Following an Argument Workshop

Romans 8:31-39

As a sample text, let's look at Romans 8:31-39 (NRSV).

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Exposition: What is going on?

In this text, Paul has given us something like a topic sentence for what his argument is about. His topic is in the form of a rhetorical question: "If God is for us, who is against us?" The topic sentence names three characters, as it were: (1) God, who is for us (2) possible enemies, who are against us, and (3) us. Verse 32 introduces God's Son as a fourth character. To get at the details of what's going on, you might ask:

• What is going on with God
• What is going on with Christ?
• What is going on with our enemies?
• What is going on with us?

Directions: from the lists below, choose the verbs that describe each character's action or potential action.

To choose multiple verbs in the list: To choose verbs on the list that are not next to each other, hold down the control key (Windows users) or the command key (Mac users) while you click your mouse.

God…

In v. 32, Paul argues from what he and his hearers agree that God has done (the premise of his argument) to somethat God will do (his conclusion). Which of these phrase are which?

Christ Jesus…

"Who…?" (possible enemies)

We…