Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 8:35–37). Tyndale House Publishers.
The idea in verse 37 is the central idea in Rend Collective’s 2014 song, “More Than Conquerers.” In many translations, verse 37 is translated as “we are more than conquerors” instead of “overwhelming victory is ours.” I think both choices have merit but in the other translation, we see the connection to the song.
We must understand where we have this overwhelming victory. To understand this we must look at verse 35. Our victory is that we cannot be separated from the love of God. We have conquered trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, and death threats. It is not a verse about being able to pass a math quiz or winning a football game. It is so much greater than that. Through Jesus we are not even defeated by death.
In my life I have faced some things that could classify trouble or calamity. I have faced my dad’s death, needing a fifth year to finish undergrad, a breakup at one of the lowest points of my life, a mandated six-month break from graduate school, being asked to resign from a ministry position, and not having a coaching contract renewed. I am not making the claim that any of these count as persecution, destitution, or death threats. It can be so much worse. What I have learned through this is that nothing can come between me and my Savior. I cannot rely on anything besides the Creator.
This is the point. Romans is considered one of, if not the single, most theological books of the Bible and chapter 8 is the climax. Paul wants us to know that we are so wonderfully reconciled with the Father that there is literally nothing that stands a chance of separating us form Him. Arguments about the end times and cessationism will look foolish in light of this truth. Understanding God is still important but these differing views do not separate us from God. Being wrong will not separate us. The only thing that can separate us is failing to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead. It is overwhelmingly simple. Our hard heartedness or blind eyes are the only thing standing in our way. Allow prevenient grace to soften your hearts and make the scales fall off your eyes. See the risen Messiah. Accept His invitation. Be radically reconciled with your Creator. This is the what the Gospel is about. When we do this, we can begin to love God with all our being and love our neighbor as ourself through the transforming work of the Spirit. Anything without the Spirit is useless strife.
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