No Separation (Romans 8:35-39)

This sermon was preached on 15/4/2010

Paul, in these verses, considers the third question that he asks as he draws this section of Romans to a close. So far in his conclusion, he has asked, ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ and ‘Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?’, and has provided answers to each question. The first is answered by the reminder that God has already given his Son for us, and he will with him give all that we need; the second is answered by the twofold reality that God has justified his people and Jesus is interceding for them.

The third question that he asks is, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ He amplifies the question by bringing into view the various experiences his readers have had as a result of following Christ. Each of the details in the second question in verse 35 are associated with persecution that believers were then facing. Therefore this list is made up of visible sources of opposition. This tells us that the Christian life will not be easy and that Christ’s love is not dependant on our circumstances.

In verses 38 and 39 he describes four other potential sources of opposition: (1) human experience (death or life), (2) demonic attack (angels or demons), (3) time (things present and to come) and space (height and depth), and (4) anything else in all creation. This list is made up of currently invisible sources of opposition, which may become visible in the future.

This does not mean that opposition will not come. Indeed the enemies will be confident of success, for they will regard believers as sheep to be slaughtered. Paul explains this situation by citing a verse from Psalm 44, a psalm in which the loyalty of God’s people is stressed although they were facing intense trouble for their faith. But Paul does not regard persecuted believers as sheep about to be slaughtered. Instead he sees them as more than conquerors.

Paul depicts the Christian as under attack, and the several details of tribulation and trouble are the weapons used against us. The one leading the opposition is the devil, and armed with such weapons he looks fierce and strong, heading for an overwhelming victory. They are weapons that would defeat any earthly army, but they don’t defeat the Lord’s army.

It is important to note the preposition that Paul uses when he writes ‘in all these things’. He does not say that they will be conquerors after the trouble is over. Instead he says that they are conquering as they are suffering or being opposed. The early church faced this attack for three centuries and overcame comprehensively.

In what ways are they victorious?

Firstly, they are victorious in that they resist the temptations of the devil. He comes in more than one way. At the same time as he is overtly opposing them, he can be covertly tempting them. We are in danger of falling into temptation at any time. Some fall after they have won a spiritual victory – perhaps they take their eye off the enemy and forget that although he was defeated he is still on the prowl. Others fall as a consequence of prolonged attack, the victims of a spiritual siege. We have to resist him, and as long as we resist him we are victorious. We don’t have to wait until the devil quits the field in order to have victories. They conquered in the battle.

Secondly, they are victorious in that they are making progress in the Christian life. What effect does tribulation have on Christians? Paul reminds us in Romans 5:3-5: ‘More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’ Peter tells his readers in 1 Peter 1:6-7: ‘In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Trouble for them provided both joy and assurance that their faith was genuine. They conquered in the battle.

Why are they victorious?

Paul’s answer to this question is straightforward – the love of Christ. James Boice likens the Christian life to a mountain climber: ‘Like a mountain climber ascending a dangerous precipice behind his guide, secured only by a rope, the Christian walks through life secured by the stout cord of God’s love.’ This image suggests several thoughts.

First, the jagged rocks that the believer encounters as he ascends cannot destroy this cord of love. We have already seen what some of these rocks are, and we know that they can be very painful. Yet Jesus love remains as true as ever. As we struggle over the rocks that bar our ascent, the interest of his heart is with us. There is a wonderful picture of Christ’s interest in the account of the martyrdom of Stephen. As he clambered over the final jagged rock (his painful death) as he ascended the mountain to the home of God, Jesus stood up to welcome him home. The cord of love was being pulled from the border of heaven and it propelled Stephen into the presence of Christ.

Second, the slips of the believer cannot destroy this cord of love. We can imagine how the inexperienced mountain climber would loose his footing and perhaps find himself dangling in space, with nothing below him. But he is perfectly safe because he is attached to the guide who will have secured the rope. Similarly, we can slip and we find ourselves dangling in a spiritual sense, having lost our footing. Our sins have taken away our assurance. Yet although we have lost our assurance, we are safe because the cord of love has not slipped. Jesus loves us even although we have backslidden, as he makes clear to the church in Laodecia. What does the guide use to draw the climber back into place? He uses the rope. Similarly Jesus uses the cord of love to bring us back to himself. He pierces our heart and causes repentance to spring forth.

Third, the increasing number of climbers cannot destroy this cord. Sometimes we see a line of climbers ascending a mountain, each attached to the other. Eventually a limit will be reached. But not with the cord of love that attaches Jesus to his followers. Endless numbers can be added to the cord and each will be pulled to heaven.

What are we to do?

Firstly, as Christians we have to be realistic about the fact that we will face many weapons massed against us. Some of the weapons have been used against us for a while (things present). Some of the weapons are still to come, which is true corporately and individually. For example, as the church entered the twentieth century it did not know that throughout most of it she would face the enemy of communism, led by the devil to bring about the destruction of believers by using the weapons mentioned in verse 35. Who won the battle? The church did, through the long decades and at the end. Of course, today she does not get the credit. Instead the credit is given to desire for democracy or some other set of ideas. But that does not matter because the church was victorious, both in its individuals and in its corporate sense.

Secondly, Christians have to reason their way through the conflict. This activity is described by Paul’s use of the term ‘persuaded’: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come….’ A similar use of the term occurs in 2 Timothy 1:12: ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.’

In faith there are many features. For example, there is commitment, which occurs when a person gives himself to Jesus. In faith, there is also trust, which is expressed in ongoing dependence on Jesus. I suspect that behind these elements of faith, there is another feature, which is ‘persuasion’. It is not wise to commit ourselves to a person who does not persuade us to follow him or to trust ourselves to someone whom we are not convinced can help us. It is similar with regard to faith in Christ. Before we commit our case into his hands, we have to be convinced that he can take care of us; before we depend upon him we have to be persuaded that he is reliable.

How does a Christian become persuaded? Admittedly, there is an inner power, the Holy Spirit, who secretly persuades us to follow Christ. Yet the Spirit uses means. One is the Bible, in which there are promises and example of others who believed in God. Another is the local congregation, as we see how other believers are strengthened for their conflicts.

We have to argue with ourselves in order to get assurance. As has been often noted, assurance is like a three-legged stool (one leg is the Bible’s promises, the second leg is evidences from our own experience, the third is the testimony of the Spirit). The first two legs need to be argued with ourselves.

The love of Christ

Paul affirms that God’s people cannot be separated from the love of Christ. We have argued mainly that this will not happen because the love of Jesus is strong. But there are other aspects of his love that also encourage us to realise that he will not let us go. Note that in verse 37, Paul refers to Jesus’ love in the past (who loved us). He loved us in the past when he received us as a gift from the Father, and he is not going to let his Father’s gift be lost. Also he loved us in the past when he suffered on the cross and purchased us at a high cost; he is not going to let us go having bought us.

His love is also a present love, because nothing in the present can cause a separation. Jesus shows his love to us in the present by interceding for us, by preparing a place for us in his Father’s house. Jesus is not going to have an empty room.

Of course, his love will also be known in the future, as he welcomes us into heaven, as he shares with us the glories of his inheritance. Jesus will ensure that all he loves will be there to enjoy it.