The Reliability of God's Love
Scripture reference: Romans 8:32-39
There are many times in the life of a Christian when, in the solitude of honest self-examination, the questions arises, "Have I gotten so far off the right path that God no longer loves me? Have I done so many sinful things that I have fallen out of God's grace?" These moments of doubt about the length and depth of God's grace are really doubts about our faith. And in these moments of despair, we make the mistake of thinking that God is as weak and unreliable as we are. We begin to fear that He will forget about us just at quickly and easily as we forget about Him.
Because this crisis of doubt is neither new nor exclusive to Christians, Paul is aware that an honest man will from time to time recognize his weaknesses and infidelity. He, therefore, seeks to reassure us with a logical argument that God's love for us is always certain; for God's love is not dependent on us. It is as the apostle John tells us in his first epistle," We love him because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19 KJV)
The simple truth of mankind is that we are a calamity waiting for a time and place to happen. Only a dishonest person would not admit to making stupid mistakes motivated by self-interests. Only a pathologically arrogant person would believe that he is always right. Only the most deluded person would never have feelings of inadequacy in the face of life's difficult challenges. Even those who exude confidence and inspire others with their words and deeds have moments of doubt when they question if they have made a wrong turn, and left the security of God's love.
Paul begins with the question, if God gave up His own Son for us, how is it he would withhold anything from us? (Romans 8:32) He then asks who can lay any charge against the elect of God, when it is God himself who has already made them just in His eyes? (Romans 8:33) In addition to that, since Jesus rose from the dead to take his rightful place at His Father right side, he is now there as our Heavenly attorney pleading our case and defending us before God. With that kind of legal representation our case has already been won. (Romans 8:34)
Finally Paul gets to the meat of the matter. Being so loved by God that he "spared not his own Son," now standing at the Father's side defending us, who or what shall separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus? There is no one and nothing. Not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword. (Romans 8: 35) Neither height, depth, or any creature (including Satan) "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39 KJV)
What Paul does not specifically mention, but implies nonetheless, is that even we cannot create a situation that can separate us from the love of God. For God has already determined to love us with a love which is beyond human comprehension. It is a love given to us when we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8); a love "which passeth knowledge;" (Ephesians 3:19) a love which is from the beginning of time to the end. For God is love; and God is forever.
What a joy, what a comfort, what a peace for those who have accepted the free gift of God's grace received his everlasting love. Though we are weak, He is strong. Though we doubt, He is always certain. Though, like the prodigal son, we leave His house, He is always ready to receive us back home. As long as we are truly repentant of our sins, and demonstrate sincere remorse for our infidelity to the one who loves us beyond all that we can know, our forgiveness, already purchased by Christ, awaits us in our Father's arms.
May the Grace of God, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
There are many times in the life of a Christian when, in the solitude of honest self-examination, the questions arises, "Have I gotten so far off the right path that God no longer loves me? Have I done so many sinful things that I have fallen out of God's grace?" These moments of doubt about the length and depth of God's grace are really doubts about our faith. And in these moments of despair, we make the mistake of thinking that God is as weak and unreliable as we are. We begin to fear that He will forget about us just at quickly and easily as we forget about Him.
Because this crisis of doubt is neither new nor exclusive to Christians, Paul is aware that an honest man will from time to time recognize his weaknesses and infidelity. He, therefore, seeks to reassure us with a logical argument that God's love for us is always certain; for God's love is not dependent on us. It is as the apostle John tells us in his first epistle," We love him because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19 KJV)
The simple truth of mankind is that we are a calamity waiting for a time and place to happen. Only a dishonest person would not admit to making stupid mistakes motivated by self-interests. Only a pathologically arrogant person would believe that he is always right. Only the most deluded person would never have feelings of inadequacy in the face of life's difficult challenges. Even those who exude confidence and inspire others with their words and deeds have moments of doubt when they question if they have made a wrong turn, and left the security of God's love.
Paul begins with the question, if God gave up His own Son for us, how is it he would withhold anything from us? (Romans 8:32) He then asks who can lay any charge against the elect of God, when it is God himself who has already made them just in His eyes? (Romans 8:33) In addition to that, since Jesus rose from the dead to take his rightful place at His Father right side, he is now there as our Heavenly attorney pleading our case and defending us before God. With that kind of legal representation our case has already been won. (Romans 8:34)
Finally Paul gets to the meat of the matter. Being so loved by God that he "spared not his own Son," now standing at the Father's side defending us, who or what shall separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus? There is no one and nothing. Not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword. (Romans 8: 35) Neither height, depth, or any creature (including Satan) "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39 KJV)
What Paul does not specifically mention, but implies nonetheless, is that even we cannot create a situation that can separate us from the love of God. For God has already determined to love us with a love which is beyond human comprehension. It is a love given to us when we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8); a love "which passeth knowledge;" (Ephesians 3:19) a love which is from the beginning of time to the end. For God is love; and God is forever.
What a joy, what a comfort, what a peace for those who have accepted the free gift of God's grace received his everlasting love. Though we are weak, He is strong. Though we doubt, He is always certain. Though, like the prodigal son, we leave His house, He is always ready to receive us back home. As long as we are truly repentant of our sins, and demonstrate sincere remorse for our infidelity to the one who loves us beyond all that we can know, our forgiveness, already purchased by Christ, awaits us in our Father's arms.
May the Grace of God, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
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