Romans 8:35-36
The Passion of God
Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall
To show we are secure due to God's master plan of salvation (vv. 28-30), Paul used in verses 31b, 32, 33, and 34 four rhetorical questions to state it is impossible to nullify God's power, provision, protection, and pardon.
Paul now drew his fifth conclusion. It is impossible to nullify the passion of God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love all of us unconditionally.
Romans 8:35a (Holman) Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
This rhetorical question requires the obvious answer; "No one can separate us from the love of Christ." This is the climax of Paul's arguments regarding our safety due to being saved by grace. From this mountaintop, the apex in his climb of confidence, he looks down on all our enemies and life-circumstances and sees them as helpless to steal from us our salvation.
Retain your confidence, fellow believers. Between condemnation and us stands an insurmountable obstacle: the love of Christ. No one can ever separate us from His love. Not only can no "one" separate us; Paul used another question to assure us no "thing" can separate us from Christ's love.
Romans 8:35b Can affliction…
Can affliction, the outward troubles we face, separate us from the love of Christ? Of course not. They take away our ease and comfort, but cannot take Christ's love from us. Not even life's severest trials can nullify the love of Jesus for us. Therefore, do not let troubles sway us from our confidence.
Romans 8:35c . . .or anguish . . .
Can anguish, the inward suffering brought on by the pressure of life's difficulties and burdens, separate us from the love of Christ? Absolutely not.
When our minds are distressed, not knowing where to turn, does this mean we have been separated from Jesus' love? Never. We may lose our mental stability and emotional bearings, but we can never lose God's love.
Romans 8:35d … or persecution…
The world's persecution may oppress us, and separate us from wives and children, but cannot separate us from Jesus' affection. Discrimination may drive us from churches and houses, but can never separate us from God, our everlasting habitation. Though driven from our cities, we have "the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
Romans 8:35e . . .or famine. . .
Can famine separate us from Jesus' love? No. Hunger brought the Prodigal Son to his senses and reminded him of his father's love. We may lose our daily bread, but nothing can ever separate us from the Bread of Life.
Romans 8:35f …or nakedness . . .
Christ's love cannot be nullified even by nakedness and deprivation. We may be stripped of our apparel, but we can never be stripped of Christ's affection for us. His love surrounds us as a garment that can never be torn. We are securely clothed in His righteousness.
Romans 8:35g . . .or danger . . .
Can any danger or hazard of life separate us from the love of Christ? No. However dangerous life becomes, we know God is walking with us through the dark valley. Perils may take away our health and wealth, but they cannot take God's love from us.
Romans 8:35h . . .or sword?
Not even the sword, the violent death of martyrdom, can separate us from Christ's love. Our spirits can be separated from our bodies, but our spirits can never be separated from Christ's love.
Paul's assertion that nothing can separate us from Jesus' love was not mere speculation on his part. The words of our text were written not by a new recruit, but by a seasoned veteran. He knew exactly whereof he spoke.
The Apostle had already endured six of these afflictions himself, and would finally die by the seventh. Paul in his own life had experienced the truth that nothing could separate him from the love of Christ.
Romans 8:36a As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death
all day long;…
This quote of Psalm 44:22 proves God's people have long had it rough in this world. Do not be surprised by sufferings: Our Master himself had to bear a cross. It is naïve to expect only ease in the Christian life. Suffering has always been an integral part of being God's people.
Our afflictions are often actually caused by our loyalty to God—we suffer "because of" Him. We must not view troubles as a sign that God's love for us is diminishing.
The Christian life can at times seem like a never-ending warfare. We are often subjected to ridicule and opposition. Even in the USA, where believers enjoy the world's greatest freedom, persons wholly committed to Christ have to endure at times their share of poking and being ostracized, often from people who claim to be Christians. I hate to admit it, but there are situations where I do not want it known I am a Baptist preacher, because I know it could very easily trigger a negative reaction in some.
Romans 8:36b … we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
Those who hate God reckon His people as no more than sheep for the slaughter. Through the centuries, in times of persecution, Christians have been killed with no more qualms than a butcher would have killing a sheep.
Lost people have been known to regard us as inept and delusional, and sometimes even as a hindrance needing to be removed.
May God grant us all the grace to share Paul's confidence in the unalterable love of Christ. Since we feel unworthy of God's love in the first place, we are very susceptible to letting difficulties make us doubt His love.
We must realize God's love for us remains ever constant. We do nothing to earn it in the first place; therefore we can do nothing to nullify it.
If we have many material things and physical blessings, this does not mean God loves us more; if there are troubles and poverty aplenty in our life, this does not mean God loves us less. Do not try to measure the love of Jesus by what is happening at any given moment in our life. Instead, measure it by what happened on our behalf at Calvary long ago.
The love of Christ for us is not diminished by what we suffer. Rather, it is demonstrated in what He suffered for us. Now and forevermore, the cross is the only proof of God's love we should ever need.
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