Read Romans 8:28-39. Burt’s song The Love of the Lord reminds us of Ephesians 3:18, where Paul talks about knowing the “length and width and height and depth” of God’s love. And Paul uses this language here, in Romans, too – we hear “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rom 8:39).
Whatever is high, God’s love is higher. “If I go up to the heavens, you are there” (Ps 139:8).
Whatever is deep, God’s love is deeper. “If I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Ps 139:8).
Yes, last week we heard some similar thoughts, from many years, before, in Psalm 139.
But now it’s Paul speaking, and there is something extra to add: nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39).
Christ Jesus is the difference. Paul sees that Jesus Christ is central to everything. We follow Jesus if we are called by God. If we respond to God’s call, we will be “conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Rom 8:29). We become like Jesus as we follow the Way.
The Old Testament writers knew about God’s steadfast love. But they didn’t know about the love of Jesus.
Paul names the love of Jesus just like he names the love of God: he asks “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom 8:35).
But when he asks about that, he names things that can hurt us: trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. They sound awful. They sound like God is not there. But no! None of these things can separate us from God’s love. They aren’t signals that God has left. We might just have to be patient. That’s why Paul quotes Psalm 44. “As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered’” (Rom 8:36, quoting Ps 44:22). That psalm is all about suffering – undeserved suffering. The psalmists think they have been faithful to God; they don’t deserve to be punished by bad times. They ask God to wake up; is God sleeping?
“As sheep to be slaughtered”. We remember that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. We remember that Jesus also quoted a psalm of anguish – Psalm 22 – on the cross. “Why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1).
But Jesus conquered death. “Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom 8:34). We, too, are “more than conquerors, through him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). “Loved us” is pointing to that death-and-life event. It’s in the past but its power is eternal and unfailing.
If we are in God’s team, conformed to the likeness of his son, we will not escape bad times.Jesus, the truly righteous one, suffered.So we know that God suffers, too.We certainly need patience in these times of restriction.But God’s power of love in Christ is greater than anything else.“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” – nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39).
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