After being away for a year, with moving into our new home, working at a new job, and spending time with all of our family here in California, I am taking time to again study and continue my blog. Picking up the study of Romans 8, we come to the last question the Apostle asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" I am reminded that "us" has been clearly answered in verses 29-31, those who were foreknown, predestinated, called, justified, glorified. "Us" are the elect of verse 33, and if you have come to faith in Christ, you are one of the"us".
Martyn Lloyd Jones makes the following observation on being more than conquerors."Next we must look at this phrase 'more than conquerors', Not only, says the Apostle, shall nothing separate us from His love us; in all these things which try to separate us we are 'more than conquerors' with respect to them. This is what he is particurly concerned to emphasize. He is not content with merely answering objections, he ridicules them; and he does it here. We are not simply enabled by His love to hold on, and not to fall away and falter; neither is it the case that we just manage obtain a victory. We are 'more than conquerors', a very strong expression! The Christian is not a man who manages somehow or another just to obtain an entrance into heaven. He is 'more than conqueror'. He not merely stands up to these trials, he demolishes them, he is enabled to overcome them completely. He not merely conquers them, he is 'more than conqueror'. And let us not forget that death is included. Everything that can possibly come against us is included."
The Apostle now comes to his final declaration. "For I am persuaded" is rendered "I stand convinced" by A.T.Robertson. Kenneth Wuest adds,"I am persuaded" is peitho, perfect in tense, "I have come through a process of persuasion to a settled conclusion." How had he come to this settled position? "
This persuasion not only regards himself, but others; and is not conjectural, but certain; and which did not arise from any special and extraordinary revelation, but is founded upon the nature of the love of God itself, the security of it in Christ, and of the persons of God's elect in him; upon eternal predestination, and the unalterable purposes of God; upon the promise and oath of God; upon adoption, and the gracious witnessings, assistances, and inhabitation of the Spirit; and is greatly increased by the consideration of the death, resurrection, and intercession of Christ." (John Gill) To all this, add these comments from John MacArthur, " He was convinced first of all because of the nature of salvation, which God had revealed to him and which he presents so clearly in these first eight chapters. His counsel is also a personal testimony. He was convinced cause he had experienced most of the things mentioned and they did not separate him from Christ. Both revelation and experience convinced him."
Paul now begins listing the things that would appear to some to be able to separate the believer from the love of Christ. The first one is death. If there was one thing that most people would think could separate a person from Christ, it would be death. However, for the believer it's just the opposite, it sends him into the presence of Christ. The opposite of death, life, is next and it is more vulnerable to sin and temptation. With death, there is no more struggle with sin and temptation but living brings all the things listed in verse 35 to every day experience. I love John Gill's observation,"this natural and temporal life, which is frail and mortal; the love of God is better than this life, and this itself is the effect of divine favour; wherefore this can never separate from the love of God, nor anything in it: the life of believers is indeed filled up with troubles and exercises, and attended with much imperfection and sin; but nothing does, or can alienate the affections of God from his children; for though he exercises them with the trials of life, and chastises them for their sins, yet his loving kindness He does not take away from them".
Angels
by whom are meant evil angels, the devils; for as for good angels, they never attempt to separate God and his people; they rejoice at their good, minister to them, are their guardians whilst here, at death they carry their souls to heaven, and at the last day will gather all the elect together; but evil angels do endeavour it, by temptations to sin, and accusations for it; by stirring up heresies and persecutions, in order to destroy them, but cannot succeed; for the saints are upon God's heart, are in Christ's hands, and on him the rock; and the Spirit of God is in them, who is greater than he that is in the world". (John Gill)
Principalities," This word usually refers to magistrates and civil rulers. But it is also applied to evil angels, as having dominion over people; Eph_6:12, "For we wrestle against ...principalities;" Col_2:15, "And having spoiled principalities:" 1Co_15:24, "When he shall have put down all rule;". Some have supposed that it refers here to magistrates and those in authority who persecuted Christians; but the connection of the word with angels seems to require us to understand it of evil spirits".(A.Barnes)
Powers,The plural form of this common word for "power" is used to refer to either miracles or to persons in positions of authority.(John MacArthur)
Things present, Things to come, No present event, however blessed or troubling, or nothing in the future, none of the unknown possibilities of the life to come
Height or Depth, Paul may have used height and depth as astrological terms that were familiar in his day, hupsoma (height) referring to the high point, or zenith, of a star's path, and bathos (depth) to its lowest point. IF so, the idea is that Christ's love secures a believer from the beginning to the end life's path. Or perhaps he used the terms to signify the infinity of space, which is endless in every direction. In either case, the basic meaning is that of totality. (MacArthur)
Nor any other created thing In case there is something unknown or overlooked or forgotten, anything in the whole universe that could come against the believer
I love the way Alan Johnson sums it up,"Paul is also convinced that no factor of human existence, (life or death), nor unseen spiritual power (angels, prinpalities), nor the expanse of space ( height, depth) nor the course of time (present, to come), nor anything in the whole universe of God (any other created thing) can cut us off from this unbelievable love of God, the Father, manifested at the Cross and poured out in our hearts when we received the grace of God (vv.38,39; 5:5). Yet in all this glorious victory we are reminded to not forget the means or the focus of such triumph since it is through Him who loved us" (i.e., Jesus Christ) and "in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vv. 37, 39).
We are more than conquerors and so we must demonstrate that as we live in this unregenerate society with our future glory assured.
Live victoriously today,
Swordman
