“In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.”
These are among the most poetic and powerful words from the beloved Paul. In this brief text we find a list of 10 things that are unable to keep us from enjoying God’s love. Consider:
Death! From the moment we are born we begin to die. Life is a road that leads to the grave. “It is appointed unto man to die once and then the judgment” (Heb 9:27). Forget the fountain of youth. Nobody gets out of this thing alive. Even our morbid fear of dying can’t keep God from loving us. How much does he love us? Just look at the cross and see. Rather than fearing death, may we embrace life in the Son.
Life! It’s a precious gift. From the moment a sperm fertilizes an ovum, a human life has begun. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). I have cherished my life from my toddler days until the present. Some are more afraid of living than dying, so they take their lives. Christmas is the season for the most suicides. What a tragedy to have the wonderful breath of life given to us only to find it a burden to bear. It is for many, perhaps for most. Never allow life to rob you of the knowledge of God’s never-failing love.
Angels! There is a spirit world. God is Spirit. Angels do the work of the Father. “Are not angels ministering spirit sent to serve those who inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14). We sit here today in a room full of angels. Satan’s demonic angels serve him only to trip us up. But we are protected by God’s omnipotent love. Paul says that even if he “or an angel from heaven should bring any other gospel to us to let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8). No angel has the power to remove God’s undying love for us. Do we embrace that love today?
Demons! The devil wishes to enslave us. He has his own army of minions whose only mission is to cause us to stumble and fall from grace. When the Jews were blaspheming the Holy Spirit Jesus said, “If I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by what power do you drive them out?” (Lk 11:19). Satan has powers that are supernatural. He causes death. “[Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is—the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:14,15). Demons have no control over us. We need not fear death or Satan anymore. Why? For they have no power to separate us from God’s marvelous love for his children!
Present! We get way too caught up in our daily routines and end up forgetting what is most important. Jesus told Martha, “One thing is needful” (Lk 10:42). There is more to life than life. “Give no thought for tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34). Jesus taught us this in his Sermon On the Mount. James reminds us: “You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Every time I look in the mirror I realize I am wasting away. I will soon be dust again. We must refuse to let the present crowd out eternity.
Future! We have great plans, don’t we? Raise perfect children. Have highly successful careers. Retire with enough funds to enjoy the best life has to offer. But the sad thing is, we don’t know if we will have another day. The future is like a mirage on the desert sands. It’s an illusion. One wag said the only certainty is death and taxes. Daniel wrote: “Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns time yet to come” (Daniel 10:14). The future is neither our friend nor our enemy. God knows our future. He sees the past, the present and the future. Don’t allow dreams of future conquests to become a stumbling block. All we have is today and God’s abiding love.
Any powers! We live in a world where power is the coin of the realm. Politicians crave it. Our bosses often wield it unmercifully. We are surrounded by various powers. We have military might that could destroy civilization. We have been told that ultimate power corrupts ultimately. We’ve seen evidence of that in the scandals of the day. No power on earth can keep us from God’s love and his almighty power. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). No power on earth or above earth can rob us of our position as adopted sons and daughters of Father God!
Height! Boy am I afraid of heights! I won’t even wear elevator shoes. The images of those jumping from the Twin Towers still haunt my mind. Do not expect me to stand close to the edge of a cliff. Yet size does matter with God. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17b, 18). God’s love is higher than Mt. Everest. And he will never withhold it from those who worship him.
Depth! The ocean intimidates me! Its vastness is incomprehensible by human minds. I don’t like to be around deep waters. I almost drowned at the age of 8 in Kentucky’s Wolf Lake and Dale Hollow Lake. Twice I almost bought the farm. It’s a wonder I learned later to swim. The song has the lyrics: “Deeper than the ocean and wider than the sea, is the love of the Savior for sinners like me.” That was one of my quartet’s favorite and most requested songs. “He Grace Reaches Me.” We still sing it in our assemblies. No depth can rob us of God’s enduring and steadfast love.
Nor anything else in all creation! Paul seems to have run the gamut of words to express the love of God. So in case he might have missed something, he adds this all-inclusive “anything.” If we realized how much God loves us we would be walking in his will 24/7. We forget sometimes, don’t we? “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” How can those saved by grace forget the love of God.”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life”(John 3:16). There is no greater news than this. None! So let us never, ever suppose that something can get in between us and the Father’s matchless love. How wonderful is our heavenly Father’s love.