If God is for us, who can be against us?

This is a special article because Missionary Holtz was in Nigeria for teaching, graduation and ordination.

If God is for us, who can be against us?¹

Excellent question, Paul, just excellent.

Paul’s query is much more than simply thought-provoking and much greater than merely discussion raising. It’s heart-touching and faith building.

Sermon worthy.

Of all the Scripture that could have been used very fittingly for the sermon text on Graduation Day at Christ The King Lutheran Seminary in Nigeria, the nine students chose this one from Romans 8:31b: If God is for us, who can be against us?

Why this particular text? Why this specific question? The nine graduates had one answer:

“Because this very Word of God speaks personally and powerfully in our circumstances here in Nigeria.”

During the years of their Seminary training, it seemed to them that so many – too many – things were indeed against them:

Ebola
Boko Haram
The death of 3 classmates
The death of 3 local lecturers
The death of two student wives
A serious internal church issue

It’s not that any of the students or lecturers were killed by – or even infected with the Ebola Virus; it’s not that any of them were kidnapped or even personally threatened by a terrorist group; but these two weighty Nigerian issues were serious enough concerns for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) that the Board for World Missions (BWM) temporarily suspended all travel to Nigeria by WELS Called Workers who would teach at the seminary in Uruk Uso, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Cancelled travel meant postponed classes.

Postponed classes pushed Graduation Day further down the road. Graduation became a tantalizing mirage that the students could never reach. The closer they came, the further it went.

But the nine students didn’t quit the program. They pressed on. They persevered. They rode out the storm. Then one day two lights of hope shone over the troubled waters in the distance:

Nigeria declared itself “Ebola Free” on 20^th October 2014 and her president, Goodluck Jonathan joined Nigeria with neighboring nations² for a stepped up military campaign against Boko Haram. Though both were still menacing issues for Nigeria, neither one was hovering anywhere near the Lutheran Seminary. The WELS Board for Missions was satisfactorily assured and gave the green light to Missionary Doug Weiser³ to engage the traveling professors.

Classes could resume!

The professors came in three week waves.⁴ The students were elated. Graduation Day would happen!

It did.

Though the normal six year seminary time had stretched over seven years, graduation finally took place on 14 March 2015.

WELS Pastor Joel Jaeger⁵ preached the text the students chose: “If God is for us who can be against us?”

Even though this sounds like a searching question, it’s really one of a half dozen powerful answers to his first probing question.⁶ Like an ammunition clip for an AK47, Paul’s six questions are lined up one right after another and ready for action. Paul rapid fires these six rounds. He not only hits the target but he tightly groups them centering on the bulls-eye truth:

Through Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors!⁷

The Seminary Students needed to hear that message on Graduation Day.

They did.

Who can be against the class and ultimately succeed?

What can be against the graduates and victoriously triumph over them?

A deadly disease with plenty of victims but no cure?⁸
A terrorist group with plenty of machetes but no conscience?
A dwindling class?
A growing anxiety?

Paul’s question is really his answer! It’s the answer the graduates rejoiced to hear:

NO ONE and NOTHING can go up against our great God and be victorious!

A cross and a grave couldn’t stop Jesus, how could anything or anyone else?

Graduation Day was a good day.

Gowns were donned.

Gifts were received.

Congratulations were given.

But more importantly,

Sin was exposed.

Grace was announced.

Christ was praised.

Then on the 15^th and 21^st of March 2015⁹ God supplied nine more gifts¹⁰ to His Church in Nigeria.

Just in case you ever wonder if Satan, the world or a relentless bombardment of life’s challenges have gotten the upper hand, ask yourself an important answer: