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?”
Some time ago, while in prayer, this verse was placed upon my heart in a very real way. Though I could quote it, it never became so real to me as it did the day the Spirit of God spoke it to me in my season of prayer. This verse, along with the truth that it bears, showed me the great heart of the Father, who desires to answer our every prayer that will bring about His divine will.
The subject of the above verse is prayer. Make no mistake about that. This is a good verse to remember before falling upon your knees. Its words made such an impression upon my heart that I considered printing this verse out and framing it, placing it just above my altar. Let us break this verse down, examining each part briefly.
“He That Spared Not His Own Son…”
The first phrase of this verse is an attention-getter. Notice – “He that spared not His own Son…” What does the word, “spare” mean? Webster defines the word as meaning “to use mercy.” God spared His children often in the scriptures. He spared Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Although they were not spared from being thrown into the fiery furnace, they WERE spared from the flames. God Almighty showed mercy in shielding them from the devouring fire. Daniel, though he was not spared from the lions’ den, he WAS spared from the lions’ mouths. Not one lion attempted to attack Daniel in any way. God, through His infinite mercy, spared Daniel. I am a living testimony of God’s mercy in sparing my life. More than once, when I could have most certainly exited this life and entered the next, God spared me. There are many who are reading this post who can testify that God, through great grace and mercy, SPARED them!
But God SPARED NOT His own Son. God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, was innocent of any sin, iniquity, blemish, spot, or wrinkle of any kind. He never broke one law of His Father. He never sinned with His mind, thinking gross sins; He never sinned with His mouth, speaking gross sins; and He never sinned with hands, performing gross sins. Christ was completely innocent, completely sinless, and completely perfect, in every sense of the word. Yet, when Jesus went to the cross, the Father showed no mercy whatsoever to His only begotten Son.
“…But Delivered Him up for us All…”
We are told that the Father spared not His own Son, but rather, “delivered Him up for us all.” This is undoubtedly speaking of Christ’s death on the cross. Notice that it is the Father who “spared not His own Son;” and it is the Father who “delivered Him up for us all.” I have heard discussions and debates over whether the Romans killed Jesus because He was beaten by Roman soldiers; or whether the Jews killed Jesus because they cried out “Let Him be crucified.” Others have opted out of these possibilities, claiming that you and I killed Jesus because of our sins. That is certainly closer to the truth, but that is not the whole truth. The truth is, it was the Father who SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON. It was the Father who DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL. Look at the scripture:
Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”
“It pleased THE LORD to bruise Him.” The Father bruised His own Son upon the cross. The Father did not just allow Christ to die; the Father slaughtered His own Son! The Father did not pity His Son; the Father did not lighten the punishment for His Son; the Father did not show one ounce of mercy toward His Son. And yes, His Son was innocent!
You may wonder why the incident of Calvary happened. It is true that you and I are guilty of sin, and God hates sin! God utterly despises sin. In our generation, there is little talk about the justice of God, the holiness of God, or the righteousness of God. It seems that all the talk is concerning the love of God. While I rejoice in the love of God, I cannot overlook the holiness of God. Sin is hated by God Almighty. If the Bible calls it a sin, a trespass, an iniquity, or an abomination, God hates it. Hebrews 1:9 declares that the Son, Jesus Christ, HATES INIQUITY. Let me say it again – If the Bible calls it a sin, a trespass, an iniquity, or an abomination, JESUS CHRIST, as well as God the Father, HATES IT! Sin will not be overlooked by God Almighty. Sin will be dealt with by God. He will not wink at it; He will not overlook it; He will not ignore it; and He will not excuse it! It most certainly will be dealt with!
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knowing that the Father would punish you and me with eternal death for our sins, offered willingly to let the Father pour out His indignant wrath upon Himself rather than upon us. Oh, what love! Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to have His Father, whom He always pleased, to treat Him as a filthy sinner! And that is exactly what the Father did. The Father unleashed His full wrath upon His own, innocent Son, treating His Son as being guilty. The Son of God had no sins of His own; it was rather my sins and yours that were laid upon Him. When we realize that nothing we do could pay off our sins, and trust Christ’s payment of them in full, the Father then can declare us “not guilty” because of Christ’s payment of our sins. He treats us as though we never sinned, but only because He first treated Christ as the worst of all sinners.
On that dreadful day, Christ walks up Calvary’s rugged hill, bearing an old, rugged cross. He deserved no cross. It was my cross. It was your cross. Yet He bore it willingly. If God the Father did not spare His own Son, but freely gave His Son to die in my place and yours, then the next question the apostle raises is
“…How Shall He Not With Him Also Freely Give us All Things?”
This is the conclusion of our verse. Look at the connection. I told you that the verse of our examination was a verse concerning prayer. Paul the apostle asks us this question – “If the Father did not withhold His Son from us, but gave Him to the death of the cross that we might be saved, why do you think He would withhold anything else you need?” We approach God in prayer as though we do not know if He is going give us what is best for us or not. Listen friend – the Father already gave us His best! He already gave us His Son! The Son gave His all! He gave His back to the smiters; He gave His face to them who would pull out the hair; He gave His hands and feet to the nails; He gave His head to thorns! What do you need from our great Saviour today? He already gave His best. And I’m sure that whatever you need, He is ready to supply in His time and in His will.
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!*
*Stuart Wesley Keene Hine
