Paul Summarizes the Love of God to and for His
Children Part 4
Romans
8:38-39 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. NKJV
Paul concludes his great praise-a-thon to our
Heavenly Father for sending our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit
by resting in the reality that he and all of God the Father’s Elect children
are assuredly super-conquerors in every circumstance in our lives. Paul now
gives a list of some rather imposing things that shall never pry us away from
that Great Love of God given to us before the foundation of the world in the
Person of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul uses the English word
persuaded that is translated from the Greek word peitho which is a primary verb that means to be convinced; to rely
by inward certainty; to be assured; to have confidence; to trust. Paul is
certain, confident, and convinced that none of these things will ever be able
to separate us from the love we have received and continue to receive from and
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
First up Paul list death; this man was so moved by
his union with our Lord Jesus that he wrote Philippians 1:21 as we documented in the previous study declaring
his assurance in what Christ had not only done for him on the Cross, but
equally what Christ was presently doing in him on a daily basis changing him
and his desires away from what they were to be aligned to what our Lord Jesus desires
(Philippians 1:6 & Philippians 2:13).
Death had been conquered and overcome by our Lord Jesus Christ and Paul knew
this with first hand eyewitness knowledge. Surely this proud Pharisee Saul of
Tarsus was present at our Lord’s crucifixion and witnessed His lifeless body
taken down from that Cross. However, Paul personally saw the Resurrected Christ
and was taught by Him this gospel he now proclaimed to the whole world and he
knew death was defeated forever by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-55 & Galatians 1:11-12).
Paul also list life; as we have seen in the last two
studies that this man Paul went through some of the most painful and horrible
things imaginable after his conversion on that Damascus road, but Paul was not
moved or threatened or deterred by any of them as he said to some of the
brethren with these words when it was prophesied that he would encounter danger
for his stance for Christ and the truth of the gospel, Acts 21:10-14 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named
Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound
his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall
the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into
the hands of the Gentiles.’” Now when we heard these things, both we and those
from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered,
“What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to
be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when
he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” NKJV
Paul was confident in Christ Great Love for him and to him at all times and
under all things that went on during the course of his life of faith.
Paul now list angels, principalities, and powers;
Paul had met head on with the devil and his cohorts upon every missionary
journey and during every day in prayer and yet he knew that our Lord Jesus had
already disarmed these minions of the devil and He has made reservations for
them in the Lake of Fire shortly (Colossians
2:15 & Revelation 20:10). Paul had overcome these enemies at every turn
as Dr. Luke documents for us when the Apostle was in Cyprus and encountered
Elymas the sorcerer as he tried to withstand Paul, seeking to turn the
proconsul away from faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, this is what Dr. Luke
records for us, Acts 13:9-12 Then Saul, who also is called Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all
deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all
righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And
now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind,
not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he
went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul
believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of
the Lord. NKJV Paul met these principalities and powers that worked through
human instruments and with the authority granted to him from our Lord Jesus as
an Apostle performed such work as we read above and this Paul was certain that
these fallen angels were bound by our Lord Jesus Christ and held in their place
waiting to be crushed (along with satan) under the feet of all the elect sons
and daughters shortly by our Lord Jesus (Romans
16:20).
Paul also list things present or things to come in
the future; Paul had this rock solid assurance based upon God’s Word and the
Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ (through the Holy Spirit) that he was privy
to constantly. Paul knew that none of his present failings, faults, or fears
could diminish our Lord’s Love to him or his love to our Lord Jesus. The love
of God had been shed abroad into his heart and Paul did not know what the
future held, but that is why he was unafraid to return to Jerusalem because he
knew he was doing the will of God and with that assurance he could face any
trial, test, or trouble with un-feigning love for Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul
knew that it was our Lord Jesus who was in control over every present danger
and any future danger because His purposes were going to be carried out through
Paul as He would overrule any plots or schemes by the devil through the human
instruments at his disposal. Paul list height or depth nor any other creature;
What the Apostle actually means to convey by height or depth I do not
understand, but it may refer to the vast creation of God and all of its majestic
wonder that man can never search out and understand fully. The earth and the
heavens or sky above still perplexes man even in this year 2013 and so it did
when the Apostle wrote this letter. Whatever he means here by height or depth
it is again to be vanquished under and by the love we have received and
continue to receive from the Throne of Grace where our Blessed Lord Jesus Sits
making intercession for each one of His Elect children.
John
16:27 “For the Father Himself loves you, because you
have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God” NKJV
John
17:26 “And I have declared to them Your name, and will
declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I
in them.” NKJV
Ephesians
1:4 “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before Him in love” NKJV
Ephesians
2:4 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us” NKJV
1
John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent
His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be
the propitiation for our sins. NKJV
“The doctrine of the necessity of personal holiness,
so clearly and strongly laid down in the former part of this chapter, should be
deeply considered by every person professing godliness; and while from the
seventh chapter they learn that they have an infected and morally diseased
nature, they should learn from the eighth that to destroy the work of the devil
was Jesus Christ manifested; and that no soul can be said to be saved by Jesus
Christ who is not saved from its sins.” Adam Clarke
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the
holiness of God, to feed
the mind with the truth of God,
to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God,
to devote the will to the purpose of God.” William Temple
“A true love of God must begin with a delight in
His Holiness.” Jonathan Edwards
“But the best definition of it is to say that heaven
is that state where we will always be with Jesus, and where nothing will separate us from Him anymore.” William
Barclay
“Though I wrestle with the meanest of demons and am
hated by many in this world, yet I know The One who loves me and keeps me
forever as His Greatest and most precious pearl.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
If you do not
know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your
heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus,
I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You
shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead
proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my
sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my
life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...Sincerely in Christ,
Author
of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and
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