Romans 8:32: Edit history

Context

Chapter 8 of Romans treats life in the Spirit, present suffering, and the glory yet to be revealed, and then reaches its conclusion in verses 31–39. Paul asks the believers in Rome, "What shall we then say to these things?" (v. 31). He then poses a series of rhetorical questions (questions whose answers are already assumed) to declare that nothing can separate believers from the love of God.

Verse 32 is the first of these arguments: "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?" It reasons from the greater to the lesser: if God has already given the greatest gift, his Son, he will not withhold lesser things. The same form of argument appears in the "much more" of Romans 5:6-10.

The verb translated "spared not" is the same one the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) uses in Genesis 22:12, 16, where Abraham did not spare Isaac (KJV "withheld"). For this reason many commentators regard the offering of Isaac as the background of this verse. "Delivered him up" translates the same verb as "delivered" in Romans 4:25.

Interpretation

• As a guarantee of God's love: This reading is shared by commentaries and sermons across many denominations. It takes the verse as a word of assurance that, on the basis of the love already revealed at the cross, believers are guaranteed the salvation and help they will yet receive.
• The scope of "all things": Many commentators hold that, in context, the phrase refers to the gifts of salvation, such as justification and glorification, and to the help needed amid suffering. Some also read it together with verse 28, "all things work together for good."
• The Calvinist reading: The Calvinist tradition identifies "us all" with the same group described in the surrounding verses as those whom God "called" (v. 30) and "God's elect" (Romans 8:33-34). Noting that those for whom the Son was delivered up are the same as those who receive all things, it cites this verse as one of the grounds for limited atonement (the view that Christ's death was for the elect). The seventeenth-century Puritan John Owen is known to have advanced this argument.
• The Arminian and Wesleyan reading: The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions likewise acknowledge that "us" here refers to the community of believers. They hold, however, that the verse is a word of comfort addressed to believers rather than a statement defining the extent of the atonement. Citing passages such as 1 John 2:1-2, they maintain that Christ died for the whole world.

Debates and Issues

• Translation: The phrase "freely give" translates the Greek verb charizomai, which means "to give freely, by grace" and shares its root with grace (charis). The gift in view is something bestowed freely, not a spiritual gift such as tongues or prophecy.
• Quotation out of context: Some preachers associated with prosperity theology interpret "all things" as a promise of wealth, health, and success. Critics point out that the verse stands between tribulation, persecution, and the sword (v. 35) and "sheep for the slaughter" (v. 36, quoting Psalm 44:22). They argue that it should be read as comfort that believers are not abandoned even in suffering. Nevertheless, applying the verse as an expression of trust in God's providence to supply needs is common across denominations.

Related Passages

• Genesis 22:12-14
• Hebrews 11:17-19
• Romans 5:6-10
• 1 John 4:9-12
• Romans 8:33-34