The Love Of God
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38
God exhibits an unchangeable love toward the entire human race. Our love for Him, though, is, at best, very inconsistent. Regardless, our actions will do nothing to stop God from loving us.
Think about it: God loves us no matter what we do or say! When we do those stupid things, God loves us! If we mess up and do something we’re not supposed to do, God still loves us!
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? Romans 8:35
After Paul asked if anything can separate us from the love of God, he answered in the negative. In other words, just because things happen to us doesn’t mean God stops loving us. He said;
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37
Convinced, Paul said nothing can stop God from loving us. The word “nothing” means “not anything.” A second part of its definition means “leaves nothing to the imagination.”
This should keep us from entertaining thoughts like, “What if God doesn’t love me?” When talking with Nicodemus, Jesus spelled out the magnitude of the love God has for us.
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Nothing Can Separate the Love of God From Us
When Paul wrote, “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love,” he didn’t write it as a promise. But we can accept it as one of the best promises in the scriptures.
Some people use this verse to support the doctrine that I can’t lose my salvation once saved. This verse talks about the love God has for every human ever born, whether godly or ungodly.
Before salvation, we had nothing to offer to God at all. In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul addressed how we, wretched sinners, became children of God. But first, he asked,
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Romans 7:22
Remember the aged old question, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Probably the chicken, but who cares? How about this question, though: what came first, God’s love or salvation?
Definitely the love of God. In fact, Paul gave us a distinct answer about who frees us from our domination of sin.
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:25
So it doesn’t matter who you are or how much sin you have committed. You can turn to God, through the love Jesus exhibited for you on the cross. He did it for everyone, which includes you.
Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13
Let’s look at the other side of that coin. We have established that the love of God is great and unending. But if you reject His Son Jesus, then because of His justice, He has to send you to hell.
Can Satan Overpower the Love of God?
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39
Ok, the power of Satan cannot remove us from the love God has for us. I believe that, and hopefully, you do too. But with that in mind, why does Satan continue to tempt and deceive us?
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
I’ll tell you why he continually tries to devour Christians. Because he doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity with the Lord. He will do what he can to entice us into our old ways of life.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
James, the church leader in Jerusalem, wrote his epistle to Christians. Take a closer look at verse 15. Even though God has a great love for you, sin always grows into death.
So, what separates us from the love of God? Absolutely nothing! What can cause our separation from God, who dearly loves us? By turning our backs on Him by allowing sin to grow in us.
When Paul wrote to the Galatian church, he pointed out what sin looks like. He didn’t make it an exhaustive list because he added the phrase “and other sins like these.”
The Desires of Your Sinful Nature
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
This devotion is about the love of God and not about sin. But, sometimes, we get confused because we think His love will overlook our sinfulness.
In reality, God loves us no matter what. But He will only pardon our sins when we repent of them in the name of Jesus. God will forgive us and teach us through His Word to help us sin no more.
Lord, thank you for loving us. And God, thanks for giving us an opportunity to respond to your love through the cleansing blood of Jesus.
Check out these related posts about love.
- How Have You Shown Your Love To God?
- What God Has Prepared For Those Who Love Him
- The Commandment To Love Is Nothing New
