The Unaltering Love of God

We all want to be loved, and have someone to love. Think about how many songs are written about this. “What the World Needs Now, Is Love Sweet Love”, “Love is All You Need”, “Love Makes the World Go Round”. Yet we don’t always feel loved, it can be hard to find someone to love, and sometimes we don’t even love ourselves. Too often it’s more like “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that there is someone who loves us completely, whose love never changes? Our reading today tells us that God’s love for us never fails.

Romans 8:38–39 NIV84

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.

Paul is convinced

He is absolutely certain. There are no doubts whatsoever in Paul’s mind that God’s love is constant. Paul was probably not an easy person to love. He could be boastful, outspoken, harsh.

What is that confidence based on? Not on his being a lovable person.

The promise of God’s love

Isaiah 54:10 NIV84

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

The love shown to us in Jesus

Romans 5:8 NIV84

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus is Lord – over death, over the principalities and powers, over everything in heaven and on earth.

The love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit – experience

Nothing can separate

Death/life – nothing in earthly experience. Death may separate us from those we love, but not from God’s love for us. Jesus has conquered death and now lives forever, and so His love also lives forever. Life is often more difficult to face than death, but life’s temptations, failures, disappointments, uncertainties, and sufferings will not separate us from the love of God that is in Christ our Lord.

Angels/demons – nothing in the spiritual dimension

Present/future – nothing in the temporal dimension

Powers – no ruling authorities

Height/depth – nothing in the spatial dimension

Anything else – just in case he missed anything someone might think of

Most, if not all, of the terms are technical terms denoting astrological powers which were thought to exercise control over man and his fate.

We might feel that we’ve done something so bad that God can’t love us. Nothing can separate us.

This love is ‘in Christ’

God loved us first, before we ever loved or even knew Him. Jesus showed that love by laying down His life for us while we were still sinners. He didn’t say, if you will love me or obey me then I will love you. Nothing we could do would earn God’s love, nothing we can do will lose that love.

A father was tucking in his six-year-old son for the night. The father asked him, “Son, when does Daddy love you the most? When you’ve been fighting with your sister and getting into a lot of trouble? Or when you’ve been real helpful to Mommy and real nice to everyone?”

The son thought for a moment and then said, “Both times!”

“Right,” the father said, “and do you know why?”

“Cause I’m your special guy,” replied the boy. For that was his daddy’s pet name for him, “Daddy’s Special Guy.” The boy knew his father loved him, no matter what, because he was “Daddy’s Special Guy.”

God loves us the same way. He loves us unconditionally because we are his “special guys”

While God is love, and loves all people, there is a special love God has for His chosen people. Believers in Jesus Christ are His, called to be His children, chosen before the foundation of the world. These are the ones Christ died for. This is the love Paul is talking about in our passage.

We can only receive and experience that love in Jesus Christ. He is the one, through His death and resurrection, who makes it possible for us to participate in the love of God. He is the One who calls us to be God’s special people.

Although God’s love is unalterable we can shut ourselves off from God’s love

The prodigal son left his father, could not experience his love, but the father never stopped loving him. Sometimes we turn away from God and our sin and guilt block us from knowing His love.

God’s love is a ‘tough love’

Just because God loves us that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t discipline us when needed or allow things to happen in order to teach us.

Paul’s prayer

Ephesians 3:18–19 NIV84

may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Grasp - Understand

Know – By experience

God wants us to know His love, to rest in that love, to find comfort in His love, to be convinced of His love.