GOD'S EVERLASTING LOVE – Tomorrow:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39, NKJV)
"Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
There are at least two reasons why men tend to philosophize about the safety of God's people. These philosophies and speculations are offered in an attempt to neutralize the necessity of human involvement in salvation. This is done because the people are either not confident, or have no real heart for the matter of saving themselves from this untoward generation (Acts 2:40). However, those whom God has delivered have always themselves been involved in the process. When the Lord described BROUGHT" them to Himself (Ex 19:4). However, that did not mean, the Israelites had nothing to do. They had to keep the Passover feast, put blood on the doors of their houses, eat the passover lamb, gather their families together, eat with their clothes and shoes on, leave at the appointed hour WITH all of their possessions, and cross the Red Sea on dry land. If you were to tell one of those people God saves us in spite of what we do, or that "carried" means we have nothing to do, they would suppose you to be mad. Yet, their deliverance is a type of salvation, depicting its various involvements (1 Cor 10:1-10).
FAITH IS ESSENTIAL. First, those who speculate about our safety do not recognize the essentiality of faith. Without this consideration in mind, the unlearned speak of how God keeps the soul, as though there was no human involvement in the process. Thus some speak of God loving us no matter what we do, and keeping us in spite of ourselves. However, no such approach is found in Scripture. The first view – that God loves us no matter what we do – has been taught to the church by those who are more familiar with psychological principles than the nature of God and His great salvation. They forget that while we are in this world, everything we have from God is held "by faith," or "through faith." Our possession of those benefits is only as sure as our faith, and is NEVER considered independently of faith. What is more, faith is never pictured as automatically remaining with the individual regardless of personal commitment. The Spirit speaks of departing from the faith (1 Tim 4:1), making shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim 1:19), denying the faith (1 Tim 5:8), and believing "for a while" (Luke 8:13). Solemnly we are admonished to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12), "continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22; Col 1:23), standing fast in the faith (1 Cor 16:13), and remaining "steadfast in the faith" (1 Pet 5:9). Further, faith is depicted as a protective shield that must be hoisted up by the child of God – used to ward off the flaming arrows of the wicked one (Eph 6:16). Without that shield, there is no hope of surviving temptation. God makes NO commitment for good to anyone who is not PRESENTLY believing, trusting Him, or living by faith.
THERE ARE OPPOSITIONS. Second, some are blissfully unaware of the forces that are aligned against the people of God. They approach salvation as though, in this world, we lived in a moral and spiritual vacuum. However, the Spirit informs us that we have a personal adversary, the devil (1 Pet 5:8). We also grapple with high spiritual personalities, described as "principalities . . . powers . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph 6::12). Further, we must abstain from the love of the world and its lusts, which war against us (1 John 2;15-17; 1 Pet 2:11). We also carry an enemy around in our own bodies which is called "the old man," and is to be "put off" (Eph 4:22-24). No person can remain in a good stand standing with God who lives as though these opponents do not exist, or treats them as though they were powerless and inconsequential. They must be resisted and fought against – that is not only a Divine mandate, special provisions are made available to us that ensure personal victory against them (Eph 6:10-18).
The personal knowledge of either or both of these realities will move us away from philosophizing about being safe in Christ. Rather than indulging in endless speculations, we will thus engage in a fervent quest to "lay hold on the hope that is set before us" (Heb 6:18). Any approach to life in Christ that imagines there is no danger, has been foisted upon men by the devil himself. It is a doctrine of demons, and is to be thrust from us with zeal.
The Spirit will first draw our attention to general circumstances that are designed by the enemy to lure us away from believing, and into trusting in the flesh. If you remove Divine protection from the picture, any of these experiences are sufficient to move us from "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus." They all have the ability to so distract the heart that fear and doubt will rush in like a torrential flood. Further, there is a natural fear of all of these experiences. The believer (and only the believer) is given the peace of God that is able to "rule in your hearts," and "keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Col 3:15; Phil 4:7). That peace is realized through the faith, which we are charged to "keep."
Why Are They Mentioned?
Why are these oppositions mentioned? To some, they seem to contradict, what is called, "the victorious life." Others perceive Divine protection as prohibiting the experience of such things. These misconceptions are particularly prevalent in the Western world, where opposition to the faith is not as openly aggressive as other places in the world. The passage before us is more readily received in places like China and Sudan than in our own country. Nevertheless, saints everywhere, whether enjoying quietness from the Lord, or fierce and open opposition from the "old serpent," must embrace this passage by faith. In some way, and to some degree, these are matters that we all will face. For those who live by faith, the Spirit will answer whether or not they are capable of severing us from Christ's love.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You in the name of Jesus for the power and effectiveness of faith. Help me through your grace to keep that faith, that I may also keep everything that it appropriates.