Nothing Can Separate Us

[Read Romans 8:35-39]

It’s good for us to celebrate this morning—and I mean, really celebrate—because the last few years haven’t been that great. Am I right? I mean two years ago, we had to celebrate Easter in the middle of a lockdown—some people doing it from their cars in a parking lot and others doing it through a livestream—not that great. Then we had rioting and political unrest and tension and division. People lost their jobs. Stores were empty and haven’t been the same since. Prices keep going up and up and up. Now, we’ve got the war in Ukraine and people talking about WWIII. Let’s be honest, not a great couple years. 

So, in the midst of these rough years, there’s a temptation to stop celebrating. There’s a temptation to wallow in frustration or anger or self-pity and refuse to celebrate because you don’t think there’s anything worth celebrating. Things just stink. Then Easter rolls around again and reminds us that we need to celebrate because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Yes, we need to celebrate even in the midst of a few stinky years. Even in the midst of turmoil and frustration and anger, we still need to celebrate because Jesus conquered the grave. 

I started thinking about this after studying our passage this week. The Apostle Paul begins our passage by asking a question and then giving us a list. He says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35, ESV). Sounds a lot like our news feed, doesn’t it? “In today’s news, we have more tribulation, distress, danger, and sword.” Eventually, Paul expands the list even further: “…death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation…” (Romans 8:38–39, ESV). Can any of these things separate us from the love of Christ? 

This passage really covers the entire gamut, doesn’t it? I mean he not only talks about all of the external things that can cause problems in our life, but he also talks about internal things. Can your anxiety and worry separate you from the love of Christ? What about things in the future—things we don’t even know will happen someday, somewhere—can they separate us from the love of Christ? What about spiritual powers and forces—things that creep us out a little bit—can they separate us from the love of Christ? Can death separate us from the love of Christ?

The answer is: No. None of these things can separate us from the love of Christ. That should be a powerful reminder for every person in this room. You can turn on the news channel, scroll your social media feed, see these long lists of difficult things happening in the world and remind yourself that none of these things can separate you from the love of Christ. None of them. The pandemic cannot separate you from the love of Christ. Your lost job cannot separate you from the love of Christ. Your internal worry and fear cannot separate you from the love of Christ. The angels and demonic powers cannot separate you from the love of Christ. None of these things can separate us from the love of Christ. 

There is one thing, though, that can separate us from Christ—our sin. Isaiah says, “…your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God…” (Isaiah 59:2, ESV). That’s a pretty incredible thought, really. All of these powerful forces in the world can conspire against us to separate us from  God and will fail. But we separate ourselves from God through our own sinfulness. That’s what separates us from God. 

That’s also why we need a Savior. That’s why we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. He solved the problem of our sin and separation from God. He lived the perfect life we could never live. He died on the cross as the payment for our sin so that our sins could be forgiven and we would no longer be separated from God. Then he rose victorious from the grave—showing his victory over sin and death. He did this so that you wouldn’t have to live the rest of your life separated from God. You cannot earn this salvation and forgiveness through anything you do. You must accept it as a gift by faith. You must turn from your sin and grab hold of Jesus Christ by faith—trusting him with your forgiveness, and with your entire life. Then, you receive the forgiveness of your sins. Then you receive newness of life. Then you are united with your God. 

Then, you can go through life with complete confidence that NOTHING can separate you from that love—not even your own sin because that’s been taken care of by Jesus Christ. That’s the beauty of this chapter of Romans. It begins with the declaration that there is no condemnation for those who have embraced Jesus Christ by faith. It ends by telling us that there is also no separation for those who’ve embraced Jesus Christ by faith. Now, he’s got you in his hand and will never let you go. Nothing can rip you from his hands. “[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39, ESV). 

And here’s why we can have that level of confidence: Because Christ loved us. This isn’t dependent on our own love. If that was the case, we should be worried because we realize how weak and frail we truly are. But it isn’t dependent on our love for Christ. It’s dependent on Christ’s love for us. That’s why nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. 

When we talk about the love of Christ, it’s important to understand that it’s more than a feeling. This isn’t saying that Christ will always have a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart when he thinks about us and nothing can change that. Love is more than a feeling. Love is a feeling that overflows into actions. The Bible tells us, “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, ESV). Real love, true love, comes out through our lips and our fingertips. 

That’s why we read this in the Bible: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…” (1 John 3:16, ESV). We have confidence in Christ’s love for us by looking at his life, death, and resurrection. You can see the way he loved you by the way he lived his life. Every moment of his life on this earth was lived because he loved you. You can see the way he loved you as he hung on the cross. He endured every moment of pain and suffering because he loved you. You can see the way he loved you when he rose again from the dead. That victory over sin and death was accomplished because he loved you.

And here’s where this becomes even more powerful. When we see that nothing could separate us from the love of Christ in the past, we can have complete confidence that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ in the present or the future. Nothing. Nothing prevented him from protecting us and providing for us through his life, death, and resurrection and nothing will prevent him from doing that now for those who’ve embraced him by faith. Now that you’re his, he’ll never leave you nor forsake you. Nothing will separate you from his active love. 

That’s pretty amazing isn’t it? But the promise gets even better. We read this beautiful line: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37, ESV). More than conquerors through Christ who loved us. One commentator said, “We always struggle and emerge.” That’s a powerful truth in and of itself, but that’s only talking about being a conqueror. To conquer is to emerge from the struggle victorious. But what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? 

I have a somewhat helpful image of this in my mind this week. I’m not sure how many of you have ever been at the finish line of a running race. There are typically two types of runners who cross the finish line. You could label those two types of people conquerors and more-than-conquerors. The conquerors made it to the finish line but look miserable. Their muscles are cramped up, they’re limping across the line, their face is all distorted, they’re crawling across the finish line on their hands and knees, but they finished. They conquered. Then you have the more-than-conquerors who cross the line with a smile on their face, a spring in their step, barely any sweat on their face and shirt, they look like they just finished a photo shoot for Nike, they’re contemplating running the race a second time. These people more-than-conquered. 

You see, there is some hope in simply being a conqueror, right? As you see all of the trials and difficulties around you, it’s hopeful to know that you’ll get through to the other side somehow, someday—even if that means you have to crawl across the finish line beaten and bruised on your hands and knees, you’ll get there. There’s hope in that. But there’s much more hope in the promise that you’ll be more than a conqueror. Now, I can’t promise that you’ll cross the finish line looking like you just finished a photo shoot with Nike, but the promise is that—through Christ—you will finish well. Through Christ, you’ll more than conquer. 

This promise is also connected to last week’s passage. Last week’s passage told us that through Christ, all things will work together for our good—so that we become more like Jesus. That’s also part of being more than a conqueror. God not only brings us through the trial and difficulty—helping us to finish well—but he also uses that trial and difficulty as a blessing. He uses it to shape and mold us into the image of Jesus Christ. That’s more than conquering—when a trial and difficulty is turned on its head to become a blessing.

Again, we know that’s how God works because we see it in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every aspect of Jesus’ life and death involved the trial and difficulty described in this passage: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, angels, rulers, powers, etc. He endured every one of these sufferings and he conquered. He overcame. Yet, he didn’t just conquer these things. He more-than-conquered. If Jesus would have just conquered them, he would have risen from the dead and moved on—which would have, still, been amazing. Yet, he didn’t just conquer. He more-than-conquered and poured out blessing upon blessing upon blessing after his resurrection—and continues to pour our blessings to this day. 

That’s the beautiful promise for each one of us this morning as we celebrate Easter. This morning we’re reminded that Christ more-than-conquered sin and the grave. He conquered sin and death in such a powerful way that blessings flowed out from his victory to all who turn to him in faith. Through his life, death, and resurrection, our sins can be forgiven and we can be reunited with God. And when we’re reunited with God, we can have confidence that nothing can separate us from his active love. Once we’re his, he never lets go and he promises ultimate victory. He promises to make us more than conquerors in this life—helping us to finish well and turning our trials into blessings. 

That’s why it’s good for us to celebrate—to really, joyfully celebrate today—in the midst of the trials and difficulties of this life. The celebration lifts our eyes above the difficulties of the present moment to a realization of the truth that we are more-than-conquerors through Christ who loved us. So celebrate with joy and laughter today and keep your eyes on Christ who loved us and more than conquered the grave.