God Is for Us

Sometimes people try to encourage me by saying, “Pastor, don’t worry. I am for you.” But I do not put too much confidence in such a statement. Why? Because man is a sinner, and man can change. God alone is unchangeable; therefore, I want to make certain that God is for me. Saints of God, we have great reason for confidence in God for our full and final salvation. What is that reason? God is for us!

In Romans 8:31-39, Paul challenges any creature opposed to our salvation to answer and deny the truth of five unanswerable questions.¹ These questions are:

1. If God is for us, who can be against us? (v. 31)
2. 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? (v. 32)
3. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. (v. 33)
4. Who is he who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (v. 34)
5. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (v. 35ff) What is the answer? Nothing and no one in God’s universe is able to separate us from the love of God. In Christ, we are super-conquerors. Nothing can destroy or defeat us in this life or in the life to come.

What Shall We Say?

Paul begins this section: “What shall we say to these things?” In other words, what should we say to what God has done for us as stated so far in this epistle, particularly in the previous three verses (Rom. 8:28-30)?

As sinners, we were under God’s wrath. We were not lovers of God or keepers of his law. We were ungodly, helpless sinners, enemies of God, dead in trespasses and sins. Yet God from all eternity loved us and chose us. He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among the many brethren in God’s family. In time, he effectually called us by the gospel and regenerated us, granting us true repentance and saving faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal salvation.

God justified us, declaring us just because of Christ’s atoning death in behalf of us. God is sanctifying us and he will glorify us. Forgiven of all sins, we are clothed in divine righteousness. We are united with Christ and live his resurrection life every day. As adopted children of God, we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Having been freed from the dominion of sin, law, and death, we are now outside of their reach and authority.

Friends, we are in Christ and in God. What shall we say to these things? In other words, what must be the logical conclusion we draw from this truth? As Christians, we must be logical and doctrinal. Know what God has done for us, and be impressed with the divine monergism.

Doctrine is detested today in favor of entertainment and the priority of emoting. We must recognize that doctrine is fundamental for us to stand against all the wiles of the devil. I have seen people fall away because they refused to study the Scriptures and know doctrine. How can we resist the devil unless we know what the Scripture declares as to what God has done for us? John writes of this, saying, “They overcame [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11).

Jesus himself overcame the devil by the Scripture. I pray that we all will study and know the Scripture, so that we may live confident, assured, happy, and steady lives in this world, in the midst of all troubles and tribulations and pain and persecutions.

The God Who Is For Us

Paul then asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” “The word “if” does not introduce any doubt. It means “since” or “because” of this reality of divine monergism in our salvation. The meaning is since God is for us. But what God is he talking about? Question 4 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is God?” The answer: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.”

So Paul is speaking not of the many gods of the world religions. No, he is talking about the true and living God who has revealed himself in creation, in the human conscience, in the holy Scriptures, and especially in the person of Jesus Christ.

He is the one God who exists in three persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Paul states, “We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Cor. 8:4-6). There is none greater than or equal to this God of the holy Scriptures. He created and sustains all things, and he is the redeemer of his elect people.

We can know this God better through studying his attributes:²

1) Eternal-God has no beginning and no end. He is above time, space, and matter. He declares and ordains the end from the beginning. That is why we have prophecy in the Bible.

2) Unchangeable-God is unchangeable in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises. What he promises he fulfills. He tells us, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isa. 46:9-10). Man lies and breaks his covenant, but God does not change: “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed” (Mal. 3:6). He does not lie. He does not become.

3) Omnipresent- God is present everywhere in his fullness to punish, to sustain, and to bless. “‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the LORD, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD” (Jer. 23:23-24).

4) Independent-God is from himself. He has no need; he is not served by human hands. Paul told the Athenians: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25). Creation does not contribute to God’s glory; rather, it manifests and declares it.

5) Spirituality- God is not made of matter. He is uncreated Spirit, not perceivable by our senses.

6) Invisible-God in his essence cannot be seen by creatures, though he has manifested himself to us in visible forms, such as theophanies. And in heaven, we will see God, but not exhaustively. We will see him only to the degree a sinless creature can see him.

7) Omniscient-God knows all things always in one simple, eternal act. He knows himself and all things. Adam, Achan, Ananias, and Judas, and others thought they could hide matters from God, but we all stand stripped naked before him. God never has to learn anything. He can never increase his knowledge. He knows everything, including our every thought.

8) Wisdom-God always chooses the best goals and the best means to achieve those goals. Therefore, the cross reveals the wisdom of God, for it was the best means to redeem us for his glory. Our God is the only wise God. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33). In God’s wisdom, he gave Paul a thorn in his flesh.

9) Truthfulness-God cannot lie. He alone is reliable and true. Thus, God’s revelation, the holy Bible, is true, because God is truth, and his children must speak and do truth. All liars will be cast into the lake of fire.

10) Love-God is love, so God gives himself. God gave his Son to the death of the cross because he loved us. God from eternity foreloved us and chose us to glory.

11) Holiness-God is holy; he is separated from sin and seeks his own glory. So we also must live holy lives, separating ourselves from sin and always seeking God’s glory, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Antinomians and libertines are children of the devil, the lawless one.

12) Righteous-God always acts in accordance with what is right. He is the ultimate standard of right and, therefore, he intently hates all sin. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men” (Rom. 1:18). Hell is prepared for all sinners who will not repent and believe in Jesus Christ. His wrath is being revealed against them even now.

God Is for Us

This God is for us. The word “for” (huper) is very important. God is for us, not against us. The wrath of God is revealed against all sinners, but God poured out the wrath that was due us on his own Son on the cross. God was against Jesus Christ so that he could be for us.

“For us” means “in our place” and “for our eternal benefit.” Paul writes, “Christ died for [huper] the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). In other words, he died in our place, for our benefit. And because of this, we do not die under God’s wrath. There is no longer wrath against us, but only love for us. So Paul writes, “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died [huper] us” (Rom. 5:8). We deserved to die, for the wages of sin is death, but Christ died vicariously. He died a substitutionary death in our place and for our eternal salvation, so now we live by his resurrection life. Christ died for us because God the Father is for us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for [huper] us, that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

But God is not for us as a subservient ally. Some people think God is for us as a waiter, that we can snap our fingers and he will come to help us. But God’s purpose is not to do everything we say. He is the Sovereign; we are the servants. This Sovereign is for us now and forever. In one sense, God was for us from eternity. So he foreloved and predestinated us. But God is not for everybody. He is for the elect only, for those who love God. He is against all others. That God is for us spells hope and full assurance. That God is against his enemies spells eternal doom.

Is God for you? Do you love God? Do you love his Son? Do you trust in Christ and serve him only? Or do you presume that God is for you, no matter how you live?

Eli’s sons and Israel presumed that God was for them when they fought against the Philistines. After four thousand Israelites were killed in battle, they brought the ark into the battlefield with a great shout. They presumed that now God would defeat the Philistines totally:

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. . . . The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years. (1 Sam. 4:4-5, 17-18)

Presumption led to the deaths of thirty thousand more Israelites, including Hophni and Phinehas. The ark was taken, and God broke Eli’s neck. The wife of Phinehas died, and her son was given the terrible name Ichabod, “Glory gone.”

Apostate evangelicals and charismatics presume that God is for them. But God is not for apostate Israel nor for apostate Christians. God is for the elect only, for those who love God and live for his glory. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is for us. Holy angels are also for us, as is the holy church.

God was for young David in another battle between Israel and the Philistines. The enemies of God were winning under the leadership of the champion Goliath, who was nine feet tall and fully armed. (PGM) But young David came forward, full of wisdom, faith, and the Holy Spirit. He declared, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:37). David trusted in the Lord. Then he boldly proclaimed to the Philistines, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Sam. 17:45-46). After David stood over the defeated giant and cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword, “the Philistines saw that their hero was dead [and] they turned and ran” (1 Sam. 17:51). Here God was for David and Israel, and God was against the Philistines. If God is for us, our final victory is certain and sure.

God was also for Jesus. Though he gave him up to be crucified for our salvation, he was for him in his conception, birth, and life. He forsook him briefly on the cross, and then he died and was buried. Yet God raised him from the dead. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Rom. 8:11). In fact, God highly exalted Jesus “when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Eph. 1:20-22; see also Phil. 2:9-11).

It is also true that when all forsook Paul, God was for him. Paul writes, “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Tim. 1:15). Elsewhere he says, “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. . . . At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim. 4:10, 16-17). God is for us, with us, in us, and we are in God. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who Can Be against Us?

We have many enemies, but they are all finite creatures. No power can prevail against the infinite God, who has purposed to save us. Who can resist him? What about the devil and demons? God in Christ has defeated the devil on the cross and liberated us from his clutches. The stronger one, Jesus Christ, defeated the strong one, the devil, and has set us free.

What about the world? Jesus said, “Rejoice, I have overcome the world.” The world of Pharaohs and Caesars and dictators and presidents cannot harm us. Jesus Christ has defeated them all.

What about the apostate church? Again, the answer is, no. It cannot harm us. Why is that? Paul writes, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:15). Jesus Christ by his death has defeated all our enemies and his enemies.

What about the flesh, that sin still dwells in us? Yes, it is against us, but it is not the only thing in us. God’s Holy Spirit is also in us. He is the Spirit of holiness who gives us victory over sin. Therefore, sin cannot have dominion over us. We are not under sin or law or death, nor are we under the devil, the world, or the apostate church.

Is there any power equal or above God’s power? No! Therefore, if God is for us, who can be against us? The Scriptures emphasize this point throughout.

Jesus is still waging war against all our defeated enemies. And it is his business to fight such a war. So the psalmist declares, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'” (Ps. 110:1). And Paul writes, “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ” (1 Cor. 15:24-27). The Father commissioned his Son to defeat all his enemies, angelic and human. He will destroy you unless you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you repent, you can say, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Who do you think Jesus is? Listen to John’s words: “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'” (Rev. 6:15-17). People sing, “Jesus, sweet Jesus, what a wonder you are.” Did you know that he is also the Judge of the whole world? Did you know that he has wrath against all evildoers?

John also declares:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Rev. 19:11-21)

John also writes, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. . . . If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10, 15). Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Christ’s church in Christ triumphs over the gates of hell. All Jericho’s walls shall fall, and Jericho will be destroyed.

Onward, Christian soldiers! Paul writes,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph. 6:10-18).

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Therefore, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God and take your stand against the devil’s scheme. Fight the good fight against all defeated enemies and spiritual forces of evil. Pray in the Spirit and stand firm. Fight, and stand in victory.

We are more than conquerors in and through Jesus Christ. God is for us; who can be against us? So James says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How do you resist the devil? Tell him, “Christ died for my sins and is raised for my justification.” So Peter says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Pet. 5:8-9).

I hope we will believe that God is for us forever! He alone is for our eternal salvation. God is all we need. He is our portion and cup. Listen to what God said to the worried Abraham: “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward'” (Gen. 15:1). God is our reward and shield-not the small shield, but the large shield that covers a person completely. In Exodus 14 we read, “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still’. . . . Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long” (vv. 13-14, 19-20).

God is with me, and he is the one who is dealing with our enemies. We are shielded by him. Moses declared, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!'” (Deut. 32:27). Elsewhere we read, “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ The commander of the LORD’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Josh. 5:13-15). We have a commander.

So David said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4). The psalmist also declared, “The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1). The answer is, “No one!” Elsewhere David proclaims, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies” (Ps. 118:6-7).

The servant of Elisha was troubled, as we read in 2 Kings 6: “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh, my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (vv. 15-17). We are well surrounded by the horses and chariots of fire of heaven.

Isaiah declares,

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. . . . Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding? . . . Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isa. 40:10, 12-14, 28-29)

The Lord is with us. Elsewhere Isaiah says, “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD” (Isa. 54:17). And in Zechariah we read, “‘And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within'” (Zech. 2:5). God is for us.

After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples he would be with them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). And if Jesus is with us and for us, then we cannot be defeated. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). John writes, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The infinite, almighty, omnipresent, all-holy, all-wise, eternal, sovereign God is for us.

Think about this: even our sin cannot keep us from God’s purpose to save us. God will deal with his children. Paul writes, “Hand this man over to Satan so that the [flesh] may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). In the same epistle he writes, “That is why many among you are weak and sick and a number of you have fallen asleep. . . . When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:30, 32). God may even have to kill us so that we will go to heaven. This is called “mercy killing”!

If God is for us, who can be against us? The world, the flesh, the devil, death, the law, and sin are all formidable adversaries. But they are finite, not almighty. For us is God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as our divine empowering advocate. In all things God works for our good, and since God never fails, we will always win.

The Hebrews writer tells us there is a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, who testify to God’s ability to save us. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1). For us there is no condemnation and no separation from God’s everlasting love.

In conclusion, let me ask you: Is God for you? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ, God’s sacrifice for our sins? If you have done so, you can rejoice-God is for you! But if you have not, know that God is against you even now. God commands all people to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus. Do this right now, so that you may know for certain that God is for you. Remember, we will live forever-either with God being for us or God against us. May God help us trust in Christ and be saved.

¹ John R. W. Stott, Romans (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994), 253-258.

² For further study on the attributes of God, see Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology(Part I, sections v-vii); John Frame, The Doctrine of God (ch. 19); Wayne Grudem,Systematic Theology (chs. 11-13); Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Part I, section v).