How often do you find yourself saying, “My needs are just too many; they are, quite simply, overwhelming, and I fear there is no one who can help?”

Do you find yourself repeating over and over again in your mind, my needs are so many and so deep and so diverse that I fear that I’m going to come up short. I need faith that God is going to do what he promised he’d do. I need strength to resist temptation. I need wisdom to navigate through some really tough decisions that are ahead of me. I need joy in Jesus to keep me from seeking satisfaction in what the world offers. Boy, do I have needs!

You’re afraid that God either can’t or won’t provide you with what you need every day to stay true to him. That is when we run headlong in Romans 8:32.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (v. 32)?

If Paul had merely asked, “Will God give us all things?” we might have wondered. We might have said in response: “Well, you know, I need so many things, big things, important things; how can I be certain God will provide them? I’m not saying he lacks the power to do so, but what if he lacks the will?”

But look at how Paul phrased the question. The God who Paul says will graciously give us all things is the God who “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all!” In other words, the God about whom we ask if he will give us all things we need is the very God who has already given us his very own beloved Son, Jesus Christ! We encounter this same argument from Paul in Romans 5.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:9-10).

Since God has done the unspeakably and indescribably great and costly thing, namely, sacrifice for us his only begotten Son, we may be fully confident that he will do what is by comparison immeasurably less. Why was God’s gift to us of Jesus Christ the greatest imaginable thing for God to do? Because he loves his Son infinitely; his own Son, his dear Son. It wasn’t an angel that he sent into this world clothed in flesh to suffer at the hands of evil men and be nailed to a cross. It wasn’t one of the four living creatures from the book of Revelation. It wasn’t you or your next-door neighbor. It was his precious, only-begotten, eternal Son! It was also because his Son did not deserve to die. His Son deserved worship and honor and praise, not spitting and beating and scorn and crucifixion.

The point is this: If God would do the greatest thing for you, he will certainly do all lesser things. You live in fear that God won’t do all lesser things and meet all these many needs you have to stay faithful to him. No! In comparison with giving Christ Jesus, it’s a breeze! It’s a cake walk! Giving you all things is easy. This is the unbreakable, unshakeable logic of heaven!

Let’s stay with v. 32 and Paul’s argument a bit longer. Look at what he says. He speaks of something God didn’t do and something God did do.

Negatively, God did not “spare” his own Son. Again, let’s be clear about who it is that God did not spare. It was his own “Son”! There is only one Son of God and he is infinitely precious to the Father. Parents, we “spare” our children when we refrain from inflicting on them all the discipline that their disobedience calls for. Judges “spare” criminals when they reduce or suspend a sentence. But this is precisely what God did not do with Jesus! He did not withhold one stroke of his holy wrath in judging Jesus for what we have done! No mitigation, no lessening of the penalty, no suspension of the sentence, no leniency.

Positively, he “gave him up” for us all, or better still, he “delivered” him up. Who delivered up Jesus, and why? Was it Judas Iscariot, and did he do it for 30 pieces of silver? No. Was it the Jewish religious leaders and did they do it out of jealousy? No. Was it Pontius Pilate and did he do it out of fear of the crowds? No. It was God the Father, and he did it because of love for you and me!

“The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God” (John Piper, Desiring God, 61-62).

Therefore, God will do what is by comparison infinitely easier. He will give us all things we need for spiritual success. Whatever is necessary for you to make it to the end of life still faithful and still trusting Christ, God will give you. Whatever is necessary for you to be conformed to the image of his Son and to resist temptation, he will give you.

One more thing needs to be said about v. 32. What exactly does Paul mean by “all things”? There are things we may not receive that we mistakenly think God ought to give us: better health, a better job, a better husband, a better wife, a longer life, more respect from peers, more fame, etc. Surely, by “all things” Paul means everything essential to knowing him more and loving him more and adoring him more and enjoying him more. Everything you need to find complete satisfaction for your soul in God, and joy for your heart in God, he will most assuredly supply.

Simply put, God will not withhold anything from you that is essential for your enjoyment of him! Think about what kind of person you would be and the kind of life you would live if you really believed v. 32. You know that Jesus calls on us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him daily. You know that he calls on us to lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven and not upon earth. You know that he warns us that if we follow him, we will suffer persecution, whether slander or gossip or injustice or mockery or imprisonment or death. You know that we are called by our Lord to embrace humility and meekness and gentleness and to pursue purity of life.

So why don’t we do it? Biggest reason: fear! We are afraid of being stranded and left to ourselves and being trampled upon and exploited and taken advantage of and left with nothing. The bottom line is that we are not persuaded that God really will provide us with all that we need to live the life that he’s called us to live. Our fear is fueled by unbelief. But Romans 8:32 tells another story.

So, is Romans 8:32 the most beautiful, reassuring, and encouraging verse in the Bible? It gets my vote!