We overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us

Romans 8:26-39 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Our Victory in Christ

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; ³⁰ and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul was certainly qualified to speak of the difficulties associated with serving Christ. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 he gives a brief summary of the hardships he has faced.

 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; ²⁷ I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

Paul says he is convinced that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God. If God is for us who can be against us? It is that same confidence we need to face the difficulties of this day and the next. That confidence, that assurance of God’s unfailing love cannot be learned from a book. It cannot be passed on to us from a great teacher or pastor. That confidence in God’s unfailing love can only be learned sitting in God’s lap. In Romans 8:15 Paul writes:

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"    Abba Father, Daddy, that is the love relationship God has with us. We only fully know the depths of His love as we sit with Him. In Psalm 91, The psalmist says:

  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
³ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

It is dwelling and abiding with God that leads us to the knowledge and confidence of His everlasting love.

It is from that perspective, the perspective that nothing can separate us from the love of God, the perspective that we can take Him at His word when He says:   "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."(Deuteronomy 31:6), that we can walk with confidence in what Paul writes in verses 28-29.

²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

God isn’t the cause of all the things that happen in our lives, but as we remain in His presence, through even the hardest and most difficult times we become more like Christ. We are made, conformed to the image of God’s Son. There is one aspect, one experience that Christ had that we do not share despite the difficulties we face. When Jesus was on the cross, bearing the sin of all mankind, past, present and future, God could no longer look on Him and be one with Him.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"(Matthew 27:46)

Because Jesus took on every sin, we no longer need to be separated from God. Jesus suffered that for us, once for all.

In Christ we now walk in the confidence of knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit thank You. Your love never fails. Nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to dwell and abide in Your presence Abba Father, even as You dwell in me, Holy Spirit. Thank You Jesus, for bearing all of my sin and even suffering the consequence of separation from the Father in my place. I know that nothing can separate me from the love of God. Help me to walk in a way that reveals that truth and confidence to the world.   Amen