Yesterday in my Sunday School class, I was teaching through Romans 8:31-39. In that passage, Paul reflects on whether anything can separate those who “love God and are called according to his purpose” (v. 28) from the “love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 39). He does this by asking a series of questions such as “Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect?” (v. 33), “Who is the one who condemns?” (v. 34), and “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (v. 35). He answers each of these questions by eliminating every potential accuser, but it has always bothered me that in most English translations of this passage, Paul’s answers don’t quite seem to fit the questions.

In this video, I use highlight symbols to illustrate the pattern of questions and answers in this passage, and then I look at the underlying Greek to understand what is going on. I then argue that two answers in the text would be better rendered as questions. I hope you find it helpful.

Answering Questions with Questions from Accordance Bible Software on Vimeo.