As I’m sure all Redlanders know by now—one of my goals for this year is to preach through the entire book of Romans. I don’t know if you’ve ever counted—but there are sixteen chapters in Paul’s letter and today we are studying the eighth chapter—which means after this sermon we will be halfway done—and it’s only taken us three and a half months to get this far! My! How time flies when you’re having fun!
One thing I want to point out as we begin—is that this eighth chapter is considered by many to be the single most important chapter in all of Paul’s writings. This is quite a distinction when you realize that Paul’s writings compose two thirds of the New Testament—so to highlight this one chapter is saying something!
And—it’s easy to understand why this chapter would be so highly esteemed—because it contains so many “classic” portions of Scripture—so many VERSES that so many PEOPLE have memorized and clung to amidst the storms of life. If we had time, we’d stop at this point and I’d give you 10 minutes or so to read through the chapter and call out your favorite verse—but since we do have time constraints—I’ve done that for you. Here are some examples of these CLASSIC verses—and let’s read them OUT LOUD together. In fact, feel free to increase your own level of enthusiasm if one of these verses is particularly dear to you:
Verse 1 -“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Verse 15 – “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”
Verse 18 – “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Verse 26 – “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Verse 28 – “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Verse 31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us? He Who did not spare His own Son…will He not also freely give us all things?”
Now we come to verse 35—and I don’t know about you but when I START verse 35 I can’t STOP until I get to the end of the chapter! Read it with me:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
STOP…Now say that next word LOUDLY!
“NO!
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Whew! Is this a WONDERFUL chapter or what?! Isn’ t it chock full of CLASSIC words that you can CLING to and COUNT on?!
Now—one thing I have learned over the years in preaching through various books of the Bible—is that it is often difficult to decide how far to go in each message…how best to break the verses down into bite-sized sermons. And—when it comes to THIS chapter most pastors tend to break it down into three, four, or even five sermons—but I’ve decided to do it in ONE—not because I’m prideful or because I’m in a hurry to finish this series—but rather because in my mind all these much-loved verses combine to answer ONE main question. And—it’s a question that is on the mind of every human being—which may explain why so many of the verses that make up this chapter are so very popular.
In order for you to understand why I say this we need to back up in Paul’s letter and review a bit. So that’s what we’re going to do. Last Sunday we looked at chapter 7 where Paul testified as to how frustrated he was when he failed in his attempt to live righteously…a kind of failure he experienced over and over and over again. Do you remember his honest confession? He said, “I do what I know I shouldn’t do—and don’t do what I know should. There’s a war raging inside me and I let the wrong side lose all the time. I hate this! Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me? Who will help me win this INFERNAL internal struggle?”
I mean—in chapter seven we are looking at one frustrated Christian. Paul is AGONIZING over the fact that he has been born again—but over and over again he still yields to temptation and does things that KILL the joy of his new life. He’s perturbed because even as an APOSTLE—even as a witness of the Risen Christ—Paul still gives in to sin.
We all know that kind of feeling. This is why so many of you raised your hands last week. Unfortunately we ALL have a plethora of experience when it comes to failing to live out our faith, because, like Paul, we ALL have this inner war going on—a war between the old nature and the new. Plus—we give in to the old nature over and over again…and when we do we feel the same agony of guilt and remorse that Paul felt. As I said last week, these are NORMAL actions and normal feelings for every Christian. They are not honorable—they not to be aspired to—but they are commonplace. And you know, even after hearing and agreeing with last week’s message—I imagine that during these past seven days some of you STILL SAID some things you didn’t want to say or DID some things that hurt some people—things you wish you hadn’t done.
I bet some of you THOUGHT some things that you are now ashamed of. I bet you BOUGHT some things you shouldn’t or ATE some things you shouldn’t or WATCHED some things on TV or the Internet that you shouldn’t….or SHARED SOME GOSSIP you shouldn’t. And even now as the sin of this past week comes to mind you condemn yourself and think, “What a wretched, weak, JERK I am! Why did I do that? It was foolish…it was sinful. How could I mess up like that AGAIN?!”
Perhaps as you sit here this morning you are feeling like Paul in that you are experiencing mental agony over a lack of RIGHT-doing or an abundance of WRONG-doing or wrong-thinking. And if that describes you then please listen to these words from a fellow struggler! Don’t give in to that kind of anguish—don’t hang your head in defeat because the thing I want to make sure you understand about all this is that the evil one—our adversary—satan absolutely LOVES IT when we feel this way. He loves it when we feel defeated.
In fact, one of his favorite pastimes is to come to us as we are kicking ourselves over our sin and shortcomings and do all he can to make a BAD situation WORSE. Revelation 12:10 tells us that satan does this so much that it has earned him a nick-name—and here it is. He is called, “the accuser…” because he “stands before the brethren day and night accusing them…” In other words, one of satan’s main strategies is to take the normal guilt and shame that we feel when we sin—and intensify it—exaggerate it.
You see, as Bill Hybels puts it, “the evil one knows full well that a THOROUGHLY DISCOURAGED Christian is an UTTERLY USELESS Christian.”
So whenever a believer does something he regrets, the evil one swings into action immediately and starts intensifying the shame by saying things like, “Now you’ve done it. That was the last straw. God has had it with you. His patience is ended. His grace is used up. You think YOU’RE upset about your actions? Well, let me tell you, GOD is sick and tired of your mistakes… your premeditated foul-ups and sins.” And when satan’s tactic works and we fall deeper and deeper into the pits of despair, hating ourselves more and more for our failures—he turns the screws even tighter and says, “Wake up pal—you are now condemned in the sight of God—and no amount of pleading or penance will ever be enough to make God change His mind about you. You’re history. You’re out of the family. You are condemned. Give it up. See you in Hell.”
Have you ever “heard” words like that?
Have those thoughts ever entered your mind—just as you were kicking yourself over some past sin, such that you went from feeling guilty—to feeling like just giving up? It could be something you did yesterday or thirty years ago—but satan has accused you and made you feel like digging a hole, crawling in, and covering yourself over. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt that way. I know by experience that the evil one loves to intensify my shame over sin—even sin that is decades old. Those kind of accusations hit me where it really hurts. It’s like pouring salt on a wound that’s already throbbing. Do you know what I’m talking about?
We feel this kind of despair in our gut and we think, “It’s probably true. God is no fool. God is not mocked. I FEEL like giving up on me—surely God does as well. After all, who wouldn’t GIVE up on a FOUL up like me!?”
Well, suffice it to say that this kind of demon-inspired despair can be very effective when it comes to stopping us in our tracks.
We become incapacitated and we feel useless to God and useless to other people. We lose our desire to worship or serve and as I said, that’s exactly what the accuser wants.
Now—I’m not saying that we shouldn’t feel bad for doing wrong.
Being convicted for our sins is a good thing because if we let Him, God can use that bad feeling—that Godly sorrow over our sin—He can use it to spur us on toward true repentance and spiritual maturity. But excessive guilt can imprison our thinking and our doing—it can paralyze us and make us give up.
Well, Paul apparently knew all about this highly effective strategy of satan—because right on the heals of the section where he talks so candidly about the agony that comes from doing what you don’t want to do…right after chapter seven, Paul writes chapter 8—one of the single most important sections in all of the Scriptures. And in it he underscores three truths that will help FREE us from the ENSLAVING accusations of our adversary. Paul says, that because Jesus came—because He died on the cross for our sins and rose again…
(1) We can be free from JUDGEMENT.
Look at verses 1ff:“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS because through Christ Jesus…the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature…..God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”
In these BLESSED WORDS…Paul is saying, “Don’t listen to the adversary—ignore his accusations! You and I can’t be condemned for our sin because Jesus already was.” And praise God, Paul is right! The punishment—the condemnation—we deserve for of our sins, past, present, and future, was given to Jesus two thousand years ago. Let me put it this way. The trial for our crimes has already been held. Judgement has been pronounced and the sentence has been carried out. It’s over—it’s done. As Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished!” Hebrews 10:12 refers to Jesus’ atoning death on our behalf when it says, “When this priest had offered for all time once sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God…by [that] one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
At this point I’m reminded of the “double jeopardy” law—a law that says a man cannot be tried twice for the same crime…because Jesus was tried and condemned for our crimes against God…our sins…so we can’t be charged for them! He was already condemned for our failure to obey the law. And this is WONDERFUL news because as I told you last week, the law CAN’T save us. It can ONLY condemn us—it can only show us that we are sinners, who deserve eternal death and separation from our Holy God…sinners who desperately need a Savior.
Well—because of His great love God sent His only Son to be our Savior. He sent Jesus to do what the law was and still is powerless to do. So, as Jesus said in John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life and he will NOT be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life.”
Paul has a favorite phrase that helps us to understand this “no condemnation concept.”
I say “favorite” because Paul uses these same two words 164 times in his writings. Paul says that once we put our faith in Jesus—once we confess our sin an claim the forgiveness He made possible on the cross…Paul says that from then on we are “IN CHRIST” and when we are IN CHRIST we are protected from God’s wrath over our sin…because as I said earlier the wrath we deserved for our sin fell on Jesus. Since we are IN CHRIST, there is no more condemnation for our sins—past, present, and future. The punishment for all our sins was placed on Him. He ATONED for them—paid for them—when He died on the cross.
It’s interesting to note that the word “atonement” is the same as the Hebrew word for “pitch” — that tar-like substance that God instructed Noah to use in building the ark. That pitch kept the flood out of that ark making it dry and safe inside. That pitch protected Noah and his family from God’s judgement—and Christ’s atonement does the same for us. We are now IN CHRIST—just as Noah was IN THE ARK. We are safe—we are no longer condemned.
Here’s another way to look at it. When we come to faith in Christ our family status changes as we are REBORN IN to God’s family.
The moment we admit our sin, believe Jesus was God’s Son, and confess Him as Lord, He claims us as His children and as proof of that He sends His Spirit to live in us. In verse 14 Paul says that, “…those who are led by the Spirit of God are Sons of God…who no longer have a spirit of fear but of sonship and cry ‘Abba, Father.’” So you see, once we have been justified by faith in Jesus, we are IN CHRIST—we are IN God’s family and because of that there is now no condemnation, only love and acceptance.
Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son helps us understand this because it tells us that God is like a father who grieves over his son’s sin…and instead of longing to condemn, He longs to forgive. You remember the story. The son asks for his inheritance early—in essence saying, “Dad, you are worth more to me dead than alive. I want to enjoy my inheritance now before you can spend it all so gimmee!” Well, this selfish son doesn’t take the money and build a life—no—instead he takes it and squanders it on deadly, sinful living. He spends it on alcohol, gambling, and prostitutes. He parties until every dime is gone. When his bank account collapses, so does his life and this Kosher Jewish boy is forced to get a job feeding pigs. Imagine that!
He gets so desperately hungry standing there in the pig sty that he thinks about going back home as a hired hand. He was sure that with his behavior he had forfeited his right of sonship…so sure of his father’s condemnation. He was so sure that his father would throw him out of the family…that all he wanted to request was a bunk in the servant’s quarters and I can imagine Jesus’ first listeners were thinking that the story would end just like that, but Jesus says, “Surprise! The father is so fiercely committed to his son that not only is there no condemnation..there is a celebration!” The father runs to embrace his wayward son and sends the servants off to prepare a party and I can picture him putting his hand on his son’s mouth saying, “Shhh…what is all this talk about being a hired hand? Don’t talk that way. You’re my son!” You will always, always, ALWAYS be my son! Yes…you will be occasionally wayward, periodically foolish…you’ll be stupid now and then…but…I love you son. And my love can handle your folly. Shhh…stop all this talk about the bunk house!”
Hybels points out that with this beloved story Jesus was saying, “ONCE a SON…ALWAYS A SON.” But, you know, He was saying something even more important that. He was also saying, “Once a FATHER….always a FATHER.” He was saying, “Your sin can’t negate God’s love…ever.”
As you know, I was a youth pastor for many years—24 in fact! I admit, when I saw them off yesterday I felt a longing to go with them to World Changers! Well, back in my youth ministry days every so often a student would come to me and confess a foolish mistake. They would be filled with remorse for something they had done and they’d say something like, “Mark, I know I messed up. I feel so stupid. Plus I’m scared! My parents are going to kill me…dad is going to disown me. I can’t possibly tell them what I’ve done!” And I would say, “Shh…stop that kind of talk. That’s nonsense! I know your dad.. Sure, he’s going to be disappointed…but your dad would never entertain the thought of disowning you. He’s not like that.” And time and time again the students would be shocked to discover that I was right. Sure—their parents would be upset and hurt—but they always lovingly welcomed the repentant child and worked to help them.
You see—there is no condemnation in a healthy father on the part of his children. “Once a son—always a son….once a father…always a father.”
Do you remember David’s words in Psalm 103, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always ACCUSE, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the havens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.” In John 3:17 Jesus affirms the fact that the Heavenly father didn’t send Him into the world to condemn the world. God could have done that long distance without Jesus’ involvement. No—our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to save us—to redeem us and restore us and bring us home. God does not function with a spirit of condemnation. That’s not His nature. Our Heavenly Father has an enormous capacity to forgive and receive back into fellowship His children. So fellow Christian, heed Paul’s words! Don’t listen to the accuser! There is now NO condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST Jesus.
Now obviously there are people who ignore God and suppress the truth and exchange it for a lie.
These people bring condemnation on themselves by refusing to be adopted into God’s family. But that’s not what Paul is talking about here. He’s talking about believers who have stumbled… and who have repented of that but they have fallen into piles of discouragement and shame and have been victimized by the evil one who is always busy intensifying exaggerating the shame and the guilt. Paul is saying, “Christian, don’t buy into his condemnation lie…don’t ever allow the evil one to incapacitate you through guilt. Don’t allow him to enslave you with a fear that God won’t forgive you. God’s not like that.”
Max Lucado shares the story of a young boy who was shooting rocks with a slingshot one day in his grandmother’s yard. He and his sister were apparently staying with her for the summer. Well, this kid could never hit his target—but as he was about to give up he spied his grandmother’s pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked and hid the bird in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister, Sally, watching. After lunch that day, Grandma told Sally to help with the dishes. Sally responded, “Well, Johnny told me HE wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So, Johnny did the dishes. What choice did he have? For the next several weeks he was at the sink often. Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin. “Remember the duck!” Sally would whisper when he objected.
Finally, weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment his grandmother would meet out would be better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing the duck. Giving him a hug she said, “I know you did, Johnny, I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave out of you.” This little boy had been pardoned, but he was enslaved to the belief that punishment was coming. Why? He had listened to the words of the accuser. Well, when you sin—don’t make that mistake. Don’t listen to the accuser. Instead, talk God. Confess your sin to Him. Never underestimate His love because remember, once a father always a father…and our Father has freed us from condemnation through Jesus Christ.
Here’s a second fact Paul has given us in this beloved text. He says that because of Jesus…
(2) …We can have freedom from DISCOURAGEMENT.
When we give into temptation AGAIN—we feel defeated. We feel like giving up—and, as I said, satan only encourages that kind of thinking…encourages it to the point that as verse 23 says, “…we groan…” I mean, in times of personal failure we long to do better. We’re frustrated that we don’t…so there’s this inner GROANING…this feeling that we’re never going to get where we want to spiritually. It’s like putting together one of those beds from Ikea and you’re on step 12, after hours of work, when you realize that on step six you used the wrong bolts and you GROAN knowing you have to take it all apart and start all over. You think, “I’m never going to get this done!”
Well Paul says we mustn’t be discouraged like this because nothing can stop God’s final PURPOSE for each of us—and do you remember what that purpose is? Here it is. God wants you become more and more like Jesus. That’s His purpose—and, understand, this is nothing new. It’s been God’s plan from the very beginning of time. The book of Genesis records the fact that when God first made man, He said, “Let us make man in Our IMAGE.” Of course the Genesis account also tells us that man sinned and because of that, God’s image was distorted. So Jesus came to earth to finish what was started at the dawn of time. He came to make it possible for God’s image to be restored in each of us. When you became a Christian and God’s Holy Spirit came to live in you, He got to work right away—making you more and more like Jesus—God in the flesh. And in this 8th chapter Paul underscores the fact that nothing stops this transforming process. God works in every thing that happens to you in life—both the good and the bad—He works in ALL things—even the TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS we go through—He even works in these TOUGH TIMES to make us more like Jesus.
Look once again at verse 18. Paul says that when we get to Heaven for the biggest “reveal” of all time—when we are finally home and God’s purpose for us is finished…Paul says that on this day our “present sufferings will not be worth comparing” with the glory of that moment when time ends and eternity begins. To me, this wording suggests a scale or balance. On one side of the scale is the suffering we go through….the surgeries, the rejections, the funerals, the financial woes, the heartbreaks and difficulties and on the other side is the end product…the glory of being like Jesus. In 2nd Corinthians 4 Paul says in a comparison like this, our toughest time will seem light and momentary…like a bowling ball compared to a hand full of BB’s. You could fill one side of the scale with BB’s and the bowling ball wouldn’t move. So—no matter what life throws our way, no matter how painful and pervasive suffering can be, we can look to the future with confidence…knowing God uses everything in our life to mold us, sculpt us, polish us, shape us into the image of Jesus. God is working in everything that happens in your life toward that magnificent goal!
In fact when we repent and let Him—God will even use our failures and sins to push us toward that goal! Now—do you grasp the importance of that fact? Do you understand the security you have as a believer? Even when you make dumb decisions—even when you sin…God has the power to use even that stuff for His purpose. God’s grace is indeed greater than our sin. As Philippians 1:6 says, we can be confident, “…that he Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
I mean, if you are a believer, God will never give up on you. What He starts in your life, He will finish and doesn’t that make you feel more ENCOURAGED and less defeated?! Look at verses 28ff again where Paul says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…”
Paul even goes so far as to say that the Holy Spirit helps us PRAY in ways that speed us toward spiritual maturity. Look at verse 26. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Think of that! God’s Spirit prays for you!
Have you ever been too angry or hurt or discouraged to pray? I know I have. There have been
numerous times when I couldn’t find the words to express what my heart was feeling. Well, Paul says, in times like this when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit prays for us. He takes our prayers and translates them, so to speak, and presents them to the Father on our behalf. He prays for what we need—and this is great because we usually don’t really KNOW what we need! It’s like a child who comes to his mom and says, “I’m hungry. Give me a candy bar.” And the mom says, “No problem—here’s an apple.” The Holy Spirit helps us by praying for those things we need to be more spiritually healthy—more like Jesus. In the Holy Spirit, we have an all-powerful, all-knowing prayer partner. So, we have no reason to be enslaved by feelings of judgement…or discouragement and defeat.
Finally, Paul says that because Jesus came…
(3) …We can have freedom from FEAR.
In verse 31, he asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And please note—the question is not, who can be against us. [As Lucado points out] Anyone could answer that question because in this fallen world there’s a lot that is against us. Here’s a sampling: disease, inflation, corruption, exhaustion—all potentially terrifying things that are against us—but that’s not Paul’s question. The actual question Paul asks is this, “if GOD is for us—who can be against us?” Those first five words change everything don’t they?! Consider the fear-squashing comfort of that phrase. Let’s borrow an idea from Max Lucado and say it together four times—emphasizing a different word each time—starting with the first. GOD is for us. God IS for us. God is FOR us. God is for US. Doesn’t that feel wonderful? Funny how those four words can INCREASE your courage level while at the same time decreasing your fear level. Lucado writes,
“God is FOR you—not ‘may be,’ not ‘has been,’ not ‘was,’ not ‘would be,’ but ‘God IS! He is FOR you—today at this hour at this minute. No need to wait in line or come back tomorrow. He is with you. His loyalty won’t increase if you are better nor lessen if you are worse. Your sin can’t stop Him being FOR you. Turn to the sidelines; that’s God cheering your run. Look past the finish line. That’s God applauding your steps. Listen for Him in the bleachers, shouting your name. Too tired to continue? He’ll carry you. Too discouraged to fight? He’s picking you up. God is FOR you. Had He a calendar, your birthday would be circled. If He drove a car, your name would be on His bumper. If there’s a tree in heaven, He’s carved your name on the bark. We know God has a tattoo, and we know what it says because in Isaiah 49:16 He declares, ‘I have written your name on my hand,’”
So—NOTHING can be against you! Not death—not disease—not job loss—nothing can thwart God’s purpose for you. If all the demons of Hell try, they will be defeated. Because you see, you are loved by ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF and one plus God equals an unbeatable majority.
This fact should turn Christians into the most confident people in the world. As Hebrews 13:6 says, “We say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Indeed! Nothing can separate you from God’s love. You are eternally secure—so there is no reason to EVER be afraid.
In John 10:28 Jesus said, “You are in My hand and no man can pluck you out.” and I like George Beverly Shea’s paraphrase of that promise, “God’s grip don’t slip.” James Montgomery Boice tells of a time that he received a letter from a man whose homosexuality had cost him everything…his wife and children…his job…his health. In fact, he had AIDS and he was writing to tell Boice that during his illness he had found the Lord and wanted to see if he could receive his Sunday services on cassette tape. The man wrote, “Unfortunately I am losing my eyesight due to AIDS. I’m reading your books as fast as I can, before I find myself unable to do so.
Your tapes will enable me to continue my studies after the light fails. Dr. Boice, I have become obsessed with God. I can’t get enough of His Word. He literally has become my sole incentive to live. I have lost so much already and I am losing everything else, but I cannot lose Him.”
Fellow sinner—aren’t you glad that is true? I mean the fact that in spite of our sin we cannot lose the love of God—a love He expressed by sending His only Son to die on the cross for us—doesn’t that fact dispel your fear—no matter what it’s source? I mean, the cross proves once and for all that GOD’s love for us is more than a feeling—it is an integral part of His character that prompts Him to always ACT on our behalf. And Paul says, NOTHING can separate us from that love—so nothing else matters, no matter how big or bad it seems! In fact, let me ask you a few questions here to illustrate the comfort of this fact.
- Can the rejection of friends—can loneliness and grief separate us from God’s love? NO!
- Can financial problems—can the price at the pump separate us from God’s love? NO!
- Can diseases as devastating as cancer separate us from God’s love? NO!
- Can governments—can earthly powers no matter how corrupt—can they separate us from Gods love? NO!
- Can war separate us from God’s love? NO!
- What about demonic powers—can they separate us from God’s love? NO!
- Can anything in life separate us from God’s love? NO!
- Can death do that—surely it can— NO!
- Your answers are correct—NOTHING—absolutely NOTHING can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So you see…Jesus’ coming negates ALL of the accuser’s attacks…because it frees us from judgement…frees us from discouragement…frees us from all fear.
Let us pray.