What are the “all things” that God graciously gives us?

Explanation:

Paul writes that, given God did not spare his Son for us, will he not graciously grant us all things? Paul likely has in mind that God will grant us to reign over creation alongside Christ. We can detect this because the phrase τὰ πάντα is often used by Paul to denote creation.³ For example, in Romans 11:36 he writes that all things are to, for, and through God. In 1 Corinthians 8:6 he explains there is one God, through whom are all things. In Philippians 3:21 he says that God’s power enables him to subject all things to himself. In each of these instances, all things clearly refers to all creation. Thus, when Paul writes that God graciously grants us all things, he likely has in mind God graciously granting us to reign over all creation.

Counterargument:

The term τὰ πάντα is flexible and used often. This means we cannot simply look at how Paul uses the term in three other passages to determine his meaning in Romans 8:32. Rather, we must look to the immediate context to determine his meaning, and there we find nothing about inheriting the world. Rather, Paul’s focus is on what we need for salvation. Therefore, when he refers to God graciously granting us all things, he likely has in mind not all creation but all things relevant to salvation.⁴

Response to counterargument:

There are three problems with this argument. First, that a phrase is flexible and often used does not imply that it cannot take on a technical meaning for certain authors. We have introduced three passages to show that for Paul, the phrase all things is sometimes used in a technical sense to refer to all creation, so plausibly he does the same in Romans 8:32. Second, this view overlooks that the immediate context refers to the creation being freed from its bondage to decay, and believers being glorified with Christ (Romans 8:17–22) (see argument 2). Third, while this view asserts that Paul is focused on what we need for salvation in the immediate context, it is not clear that this is the case. Paul is focused on our future hope and confidence that God will redeem us, not on the fact that we need Christ to atone for our sins or that we must repent and have faith.

Explanation:

We can detect what it means that God will graciously grant us all things by noticing what Paul writes in the immediate context. In particular, we know from Romans 8:17 that those who suffer with Christ will be glorified with him. Further, Paul has explained that the creation groans with eager longing, to be set free from decay (Romans 8:21). Now, in Romans 8:32 he says that God will graciously give us all things with him. In other words, what God gives to Christ he will also give to us when we are glorified, which is to reign over the restored creation.⁵

Counterargument:

Unfortunately, this argument misunderstands how to interpret the phrase with him. In fact, we find the phrase before Paul says God will graciously grant us all things. Literally Paul writes, How will he not also with him graciously grant us all things? Likely, Paul includes the phrase not to denote giving us all the same things he gives Christ, but to denote that God graciously gave up his Son for us, and along with giving up his Son for us, he graciously grants us all things.⁶ We can detect this is likely what Paul means because he writes in Romans 8:32a that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us. Now he is saying that along with giving us his Son, God graciously grants us all things, likely referring to all other things related to our salvation.

Response to counterargument:

It is possible that we ought to take with him in the sense of Paul’s reiterating that God gave up his Son for us. Still, this counterargument fails to contend with the context. For we said that according to the context, Paul has explained that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with him (Romans 8:17b). Relatedly, Paul writes in Romans 8:17a that since we are God’s children, we are heirs with Christ, which implies sharing in Christ’s inheritance. Also, in Romans 8:30 he repeats the fact that those called and justified are glorified, again suggesting that we will share with Christ in his glory. Adding to all of this, we know that the creation has been groaning and waiting to be set free from its bondage to decay. Of course, when it is released from its bondage, Christ will reign over it. Taking all of these details together suggests that being granted all things with him refers to sharing in Christ’s inheritance in a glorified state as heirs over the restored creation.

One weakness of this view is that it assumes that being glorified with Christ is equivalent to reigning over the restored creation with him. Paul never writes this in Romans 8:1–39, which leaves open the possibility that being glorified with Christ is something other than reigning over the restored creation with him.

Explanation:

Paul makes a conditional statement in Romans 8:32. He says that if God did not spare his Son, how could he not graciously give us all things? Of course, God did not spare his Son for us, which implies that God will give us all things. Now, to understand what Paul means by all things it is important to notice that his main concern in this section is with the things necessary for salvation.⁹ For he has just mentioned God not sparing his Son, which was necessary for salvation, and in Romans 8:30 he refers to God calling, justifying, and glorifying, which are all items related to salvation. Given that Paul is focused on the things necessary for salvation, when he says God gives us all things he likely means all things related to salvation.

Counterargument:

This argument misidentifies Paul’s focus in this section. First, we can detect that Paul’s focus is not on the things necessary for salvation. The things necessary for salvation include repentance, faith, putting to death the sinful nature, aligning with the Holy Spirit, and so forth. Paul mentions none of these in this section. And while it is true that he refers to God not sparing his Son, he does not write this in the context of articulating the things necessary for salvation. Rather, he is pointing out that we can be confident in God’s graciousness as evidenced from the fact that he did not spare his Son for us. Further, that Paul refers to those being called, justified, and glorified does not imply that he has in mind the things necessary for salvation, but that he has in mind God’s unshakable plan.

Second, we can detect that Paul’s focus is related to our future glorification with Christ. For in Romans 8:17 he refers to us as heirs who will share in Christ’s glory. He also refers to the redemption of creation. Together, these themes suggest that God’s graciously giving us all things refers to his giving us the inheritance of reigning over the restored creation with Christ.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that God will graciously grant all things necessary to salvation, but that he will grant all things related to salvation. This may or may not include reigning over the restored creation with Christ. The point is, whatever it means to be an heir and glorified with Christ, this God will graciously grant, for God will graciously grant all things related to salvation.

Explanation:

We can deduce what Paul means when he says that God graciously grants us all things by noticing there is a connection between God graciously granting us all things, and what Paul already wrote in Romans 8:28. These he noted that all things work together for good for those who are called according to God’s purpose. What he meant is that all things work together for our material and spiritual good as these relate to God’s purpose of saving us in Christ. Likely, Paul has the same idea in mind in Romans 8:32. That is, when he says that God graciously gives us all things, he has in mind all material and spiritual things related to God’s purpose of salvation.¹⁰

Counterargument:

There is a difference between all things working together and God’s graciously granting us all things. On the one hand, there is God’s providentially directing our lives so that the outcome is good in the sense that it is according to God’s purpose. On the other, Paul has in mind God’s graciously granting us all things. Now, it is unlikely that by all things Paul means anything whatsoever. Further, he never says anything about God giving us all things related to salvation, although he does say that with him he graciously grants us all things, where with him refers to Christ. Given that Christ does not require anything necessary to salvation, the things God graciously grants cannot simply be the things necessary to salvation, but must also be related to the things God grants Christ.

One weakness of this view is the fact that to give graciously is in the future tense. This means Paul is saying that God will graciously grant us all things in the future. This does not align precisely with this view, which has it that Paul has in mind all spiritual and material blessings related to salvation. For all material and spiritual blessings related to salvation are ongoing in the present rather than in the future.