Romans 8:35-39
The apostle Paul asked this question, “Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ?” We discussed many
times how the thief or devil, the world system and the flesh would try to
separate us from the love of Christi.
Paul makes sure that we understand that tribulation, distress,
persecution or famine, not even nakedness or danger of death can separate us
from God’s love.
And Paul is reminding both those of his day and ours, that many believers are being killed, that the worlds system and the
enemies of our Christ see us as sheep to be slaughtered. Now that is not preached often, and never in
the name it and claim it church.
We have Paul speaking as the spokesman of the Holy Spirit,
and this is a strong statement about the suffering of the early Church and how
perception was in error that in truth we who are in Christ and He in us are
more than conquerors through him who loves us.
Many a sermon has been preached on these verses but stop and ponder
these words: “No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am
sure that neither death
nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What is a conqueror: a
person who conquers a place or people,
and yet the Spirit of God tells us through the pen of the apostle Paul
we are more than that, do you see yourself in that light? Look and pay attention to this list of
victories; neither death nor life can change the love the Father has for you,
nor angels nor rulers, not things present nor things to come, we are living not
in the current circumstances we who are victorious are looking to Christ our
High Priest. As children of the King of
kings and LORD of lords neither things of the present nor things to come have
any power over the victories we have in Christ Jesus. Folks, not height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
The world and the old Serpent called the devil have tried
and will continue to try to mold you into a sinful life style of life
independent from God’s authority, so listen to these thoughts spoken in a
letter to the Church of Corinth: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor
thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed,
you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.”
If you are one of the many who attends or
never attends church but you are on the list of those who will not inherit the
kingdom of God and you are reading this, you also can be washed and sanctified
by putting your trust in the victory Jesus won over sin and death on the cross
by the covering of them in victory by His blood shed for you on the cross. Ask the Father to give you believing faith
and receive the grace that the Father has extended to each of us, for all have
sinned and fallen short, but God so loved us He sent His Son to pay a price we
could not pay.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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