Romans 8.38-39-No Created Thing Can Ever Separate The Christian From God's Love Which Is Because Of Their Union With Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 10, 2009
Romans: Romans 8:38-39-No Created Thing Can Ever Separate The Christian From God’s Love Which Is Because Of Their Union With Christ
Lesson # 289
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:31.
This evening we will complete our study of Romans chapter eight by noting verses 38-39 and in this passage, Paul states that he is absolutely confident that no created thing in life can ever separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of the Christian’s union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s read this final paragraph and then concentrate on verses 38-39 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 8:31-39, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let’s now concentrate on verse 38.
Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers.”
Romans 8:38-39 presents the “basis” for Paul’s statement in Romans 8:37.
Paul teaches in verse 37 that the Christian is overwhelmingly victorious in the midst of the seven categories of undeserved suffering listed in verse 35 through the power available to them through their union and identification with Christ who loved him as demonstrated at the cross of Calvary.
Therefore, he is saying that the Christian is overwhelmingly victorious through Christ who loved them and this is “based upon” his own personal conviction through revelation and experience that no created thing can ever separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of their union with Christ.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“I am convinced” is the verb peitho (peivqw) (pay-tho), which is used in relation to the apostle Paul’s “firm personal conviction” that nothing can separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of his union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
This “firm conviction” was first of all based upon the revelation given to him by the Holy Spirit, which he revealed in the first eight chapters of the book of Romans and the rest of the epistles that he penned.
It was also based upon his own personal experience since Paul experienced these things listed in verses 38-39 and they did not separate him from God’s love, which is because of his union and identification with Christ.
The word expresses assurance that is based upon evidence and facts and expresses total, absolute certainty regarding a thing.
Therefore, it expresses Paul’s assurance and total absolute confident certainty that nothing can ever separate the Christian from God’s love and this is based upon the Spirit’s revelation and his own personal experience.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul now proceeds to list ten items in Romans 8:38-39, which from the human perspective might have the potential for separating the Christian from God’s love.
The list of seven items in Romans 8:35 ended with physical death and the list of ten items in Romans 8:38-39 begins with it, thus the ten-item list in Romans 8:38-39 begins where the list of seven items in Romans 8:35 leaves off.
Physical death also heads the ten item list in Romans 8:38-39 because it the most feared adversity among human beings.
The first pair of terms refer in a general sense to the two possible states of existence, namely death and life.
“Death” refers to physical death, which according to Paul can never separate them from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Life” refers to adverse and prosperous circumstances that make up human life in the physical body.
Prosperous circumstances would include friendships, marriages, children, financial prosperity, which could serve as a distraction to the Christian and seduce them away from being faithful to God.
Adverse circumstances would include physical illnesses, pain, suffering, disappointments, tragedies, persecutions, dangers, personal sin.
The second pair of terms addresses the angelic realm or spirit world.
“Angels” refers to the fallen or non-elect angels since Paul is speaking in the context of what might separate the Christian from God’s love.
Obviously, an elect angel would never seek to injure the Christian but are rather serving them in protecting and ministering to them in various ways.
Thus, by using angelos with reference to the fallen angels in general, Paul is saying that not even the fallen angels led by Satan can ever separate the Christian from God’s love.
“Principalities” refers to non-elect angelic rulers under Satan’s authority and have been delegated authority by Satan to rule the earth.
Therefore, Paul is teaching that these fallen angels do not possess the power to separate the believer from the love of God because the believer is eternally united with Christ and thus has been identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and present session at the right hand of the Father.
With the third pair of terms Paul includes the temporal dimension, namely, the present and future circumstances and events.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Things present” refers to present circumstances and events indicating that not even present events and circumstances that the Christian finds himself or herself experiencing can ever separate them from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Things to come” refers to future circumstances and events indicating that not even events and circumstances that the Christian will experience in the future can ever separate them from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Powers” is the noun dunamis, which is the only word in this ten item list that appears by itself.
It does not refer to angelic authorities since these were identified by the noun arche, “rulers” in the second pair of terms but rather it refers to human authorities or in other words, human government.
Further indicating this is the case is that it would be rather conspicuous that Paul would omit human governments from this list of potential enemies of Christians.
Dunamis is used in Romans 8:38 in a figurative sense for “political power” that has been delegated by God to human beings.
It refers to those individuals with political power or in other words, it refers to those human beings in positions of power and authority in human government, which according to Romans 13:1-7 is ordained by God.
Therefore, the noun dunamis in Romans 8:38 refers to political powers or human government indicating that human governments or political powers can never separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Paul’s day, human governments such as Rome persecuted Christians as well as Jewish politicians as well attested to in the Gospels and the book of Acts.
The fourth and final pair of terms used by Paul is found in Romans 8:39 and are intended to embrace the immensity of space or the stellar universe.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Height” refers to the region of space above the horizon, thus, it is a reference to celestial space or in other words, the stellar universe, which is composed of various luminous bodies such as moons, stars, suns, planets, asteroids or meteorites.
So Paul is saying that nothing in the stellar universe such as a moon, a star, sun, planet, a galaxy, a meteorite or asteroid that could create a disaster on planet earth could ever separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with Christ.
“Depth” refers to the region of space below the horizon.
The word denotes that there is nothing below the horizon of the earth that could separate the Christian from God’s love, which is because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
“Any other created thing” is comprehensive referring to anything else that exists in creation.
Paul uses this expression in order to anticipate someone attempting to make an exception that there could be something in creation that could cause the Christian to be separated from God’s love.
“Will be able” is the verb dunamai (duvnamai) (doo-nam-i), which means “to have the capacity or power to be able to do something by virtue of inherent ability and resources.”
Therefore, Paul is saying with this verb that none of the ten items listed in Romans 8:38-39 or any other created thing has the inherent capacity or power or ability to separate the Christian from God’s love for them.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“To separate” is the verb chorizo (xwrivzw) (kho-rid-zo), which means “to separate” in the sense that none of the ten items listed in Romans 8:38-39 or any other created thing can “separate” the Christian from God’s unconditional love for them, which is because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
“Us” refers to Paul and his fellow Christian readers in a corporate sense.
“From the love of God” indicates that none of the ten items listed in Romans 8:38-39 or any other created thing will in the future be able to totally and completely separate the Christian from the Father’s unconditional love for them, which is because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
“Which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” indicates the Christian’s eternal union and identification with Christ is the reason why no created thing can ever separate them from the Father’s love for them.
The Christian is forever the object of God the Father’s love because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.