The title of today’s study might be seen as almost too obvious. However while many believers may claim to already know that God is for them and not against them, when we dig a little deeper, we make some startling discoveries. For example, a surprising number of people actually live their lives from the perspective of God actually being against them even while claiming to believe that God is for them. When we pray, we often do so in a manner that seems more like trying to convince a reluctant God to move on our behalf, rather than the way scripture instructs us to address Him: as a loving Father willing to freely give us every good gift. And this is just one of many common examples.
In this study today, we will be examining in detail, exactly how God is for us, what that means, and what is rightfully ours as a result. This is as much a study of our rights and privileges in Christ Jesus today as it is of our relationship with Him – because really, both are connected. It is by seeing this truth that we will be established on the good foundation of Jesus Christ, rooted in His Grace, that enables us to stand firm in faith and receive what is ours.
To begin this study, we must look at part of the covenant which God made to Abraham those many years ago, found in Genesis 17:7:
“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you, and to your seed after you.”
This of-course is God speaking to Abraham (having just recently changed his name in verse 5), and I want you to take special notice that God says not only will this covenant be established between Abraham, but also to his seed after him. Also not only does God say that He will be a God to Abraham, but also to his seed after him.
This is actually more important than it may first appear… in-fact it’s huge. God says that not only will His covenant be to Abraham and his seed after him, but also that He will be a God to both Abraham and also his seed after him. I want you to see the personal nature of this. God is not just a God up in Heaven somewhere, but He is a God to you, personally.
What this means for you is that when God is a God to you personally, you can expect certain things. You can be confident of certain things and you can stand on certain truths. For more on this, turn to Jeremiah 32:38-41:
“And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.”
Here God is explaining just some of the benefits of what it means for Him to be a God to us. And I find it very interesting that in verse 39, God uses the word fear, but not in the context that we might expect Him to… typically when preachers speak of fearing God, it is said that we should fear Him because He is a Holy God! Or that He should be feared because He is a consuming fire and His Holiness does not tolerate sin (all of which are true statements), but I want you to see the different way that God uses the word fear in this verse. You see, most preachers are missing this point: God says that we will fear Him, but not because of His Holiness, or because of His intolerance for sin – but that we will fear Him because of all the good that He will do.
In verse 40, God continues to say that He will not turn away from us to do us good, and that He will put His fear (which we learned previously is “worship”) in our hearts and we will not depart from Him. Even our worship will be an effortless outpouring from deep inside of us – it will be His work, it will not be laborious, it will not be something forced.
In verse 41, God says that He will rejoice over us to do us good. This is something big that many believers need to grab hold of and never let go. That God actually wants to do us good. Not only that but He actually rejoices when He does good over us. You see, many people have this distorted view of God, that He is mean or stingy. We have no trouble believing in a god that is all too ready to punish us when we fail, but we have a real problem when it comes to believing in a generous and loving Father God who is more than willing to bless us exceedingly. We think that it is somehow wrong to expect God from God; as if that is being arrogant or greedy, not understanding that this goodness towards us is actually God’s desire and His plan!
He says that He will plant us in this land assuredly… This is not a maybe; this is not a gee, I hope so kind of deal here. No this is an assurance. This is an absolute promise of fact directly from God to you. The land you are to be planted in is a land of victory, provision (of every kind) and a land of unbroken, unfettered communion with God almighty. And God says that He will plant you in this land with His whole heart and His whole soul. Now stop and meditate on that statement from God, because it’s amazing. This means that all of the resources of God are directed towards you to plant you in this land and accomplish His purpose for you. All of the omnipotent power of God is being utilized for you!
Now I know that this is contrary to what we typically hear in churches today. The church today is mostly focused on self-effort and what we can do for God… that’s why I find it so funny that God seems to be interested in the opposite. He is telling us here what He has done for us and what He is continuing to do, but we are too busy trying to do stuff for Him that we miss what He is trying to show us!
Always remember, the focus should never be on us, but it should always be on Jesus and His completed work on the cross, which is actually what makes all of this possible. As we read these scriptures, I know there are some who are eager to point out that these were written to Israel, God’s chosen people. And there are some who would say that they do not apply to us today, and this is where a proper understanding of the finished work of Jesus comes in, and who we are in Christ today.
Let’s read Galatians 3:26-29:
“For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
The importance of these verses can not be overstated. You are a child of God, not by works, not by effort, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone! It is faith in Jesus Christ, your understanding and acceptance of what He has done for you and who He has made you to be that gives you the glorious title of Child of God. And with that title, comes access to God and all the privileges therein. For every single person who has been baptized (which in this context means immersed, washed) in Him has put on Christ. God the Father no longer sees you in yourself, but He sees you in Christ, with all of the righteousness of Christ, all of the Holiness of Christ, all of the perfection of Christ, all of it has been set to your account! This is why, dear Child of God, you can never be anything other than blessed! You can never be cursed any more, because Jesus can never be cursed any more! All of that was completely taken care of and finished on Calvary’s cross!
And because we are all now seen in Christ Jesus,, verse 28 says that there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female: as far as God’s spiritual standard is concerned, we are all one in Christ Jesus.
Then, verse 29 is what brings it all home in connection with what we read at the beginning of this study… All of us who are in Christ are also Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Jesus Christ has grafted you into the Abraham seed group. Which means all of the wonderful promises that we read about, and thought maybe for a moment that they were just for Israel, they are also for us as well, because in Christ, we are also the seed of Abraham, meaning that all of those promises are also ours in Christ Jesus.
So, my friend, you can be absolutely sure today that God is for you and not against you. God is on your side and not your enemy. He greatly desires to give you every good thing and rejoices in doing you good. This is your wonderful reality today in Christ, so start rejoicing along with your God. Today is your day, because God has declared it to be. You can say along with David in Psalm 118:24, this is the day that the LORD has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it!
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