What Scripture is giving you assurance right now?
The 39 Bible verses in Romans 8 are packed with God’s promises of care and provision. Let’s look at some of them!
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
Peace of Mind
Verse 6: The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
As John Piper, a gifted Christian author and speaker notes, “If we don’t have the hope that Christ is for us then we will be engaged in self-preservation and self-enhancement. But if we let ourselves be taken care of by God for the future — whether five minutes or five centuries from now — then we can be free to love others.”
A worried mind is a self-absorbed mind. A self-absorbed mind doesn’t have the bandwidth to be mindful of the needs of others.
But God says that when we center our mind on Him, we can have peace that we can share with others. In these stressful times, the world needs all the peace we can give it.
Christ is Working ALL Things Out
Verse 28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
There is nothing worse than experiencing long-term limbo. We humans aren’t particularly good at waiting, because God hardwired us to be “doers.” So when we can’t “do,” we lose perspective and meaning. As meaning exits, so does purpose.
Like, what’s the point of even making the bed, brushing our teeth, or showering? What’s the point of getting off the couch to turn off the boob tube?
Here’s why: Because God is working for our good — so we should be working for it, too. We can choose, because we have a mind governed by the Spirit, to not sink into a funk. God is always on the move!
God Works for Our Good, Because He Loves Us
Verses 38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Some of us struggle with believing in a loving God. Perhaps because Christians have let us down, or because we were schooled in bad theology teaching that God focuses on our flaws and failings and that we have to earn His love by trying to be perfect.
Do you overeat? He loves you. Addicted to porn? He loves you. Cheat on your taxes? Yell at your kids? Steal supplies from the office? He loves you. Sure, He wants to help you to not do those things — but not by shaming you with condemnation. Jesus came to give us the assurance of God’s freely given grace.
An amazing truth: every person I know who has turned to God in their darkest moments, has emerged with a deepened assurance of how much God loves them.
Are you convinced of God’s ceaseless love for YOU, too? If not, be bold: tell Him you want that assurance! Be open to seeing how He shows you!
Next Steps
> Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here.
> We invite you to read Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter, to examine evidence about Jesus.
