GOD'S EVERLASTING LOVE In a sense, this text is a promise – but it is even more than a promise. It is a declaration of the real situation right now. All of the opposing and competitive influences that have been mentioned are totally incapable of separating "us" from the love of God. They simply have no power to do so. If we begin to think they can separate "us," then we have been deceived on the matter. THE LOVE OF GOD Opposing forces are not able to separate us "from the love of God." The love of reference is God's love for us, not our love for God. Our love flows from His love, and not vice versa. God does not love us because we love Him, but we love Him because He first loved us. As it is written, "We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). His love is the river, but ours is the tributary. His is the nourishing fountain, ours is the container that draws the life-sustaining water. – 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 co
Devotion 33 of 36
"For I am persuaded that . . . shall be able to separate us . . . "
Allow me to once again establish those to whom the word "us" refers. There is no ambiguity here, no vagueness, and no references to Christian organizations or institutions. While these may very well be highly regarded by men, they are not so viewed in heaven. The "us" of our text are those who have "the faith of Abraham" – who believe in and trust the Lord as he did (Rom 4:16). "Us" refers to those who "believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead" (4:24). They are those to whom the Holy Spirit is given (5:5), and toward whom God's love has been "commended" (5:8). "Us" refers to those who "were baptized into Jesus Christ" and "His death" (6:3). "Us" are all who "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (8:4). These are the people to whom God is freely giving "all things" (8:32), and for whom Christ is presently making intercession (8:34). These are those to whom the word "us" has been applied.
The purpose of this section of Scripture is not to finely tune our theology, but strengthen our hope and minister comfort to our hearts. A theology that does not do this has no value. Let us have done with cold and systematic views of God and Christ that do not minister grace to the hearers, or give them strong reasons and assurances to fight the good fight of faith. The call has gone out from the throne, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God" (Isa 40:1). The words of our text are among many such words to be found in the Word of God. They do need to be declared to the saints of the most high God.
The love of God is NOT something to be taken for granted. Solemnly we are told, "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 1:21). God's love has a perimeter, or boundary. Just as surely as God has set a boundary for the sea beyond which it cannot pass (Jer 5:22), so God's love has a boundary beyond which it will not pass. It will not, for instance, reach into the lake of fire. Nor, indeed, does it extend into the area in which demonic spirits are held – i.e., "but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment" (2 Pet 2:4). And again, "He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 1:6). There is a domain in which Divine love is not experienced.
There are people who are objects of wrath, not Divine love. They are called "children of wrath" (Eph 2:3), those who are "condemned already" (John 3:18), and those upon whom "the wrath of God" is abiding (John 3:36). It is the peculiar ministry of salvation to extricate men from this category and status. Those so delivered are grateful for the love of God, but they do not take it for granted.
Salvation puts us within the boundary of Divine love – in a place where that love is actually experienced in marvelous and effective ways. Drawing upon the grace of God, living by faith, and walking in the Spirit, we are to abide in that love. In the meantime, our adversary the devil is seeking to lure us outside of that boundary. He is tempting us to come into an area where the effective ministry of Divine love is not realized. Notwithstanding his efforts, faith will keep us in the love of God. That is precisely why we are admonished to build ourselves up on our "most holy faith" (Jude 1:20).
This text assumes the superiority of God's love. It is the manner of the New Covenant to place the highest priority on God's love for us. It is what we prefer, long for, and fervently seek. This is the love that "has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Rom 5:5, NASB). It is generally known by the faithful that the love of God is powerful, sustaining the soul and standing between the believer and the forces aligned against him. That is why the Holy Spirit pours it into our hearts. In so doing, our confidence is bolstered and our hearts made strong. The love of God is to the heart what fuel is to an automobile.
We know that if God loves us there are neither person nor circumstance that can turn Him against us. "If God be for us, who CAN be against us?" (Rom 8:31). Faith confidently responds, "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, shall be able to separate us from the love of God" (NASB). Any person convinced of that will have the victory! That is why faith is declared to be "the victory" that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5). See to it that you abide in God's love, and the powers of darkness can do nothing about it – absolutely nothing!
PRAYER POINT: Father, I take seriously the admonition to keep myself in Your love. In the name of Jesus, I am trusting You for grace to remain in Your love, knowing You are able to keep me from falling, and present me faultless before Your presence with exceeding joy.