Romans 8:35-39 (CB)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us proves his unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s constant presence with us. God assures us of his great love so that we are totally secure in him. These words were written to a church that would soon undergo terrible persecution. In just a few years, Paul’s hypothetical situations would turn into painful realities. This passage reaffirms God’s profound love for his people. No matter what happens to us or where we are, we can never be separated from his love. Suffering should not drive us away from God but help us to identify with him and allow his love to reach us and heal us. As believers who have Jesus’ power available to us, we will experience great victory both now and for eternity. Hold these verses deeply in your heart and mind. Claim them for yourself so you will never doubt God’s love and care for you, especially when you are facing great adversity.