Romans 8:32
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
He--rather, "He surely." (It is a pity to lose the emphatic particle of the original). that spared not--"withheld not," "kept not back." This expressive phrase, as well as the whole thought, is suggested by Gen 22:12, where Jehovah's touching commendation of Abraham's conduct regarding his son Isaac seems designed to furnish something like a glimpse into the spirit of His own act in surrendering His own Son. "Take now (said the Lord to Abraham) thy son, thine only, whom thou lovest, and . . . offer him for a burnt offering" (Gen 22:2); and only when Abraham had all but performed that loftiest act of self-sacrifice, the Lord interposed, saying, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou HAST NOT WITHHELD THY SON, THINE ONLY SON, from Me." In the light of this incident, then, and of this language, our apostle can mean to convey nothing less than this, that in "not sparing His own Son, but delivering Him up," or surrendering Him, God exercised, in His Paternal character, a mysterious act of Self-sacrifice, which, though involving none of the pain and none of the loss which are inseparable from the very idea of self-sacrifice on our part, was not less real, but, on the contrary, as far transcended any such acts of ours as His nature is above the creature's. But this is inconceivable if Christ be not God's "own (or proper) Son," partaker of His very nature, as really as Isaac was of his father Abraham's. In that sense, certainly, the Jews charged our Lord with making Himself "equal with God" (see on Joh 5:18), which He in reply forthwith proceeded, not to disown, but to illustrate and confirm. Understand Christ's Sonship thus, and the language of Scripture regarding it is intelligible and harmonious; but take it to be an artificial relationship, ascribed to Him in virtue…
Open source ↗The apostle, having fully explained the doctrine of justification, and pressed the necessity of sanctification, in this chapter applies himself to the consolation of the Lord's people. Ministers are helpers of the joy of the saints. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people," so runs our commission, Isa 40:1. It is the will of God that his people should be a comforted people. And we have here such a draught of the gospel charter, such a display of the unspeakable privileges of true believers, as may furnish us with abundant matter for joy and peace in believing, that by all these immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation. Many of the people of God have, accordingly, found this chapter a well-spring of comfort to their souls, living and dying, and have sucked and been satisfied from these breasts of consolation, and with joy drawn water out of these wells of salvation. There are three things in this chapter: I. The particular instances of Christians' privileges (v. 1-28). II. The ground thereof laid in predestination (Rom 8:29, Rom 8:30). III. The apostle's triumph herein, in the name of all the saints (Rom 8:31 to the end).
Open source ↗8:32 did not spare even his own Son: Behind this language is the story about Abraham’s willingness to offer his son Isaac (Gen 22:12, 16). Isaac, however, was not actually sacrificed. God’s not sparing his only Son went the full course: He handed him over to the shameful and painful death of crucifixion.
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”