31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 – NASB)
Who could separate us from the love of Christ? If we have to answer this question, we would probably have a long list of things that could separate us from the love of Christ. When we break-up with our boyfriend/girlfriend, when our parents get a divorce, when our beloved died, when we are not happy with our lives, when we feel lonely, when we can’t get along with others and feel being isolated, when we lose our job, when our beloved is seriously ill, when our world turns upside down…we start having doubt and ask the questions, “God, where are you? Do you know my pain? Do you truly love me? How come I can’t feel Your love?” Paul is convinced that there is nothing that can separate him from the love of God. Where is this strong conviction comes from? Does Paul have a different faith than ours? How come his faith is so powerful and ours is so easily defeated? What’s happening? I believe the key is “convinced”. Convince ourselves is not something difficult for us to do. We encounter it all the time. However, most of the time, we are in the mode of convincing ourselves into something we “think” is the best (and it may turn out not as expected or even bad) or something we “think” is the worst. We have to learn to convince ourselves not based on our subjective thinking / feeling, but on the promise of God. As God says so, we believe it. No question asked.
This is the kind of conviction we need in trusting our Lord and walking with Him in our life journey.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38, 39)
