Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

[Ro 8:35-39, NIV]

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

36 As it is written:"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

39 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.

1. The foundation of God’s love is not our condition but the cross of Christ

We often think like this:

“My prayer life is weak these days… I can’t focus well in worship…With my level of faith, would God still love me?”

But Paul is not speaking to ideal believers with perfect spiritual conditions.He is speaking to believers who are already weak and struggling.

Romans 8 tells us:

• We are still living in suffering (v.18)

• We groan together with creation (vv.22–23)

• We do not even know what we ought to pray for (v.26)

And yet, to such people, God declares:

“I love you to the end, and I will never abandon you.”

Why?

Because the foundation of His love does not rest onthe strength of my faith,the level of my devotion,or the condition of my heart today,but solely upon the finished work of Christ’s cross and resurrection.

God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all (v.32).If God has already given us His Son,Paul asks, will He not also graciously give us all things along with Him?

Therefore, beloved,

the love of God is not a state you have to maintain;it is an unchanging reality that has already been given to you.

2. Our present suffering is not the absence of God’s love, but training within His love

Look at the list Paul gives:

• Tribulation

• Distress

• Persecution

• Famine

• Nakedness

• Danger

• Sword

At first glance, all these appear to be“proof that God no longer loves me.”

When we face such seasons, we quickly ask:

“God, do You really love me?”“If You love me, why would You allow this?”

But Paul proclaims the exact opposite.

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (v.37)

Notice: the victory is not outside these things,but “in all these things.”

God’s love is not a love that removes every hardship,placing us in a safe bubble with no suffering.

It is a love that never lets go of our handeven when we walk through the center of hardship.

In the life of a believer,there are seasons of tears that we cannot fully explain.We pray, yet nothing seems to change.We try to live faithfully, but things become even harder.

But today’s passage says to us:

“The suffering you are facing now is not evidence that God’s love has left you,but the very place where His love is holding you.”

Suffering is not the absence of love;it is a place of growth and training within His love.

3. The conviction that nothing can separate us transforms our way of living

Paul concludes:

• Neither death nor life

• Neither angels nor rulers

• Neither things present nor things to come

• Neither powers, nor height, nor depth

• Nor anything else in all creation

can separate us.

This includes our failures.

Our moments of stumbling,our regretful words and choices,even the moments when we say,“I don’t think I can make it anymore,”do not have the power to cut us off from God’s love.

How does this conviction transform us?

1) Fear decreases

Fear of people, tomorrow, failure—all become quieter compared to the identity that whispers,“I am still loved.”

2) We gain strength to fight sin

Not: “I failed again; God must have given up on me.”But: “Even in this sin, God still loves me—so I will return to Him.”

3) Our love for others deepens

When we recognize God’s unbreakable love toward us,we stop giving up on others so easily.We learn to wait a little longer and embrace a little wider.

Learning to remain in “the love that cannot be broken”

Beloved, today’s Word invites us:

• Build eyes that look not at your environment,

  
  

  but at the love of Christ.

• Hold onto the truth of God’s Word

  
  

  more than your feelings and mood.

If there is an area in your heart today where you are saying,“Because of this issue, I cannot feel God’s love,”then place today’s passage directly over that place.

“Even this,even this situation,even this failure,even this fear,cannot separate mefrom the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

May this conviction become in usnot merely a doctrine,but a prayer,a confession,and a song in our daily lives.