Romans 8: Taking Christ Means Receiving All Things

Introduction

"What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). Elio Varricchione, at the Chiesa ADI Milano Baggio, dwells mainly on the second of these two verses, so well known that many of us can recite them by heart.

The title of the message comes down to three words: take it or leave it. God gave Jesus for us. This gift can be taken, or left, as so many other things are left. The invitation of the day is strong: take Christ. And if you take Christ, you take everything that comes with him.

The preacher speaks first to those who have not yet personally experienced salvation, then to believers. Those who have already taken Jesus must not forget that, with him, God wants to give them still more: a new garment, armor, a new birth certificate and the Holy Spirit.

Outline of the Message

1. The Invitation: Take Christ

The message concerns each of us personally. How many times have you asked the Lord to help you put a word into practice, without succeeding? The conversation with God has sometimes turned into an argument, until you understood that he is the Lord and that his word remains forever.
Jesus is not a God whom others talk about to other people. He is the one who speaks to you directly, the Son whom the Father did not spare in order to give you life.
Taking Christ means taking his grace, his forgiveness and his support for the rest of daily life, whether practical, moral or spiritual, so as to overcome every other difficulty.
Telling our friends that we have already taken Christ takes great humility, because we cannot place ourselves above anyone: we had no merit. If the word reached us, it is because we were sinners, in conflict with the sovereign God and Creator. His grace reached us and we said: "Lord Jesus, I want to take you."
Salvation cannot be earned. "Whoever teaches the opposite of the Bible will one day have to answer for it to the Lord Jesus." We are saved by grace, through faith, and not by works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If you do not take Christ, you leave behind this opportunity and everything that follows. The preacher quotes a saying: what you leave is lost. The words are not in the Bible, but the message is indeed this one: let us not lose Christ.

2. With Him, All Things, for Believers Too

The message is also for those who have already received Jesus, "for myself before you," says the preacher. With Jesus, God wants to give us still other things.
It is impossible to list them all: you would have to read the Bible from the first page to the last. "A thousand pages show us what God has at our disposal."
The service opened with an exhortation to believe in the God of the impossible, the one who opened the Red Sea before a great people who crossed it on dry ground (Exodus 14).
It may take less faith to believe in the things of old than to believe that God can do even more today, in what we are waiting for and may be afraid to ask for again because the answer has not yet come.
Through the strength of a faith kept in the heart so that no one can breach it, you can dare to take these steps toward the Lord again, knowing that he has already taken a thousand toward you.

3. A New Garment, Not a Sunday Outfit

We were wearing the wrong garment. Long ago it may have been fig leaves, an inadequate covering, though for us not in the physical sense as it was for Eve (Genesis 3:7). Our garment was perhaps a little better than a leaf, but it was still dirty, stained by sin.
God stepped in, he sent Jesus, he sacrificed his only Son. The garment was washed and cleansed, and even today the blood of Christ cleanses from every sin confessed with a sincere heart, where there is repentance (1 John 1:7-9).
"Let us not hang this garment in the closet with our Sunday clothes." This new reality is not an outfit to wear only on Sundays.
Colossians 3:9-10 speaks of having put off the old self and put on the new self, "which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." There is an initial event, then a continual renewal, every day, to make us more and more like Christ.
Put on Christ every day, everywhere, even when declaring your faith is uncomfortable. Many testimonies remind us that when someone has decided to show themselves openly despite fear, the God of the impossible has been seen revealing his glory.
In the past, those who lived in obvious sin were not ashamed to show it. Now that we have received grace, let us not be ashamed to declare our new condition, and let us be a lamp lit for the witness of the Gospel.

4. A Complete Armor for the Battle

God has not only clothed us, he also wants to prepare us for battle. The world is at war, for political reasons, for power or for religion.
Jesus teaches us to love God, whom we do not see, with our whole being, and to love our neighbor, whom we see and sometimes have to put up with, as ourselves. The God of Christians never uses force to make anyone submit to the Gospel.
But Satan is at war against God. He suffered his most resounding defeat at the death of Jesus: he rejoiced for three days, then the tomb was found empty. Unable to defeat God, he attacks God's children.
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Satan is powerful, but the end of the story is already written: he has lost, and the Spirit who lives in us is stronger.
We do not go into battle empty-handed, swinging at the air. The preacher uses the image of the bulletproof vest, familiar to the brothers in the church who serve or have served in law enforcement: it protects a few vital organs and leaves the rest exposed. God's armor has no useless piece and nothing is missing from it (Ephesians 6:10-18).
"Put on the whole armor of God" (verse 11), "take up the whole armor of God" (verse 13). We do not have to buy the armor, God provides it. It is for us to take it and put it on, completely.
The Church is never described as a people passive before attacks. The Song of Songs speaks of the bride as "awesome as an army with banners" (Song of Songs 6:10). That is why the armor includes a weapon: the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, used to tear down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4), and prayer.

5. A New Birth Certificate

God has given us far more than a young goat to celebrate with our friends, as the older son complained in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:29).
If you have believed in Christ, you have received a new birth certificate, on which the name of your Father is written. Only a few years ago, the identity card bore the father's name: the preacher cites his own, where his name was followed by that of his father. This new certificate is not on paper, it carries no tax stamp: it comes from the miracle of regeneration and shows who our Father is.
The father answers the older son with patience, and answers us too: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours" (Luke 15:31). This is not a theoretical possibility, it is a reality.
Without claiming any special rights, we can say that we are children of God by grace, and that what belongs to our God belongs to us as well.
Within us, in that house, the Spirit of God dwells at every moment. He takes our words, even the unspeakable groanings that we ourselves do not understand, and carries them to the Father through Christ, like a good advocate (Romans 8:26).
"In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more" (Psalm 16:11). If you were to make a list of your life, there would be annoyances, setbacks, health problems. But on the other side, there would be an endless list of what God has done.
Far more than a young goat: the fattened calf killed at the return of the prodigal son represents Christ, always at our disposal through the message of salvation.

6. The Holy Spirit, "How Much More"

God also wants to give us the Holy Spirit. He is far more than what we usually think, and Jesus takes the example of a human father to help us understand it.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13).
This "how much more" marks the difference between the human example and God. It expresses the burning desire of Jesus' heart: a people filled with the Holy Spirit.
Those who were present at the service the previous Sunday experienced it. It was a moment in history, but the preacher hopes it will become the normal state of God's children.
The goal is not only to become good believers, but believers full of fire, of the passion and power that come from the Spirit of God.

7. Ask, and Be Specific

What are the things God has already given you that are waiting for you to seize them? Bring them to the Lord, not only in the shared prayer but at home, in the coming days, with specific requests, not general ones.
God gives all the things that are according to his will. Sometimes we ask for what we should not ask for: ask him for the discernment to tell what falls within his perfect will.
Let no one say: "This sermon is not for me, it is for someone else" or "I have no faith." Faith like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), and even this little faith comes from God.
A few simple examples: are you looking for a Christian husband, a Christian wife? Ask the Lord. Are you struggling to forgive? Do your part, but ask for it, because if we want to be forgiven, we must forgive (Matthew 6:14-15).
Are you meeting obstacles at work? Ask the Lord to step in. "Do not fight your own battles, let the Lord act, but ask him."
If you find it hard to wear the new garment because until now you have lived a faith limited to the Sunday service, pray: "Lord, change my way of living," so as to enjoy his blessings every day and be a good witness in the midst of difficulties.
Our God is the God of abundance, who provides and does not abandon his people. In Christ, he is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). "He has done it before, he will do it again."

Key Takeaways

God gave Jesus for us. This gift is taken or left, and leaving Christ means leaving everything God gives with him.
Salvation is a gift of grace, received by faith, never a merit. It is received with humility.
The new self is worn every day, not only on Sundays. It is renewed to make us like Christ.
God provides a complete armor. It is for us to take it entirely, with the sword of the Spirit and prayer.
Children of God by grace, we hear the Father say: "All that is mine is yours." He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

Personal Application

Have you personally taken Christ, or does Jesus remain for you a God whom others talk about?
Is the new garment still hanging in your Sunday closet? Where do you need to live your faith openly this week?
Which piece of God's armor are you neglecting: the Word, prayer, or another?
If you made a list of what God has done for you, what would you put first?
What specific request, in line with his will, will you bring to the Lord before next Sunday?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "take it or leave it" mean in Romans 8:32?

For Elio Varricchione, God gave Jesus for us, and this gift can be taken or left. Whoever takes Christ receives with him grace, forgiveness and support for everyday life. Whoever leaves Christ also leaves all the other things God gives with him.

What are the "all things" God gives with Jesus?

The preacher explains that you would have to go through the whole Bible to list them. He singles out a few: a new garment to wear every day, God's complete armor for spiritual battle, a new birth that makes us children of God, and the Holy Spirit promised to those who ask.

Can we ask God for anything in the name of Romans 8:32?

No. Elio Varricchione explains that God gives all the things that are according to his will, and that we sometimes ask for what we should not ask for. He invites us to bring specific requests, not general ones, to the Lord, and to ask him for the discernment to recognize what falls within his perfect will.