The Security of God’s Love

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Paul loves to ask rhetorical questions. The obvious answer is that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (He answers his own question in the last two verses of this chapter.) Some of my favorite verses regarding the security of my relationship to God are found in John 10.

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.

I also love the verses in 1Peter.

1Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

According to these sections of scripture, I am secure in the grasp of the Father’s hand and I am kept by the power God. No grasp is stronger and no power is greater.

As I looked back over this verse, I checked the Greek for “who” and feel it would be better translated “what” in context of the rest of the verse.

Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

“As it is written” – Where?

Psalm 44:22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

At first I couldn’t make a connection with this verse. As I continued to read the different translations, it hit me that this is in direct reference to the verse before. The child of God will face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword either singly or in varying combinations. That can make one feel like they are facing death daily, like they are sheep being driven to slaughter.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Paul now declares the glorious truth; we need fear nothing that life may throw at us. We are more than conquerors through Jesus. What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? At first thought, it would seem you are either a conqueror or you are not. I’m from a family that loves athletics. In sports, you can either squeak out a win or you can win decisively. I think the same application can be made to the Christian life. You can either get to heaven “so as by fire” or you can look forward to great reward based on your service in love before God.

1Corinthians 3:1-15 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul now gives an emphatic answer to his question in verse 35. Nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God. Reminder – Paul is talking to the believer, the person of faith. Death certainly can’t separate us from God’s love; it is just a graduation into His presence for eternity. Life may throw us many obstacles and testings, but it is filled with many evidences of God’s love for us as He provides, comforts, sustains and strengthens. Angels are God’s messengers to us; they were created to minister/serve/relieve the child of God; they are another one of the benefits of the love of God.

Hebrews 1:13-14 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Principalities and powers seem to represent the evil forces of wickedness that ever are on the attack against the child of God. No matter how vicious their attack, the child of God is empowered for victory through the love of God.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

I’m not sure how things present and things to come differ from life. Maybe it is a reference to the new challenges the child of God will encounter as man continues to advance in technology and false teaching becomes more prominent and all the “birth pains” associated with His coming begin to be more intense and frequent. Again, if our hearts are focused on the Lord, then we will view the fulfillment of prophecy as another affirmation of the love of God. We will grow in eager anticipation of physically being in His presence and ruling with Him as priests and kings.

“nor height, nor depth” – As I thought about these two words, I thought about the many levels of society and the difference in the wealthy and poor. God’s love is the same for each and every believer, no matter how powerful or how weak, no matter how rich or how poor. These words can also reference distance. There is no place on earth that the believer can go that will separate him from the love of God. That makes me think of those wonderful verses in Psalms.

Psalm 139:10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

“nor any other creature” – This takes me back to the verses in John 10 quoted previously. Not one thing in God’s creation can deprive the child of God of His love.

What is the primary evidence of God’s love for us? The gift of His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Without His loving sacrifice, we could never experience the wonderful love of God; in fact, we would be forever separated from the love of God.