Unbreakable Love of God
Bible verses: Romans 8: 35-39 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A 20th-century theologian, Oswald Chambers said: “The miracle of the Christian life is that God can give joy in the midst of external misery.” This joy does not come from us. It is the joy that God Himself fills. We usually rejoice in our happiness but hardly rejoice in our difficulties. It is a human nature. But God holds loving hands with His people. Anyone who finds His love will enjoy the true peace and joy during hard times.
Today we are going to share the Word from the book of Romans. The book of Romans written by Paul the Apostle is one of the most important documents of Christian history. It is also a letter of great influence, both theologically and doctrinally. This is because the theological teachings of the Reformers such as Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley began in Romans during the Reformation. Romans 1:16 contains the major theme of the book: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
It says that salvation is not our accomplishment but a gift from God to those who believe in Him. Today's text proclaims the unbreakable love of God. It was written to show us God’s blessings and salvation to His people.
We do not usually seek God when we are happy and successful. When we encounter unexpected hardships and difficulties that are beyond our control, we tend to look for God and return to Him. Often times, difficulties in our work, studies, relationships, families, and health, or unforeseen circumstances are a turning point in our search for God. We meet God and experience His love in the midst of these hardships. Furthermore, we experience His healing power that enables us to overcome the hardships, and to rejoice in difficult circumstances.
In fact, Paul the Apostle kept his faith and preached the gospel under persecution and sufferings that are beyond compare. Paul had to face persecution or death threats because he was a Christian. Few people today face this persecution or death threat anymore. At that time, however, Christians in many early churches like Paul walked the path of faith while putting their lives in danger. But even in this situation, Paul is happy, grateful, and full of praise for God.
So where did Paul get his strength to rejoice and be grateful? Was he born with a strong will, patience or a positive mindset? Human strength or training can last for a while, but it will eventually reveal its limits. Paul reveals the power of lasting joy regardless of the situation. That is a special power that is not from this world. It is described today as the power of love in Jesus Christ. After all, the unbreakable love of the cross of Jesus Christ gave Paul the Apostle the faith to overcome death. Let me share with you how today's text in Romans chapter 8 describes this amazing power of love in Christ.
First, the power of love in Jesus Christ is the power that protects us from any dangers and sufferings and keeps us connected with God. Let's look at verses 35-36: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
Jesus Christ is the one who protects us from trouble, hardship, natural disasters like famine, nakedness, danger or sword. When the presence of God is blurred due to hardships and difficulties we face, we must be able to return to the redeeming love of the cross. We will never lose joy and vitality from the amazing love of the cross. The nakedness here is the Greek word “gumnotes,” which means nakedness without clothes. And the sword in the text was a Roman execution tool. This was written about the Christian suffering and martyrdom at that time. In other words, Paul the Apostle kept his faith in such situations where the basics of human life and even life were threatened. We do not live in the same age of suffering and persecution, but today we find that the power of the wonderful love of Jesus Christ is the beginning of overcoming the difficulties of our lives and faith. Only the undying love of Christ can renew us. Second, death or life, any powers, or even angels are not greater than God’s love, which has the power over everything. Let's look at verses 38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we are in trouble and hardship, we try to find and rely on something that can help us. At that moment it becomes clear what we really rely on. Sometimes, we rely on money and try to solve the trouble with it. In some cases, we rely on power or people and relationships we have. In other cases, we may try to solve the problem with our own will or effort. Of course, these may have temporary effects. But today the Bible declares that all the power of the world, even angels, is not greater than the power of God's love. And they represent finite things that will eventually disappear. At the same time they reveal God's existence above them with clarity. When we encounter hardships or difficulties, we must be able to think about God's love before turning to anything that is only temporary and finite. You will experience an amazing recovery. Third, a triumphant victory is achieved not by our will or effort, but by the power of the love of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at verse 37: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Hymns 585 “A mighty fortress is my God” verse 2 says: Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.
This hymn was written by the Reformer, Martin Luther. As in this hymn, the secret to our faith lies in discovering this incredible love of God. We are not able to hold God with our will. It is the ability of God to hold us in His grace. Because of God's undying love, we will not give up and will restore our hope. This is never a passive and helpless life. Rather, it refers to a life that we respond and thank to the unbreakable love of God, a life that we live with the vitality God gives us.
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