it’s in a section where he is described Yahweh’s Servant. The Suffering Servant. I want to read a chunk of this and just emphasize a couple of verses to make the point:

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

God the Father delivered up His eternal Son to suffer and die on the cross. This is important. Many religions have gods who require their people to pacify them or appease their wrath by sacrifice. The sacrifice can be laborious things that someone does to “bribe god”, or it might be the blood of a bull or a goat or your child. The point is that the gods need to be pacified or you are in trouble. In Christianity, God himself undertakes to satisfy his own wrath. Listen to the words of 1 John 4:10:

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The word propitiation means a sacrifice that removes wrath. The Father sent His Son, he delivered up his Son to be that sacrifice in his death on the cross. It should also be noted that though the Father delivered Jesus up to the cross, Jesus wasn’t forced against his will, but went of his own accord. There is perfect harmony between the Father, Son and Spirit in this. The same language is used of the Son who, 

Loved us and gave himself for us… (Galatians 2:20)

Loved her (the church) and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)

I lay down my life for the sheep. No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord (John 10:15; 18)

And he gave his Son up “for us all”. In a commentary many years ago, I read a quote from Karl Barth where he said the most important Greek word in the NT is the word “huper” which can be translated for or on behalf of or in the place of. It is the language of substitution. What did the Father do? He gave his Son up “for us all”, in our place, on our behalf. He took my place. Christ died the death I deserve. Now remember, this verse is an argument from the greater to the lesser. The Father gave us His Son to die for us, in our place, for our sins, bearing the wrath we deserve. That’s the greater. The gift of Christ is the greater. Can we all agree with that? Are we on the same page? 

You see, I get concerned that some think, “Yeah, yeah, I know that, but what I really want is other stuff!” The other stuff is included here! But that’s all wrong. The triumphant note is struck on the greater: “He gave us his Son!” When we are dumbfounded by what he’s already given, we will be like, “of course, he’ll give us all things we need”. There are two words in the second part of this verse that are often (I think) overlooked. 

How will He not also with him graciously give us all things?

I think the most important part of this is the two words “with him”. All the other blessings come “with him”. Jesus Christ, given for us is the gift that brings all the other gifts. He is the blessing that guarantees all the others. 

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)

Is there any limitation to these words “all things”? I suppose the only limitation would be that God will limit what he gives us to what is good for us. He will bestow every good thing to complete his redeeming work in our lives. He will give us every good thing we need to carry out the work of advancing his mission and kingdom and gospel. How will he not? He has given us His Son. All these good things we need will come in and with and through His Son. 

How do we know the great loving generosity of God? How do we know the God who overflows in grace, who abounds in steadfast love? How do I know that he will give me everything I need in the future? We look at the cross and say, 

“Now I know Father that you love us and will be gracious to us and give us all I need. For you did not withhold your Son, your only begotten Son from me.” 

There’s a saying though, that the proof is in the pudding. How do you know if you really know the overflowing graciousness and generosity of God? Here’s how. 

1. Trust → He is for me. A settled trust. We are living in a time of great shaking and upheaval. We should be like those who are like Mt Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever (Psalm 125)
2. Prayer → Our generous Father
3. Give of ourselves → unreservedly to God and others