Nothing Can Separate Us

Romans 8:35-38

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Today we finish our look at Romans 8, a great chapter in the Bible. Paul finishes on a crescendo with the famous saying; “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” What a powerful statement! But do we really believe it? Do we wake up each morning and say, “What a great day! Nothing can separate me from God’s love!” We may think that on days when everything is going well but when trouble or hardship comes our way we often find ourselves wondering where is God and even doubting His presence. Our sinful-selves put up barriers to believing that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. Today let’s explore a few of those barriers and see the truth that God is always near us and that nothing can separate us from His love.

Fear. Fear can be a barrier to us seeing that nothing can separate us from God’s love. What do we fear? The unknown? Pain and illness? Terror and War? Ridicule? The future? There seems to be no end to what we can fear. And fear drives a wedge between God and us. When we allow fear to take over we begin to doubt that God is really there for us. We don’t trust God with our whole heart, soul and mind.

It is like the disciples. In Mark 4:35-41 we see the disciples getting into a boat with Jesus after a long day of preaching. Jesus falls asleep while they were out on the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a huge storm comes up and the disciples fear that their small boat will capsize and they will all drown. So they wake up Jesus and ask Him to do something. Jesus gets up and tells the storm to be still, and it does. The disciples are amazed at the authority Jesus has even over the storm. And that is what we would like, a Savior that comes down and removes those things that cause us fear. “Take away the storm,” we pray. But Jesus does a strange thing after He calms the storm. He turns to His disciples and says, “Where is your faith?” Why would Jesus do that? Because the true miracle would not have been the calming of the storm, Jesus is God and He can control the storm, but it is the calming of the disciples hearts in the midst of the storm. It is the miracle of faith. A faith that trusts in God no matter what storms we face, that is a miracle. When we face fear do we pray that God would remove the thing that is causing the fear or to remove the fear? God has promised that nothing can separate us from Christ’s love, not even things that cause us fear. Our prayer can be, because of the miracle of faith, “Lord, help me overcome my fear and trust in You.”

The ultimate fear for most people is death. And even death cannot separate us from God’s love. 1 Corinthians 15 states, “How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”[1] God has removed even our worst fear and we can rest assured that not even death will separate us from Him because Christ conquered death when He rose again. His tomb is empty, we need not fear.

Another barrier is separation anxiety. This anxiety is evident at the loss of a loved one, the relocation to a new neighborhood, etc. The way to overcome this anxiety is to develop a feeling of security, of being loved wherever you are, no matter how alone you may be, regardless of your circumstances. God is uniquely qualified to help us in this respect. God is omnipresent, ubiquitous. Wherever we are, he is there with us. And his love for us in Jesus Christ is infinitely deep and profound. Jesus tells us, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.[2] He is Immanuel, God-with-us.

Separation anxiety is a result of our sin that loses sight that God is always near. We may not see God and His working in our lives but He is there. He sees the big picture that we miss. He knows what the outcome will be for us. We are the ones who separate ourselves from God. Our inability to “find” God leads us to assume He is not there. Our words may be like Jobs, “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him.” But Job doesn’t end it there. He says in the next verse, “But he knows where I am going.”[3] Job may not be able to “find” God but he knows that the Lord is going before Him which is to say he is trusting God in the midst of his lack of understanding. We truly are not separated from God.

There is no more separation! We walk away from this text steadied in our faith and convinced that, indeed, nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. With great joy we carry this message into a disjointed world, to proclaim its promises to all people. [4]

We find this same assurance in Deuteronomy. Moses was passing on the mantle of leadership to Joshua who would enter the Promised Land and take it for the Israelites. The Lord speaks through Moses to Joshua and says, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to give their ancestors. You are the one who will deliver it to them as their inheritance. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you.”[5] Joshua was not entering a place of calm and welcoming. No, he would face many battles for the land God promised. But God would be with them. He doesn’t remove the obstacles but gives a way through them. God promises this to us as well. He may not remove the trouble or hardship we are facing but He promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We are called to trust God; even in our fear; even when we can’t “find” God; we are to trust. But what if we don’t feel like trusting? What if we don’t understand? That is the miracle of faith. God instills in us the ability to trust in His promise that nothing can separate us from His love. We can say, “I will trust You, though I don’t feel like doing so.” or “God I don’t understand, but I trust.” Jesus said that if we have faith of a mustard seed that we can move mountains, mountains of fear or lack of trust. God actually gives us the ability to trust in Him. Paul’s words here allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten our hearts and minds with the knowledge that nothing will be able to separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.

Let me conclude with an illustration. It is about an author of a hymn many of you may know, “Now Thank We all Our God” which can be found in our hymnals (hymn number 443)

From some of the severest human sufferings imaginable during the 30 Years’ War of 1618–48—a war that has been described as the most devastating in all history—this great hymn of the church was born.

Martin Rinkart was called at the age of 31 to pastor the state Lutheran church in his native city of Eilenberg, Germany. He arrived there just as the dreadful bloodshed of the 30 Years’ War began, and there Rinkart spent the remaining 32 years of his life faithfully ministering to these needy people.

Germany, the battleground of this conflict between warring Catholic and Protestant forces from various countries throughout Europe, was reduced to a state of misery that baffles description. The German population dwindled from 16 million to 6 million. Because Eilenberg was a walled city, it became a frightfully over-crowded refuge for political and military fugitives from far and near. Throughout these war years several waves of deadly diseases and famines swept the city, as the various armies marched through the town, leaving death and destruction in their wake. The plague of 1637 was particularly severe. At its height Rinkart was the only minister remaining to care for the sick and dying.

Martin Rinkart’s triumphant, personal expressions of gratitude and confidence in God confirm for each of us this truth taught in Scripture, that as God’s children, we too can be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” [6]

Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices; who from our mothers’ arms hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God thru all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; and keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God the father now be given, the Son and Him who reigns with Them in highest heaven—The one eternal God whom earth and heav’n adore—for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

May these words, and the words of Romans 8, inspire us to trust God that nothing, not even death, can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen

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[1]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (1 Co 15:56-16:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 28:20). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

[3]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Job 23:7-10). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[5]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Dt 31:5-8). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[6]Osbeck, K. W. (1990). Amazing grace : 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions. Includes indexes. (Pages 351-352). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.