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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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How can Paul cap his stirring paean to the eternal security of God’s children? Interestingly, he chooses to do so by sharing his personal convictions. Of course, Paul is an apostle, one of those chosen by Christ to receive His revelation, the “God-breathed” Word, so this portion of Scripture is no mere opinion. His convictions in this matter are eternal truth about which we, too, should be persuaded.
And so Paul “scrapes the barrel,” as it were, coming up with every possible thing that might conceivably tear a believer away from the loving embrace of God. But every one that he comes up with he also dismisses as irrelevant. Death cannot do it. The loss of life may be our greatest fear, but Jesus stands on the opposite side of death, and death actually brings us to Him. Life cannot do it. In all the vicissitudes of existence, Christ is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Angels cannot do it. Not that they ever would try to do so, being servants of God, but Paul means that they lack the power to do it, for they are creations of God, as are men. “Principalities and powers” cannot do it. Paul now seems to be thinking of fallen angels, or demons, the spiritual forces that stand in opposition to God’s rule over the universe. They, too, are created beings, inferior to God, and Jesus defeated them at the cross (Col. 2:13–15). “Things present” cannot do it. All our circumstances are “filtered through the perfect and loving will of our heavenly Father,” Dr. James M. Boice writes. “Things to come” cannot do it. Jesus promised that He will be with us always in this life and in the one to come. Neither height nor depth can do it. There is nowhere in the created realm where Christ is not with us (Ps. 139:7–10). In short, there is no created thing that can come between us and our heavenly Father’s love for us.
But again, Paul repeats the central truth that makes all he has said true: It is “the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are secure in God’s love because He acted lovingly toward us, sending Christ to take our place in the crosshairs of divine wrath and to weave a cloak of perfect righteousness for us. Surpassing all the potential threats to our security that Paul has mentioned, “the love of God in Christ . . . is the strongest, most steady, firm, unbending, solid, substantial, constant, uniform, dependable thing of all,” Boice writes.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Can you say with Paul that you are “persuaded” that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ? Or do you fear that you might somehow lose your salvation? Continue to study this grand teaching of Scripture, beginning with the verses below, and pray that God will grant you assurance of your eternal security.
For Further Study
- 2 Timothy 2:18–19
- Hebrews 7:25
- 1 John 5:13