The apostle Paul asked the question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:35-36 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’” These are some pretty serious conditions that most of us will never experience: sever distress, persecution, starvation, lack of clothes, and even our lives at risk. But if we did experience such trials, would they separate us from the love of Christ? Let us consider the question of “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” There are several ways we might understand this question.
First, we might suppose that since we are experiencing tribulations and severe problems, Christ and God have stopped loving us. When we think about it, that is obviously false. God never stops loving us. Jeremiah 31:3a “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.’” In spite of the many tribulations and distresses that He allowed to come upon the Israelites, the Lord declared that He had an everlasting love for His people. He has an everlasting love for us as Christians as well. We should never think that His love for us has ended. Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” God proved His love for us by giving His only Son for us. We must never interpret the tribulations and problems we experience as evidence that God does not love us. God may be testing our faith just like He tested Abraham when He asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-2). We may be going through trials as a result of the spiritual warfare that we fight (Ephesians 6:12). We may be going through trials because we have not obeyed God and He is disciplining us (Hebrews 12:6). We may be going through trials because we live godly lives and we suffer persecutions (2 Timothy 3:12). Regardless of the reason we are experiencing trials, we should not think it is because God does not love us. He loves us with an everlasting love.
Second, we might suppose that some external force or individual might come between us and God to keep His love from coming to us. But the Apostle Paul wrote in 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.” The inspired writer is fully persuaded that nothing can come between us and the love of God. Death won’t separate us from God’s love; if we die, we will simply go to be with Him eternally. No physical or spiritual power can come between us and God’s love; God is too powerful. Nothing now or in the future can come between us and God’s love. There is no place we could possibly go even if we went to far outer space or into the middle of the earth that would be away from God’s love. Psalms 139:7-12 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” No animal or monster could come between us and God’s love. When we think about it, it is obviously wrong to think that the Almighty Creator of the Universe would allow anything or anyone to keep Him from giving His love to us.
Finally, we might convince ourselves that the tribulations and problems of our lives are too much and we give up our faith and quit. We then become the cause for separation from God’s love. We might decide that a life following Christ is too difficult. The tribulations and problems are too painful for us to endure. Maybe we love this present world and we convince ourselves that we would rather enjoy the pleasures of this world (2 Timothy 4:10). Or maybe we love someone in our life very much and we would rather be with them than follow Christ. Whatever the specific reason, we might allow a separation to come between us and God and we turn our backs upon Him. But this we must never do. We must choose Jesus Christ. Romans 8:25 “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” We must realize that God allows tribulations and problems to come into our lives to shape us and mold us unto the individuals He wants us to be. He knows best. James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” We must trust in God that He is working in our lives for good and we will not allow anything to come between us and God and His love. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
God always loves us and nothing is big enough or powerful enough to keep God’s love from reaching us. That leaves it up to us. We need to make the lifetime resolution and commitment that we are going to be conquerors with God’s help. Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” We must remain faithful until death so that we will receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). I encourage you to resolve to not allow anything to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.