Light Brings Salt
Volume 2, Issue 10 March 7, 2004
Dedicated to the
Systematic Exposition of the Word of God
Paul's final question! Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
The very profound point that Paul is making here is this: There is no
catastrophe that you can imagine that could separate us as believers from the
love of Christ! There is nothing that can happen that will cause Him to stop
loving us!
Does something stand out here as you look at vs:35?
Paul asks "Who" and then gives us a list of what's or things we might experience in life! Behind the what's that are listed are the who's! Satan's operatives
- demons; sometimes directly, but more often indirectly through seeking to
influence the decisions we make.
Paul lists 7 areas or types of things that the Christian might
experience in life and the point is that not one of these things will separate
us from the love of Christ.
This speaks of His love for us not our love of Him. [subjective genitive]
The flow of the context speaks of the permanence of this love and the
relationship we have with Him.
#1 tribulation (thlipsis) quite a broad word for pressure; used of physical/emotional/mental pressure;
therefore is used of anything that brings pressure on us!
Antidote
to pressure is
truth taught which strengthens the faith 1 Ths 3:1-3.
#2 distress (stenochoria)
was used to define a narrow
space; things are closing in on us, are putting the squeeze on us;
Example:
when it finally hits you that you'll be paying on that mortgage for the rest of
your life. Or your
getting older, and it hits you that your life is running out! [2 Cor 4:8 uses both #1 & #2.
#3 persecution (diwgmos the verb is diwkw) The
idea is that of pursuit, to chase after with a view to harm, pursuit by ones
enemies; therefore to persecute.
Used in
the epistles for the persecution that results from living out the faith, taking
a stand for truth! 2 Tim 3:12
In 2 Cor 4:9 Paul says yes I am being persecuted but I am not
forsaken. That is Jesus Christ who is my life has not left me without
provision!
Remember
that nothing we are asked by God as believers to accomplish does He not give us
the resources to fulfill.
#4 famine (limos) speaks of deprivation of food; have seen the pictures many
times down through history where believers have lived in areas where there was
extreme famine.
These
type of natural disasters are not even able to separate us from the love of Christ! To separate
us from our very life!
#5 nakedness (gumnotes) the idea is that of being totally destitute; extreme poverty; find Paul's experience
related to #4, in 1 Cor 4:11
#6 peril (kindunos)
Paul's peril list is found in 2 Cor. 11:26-27. In 1 Cor
#7 sword (machaira) Acts 12:1-2;
Heb
A good example of what Paul is talking about,
facing the various tests of life which this verse refers to, and how a couple
of believers faced these tests and in doing so put the truth they knew into
action. Time frame would be in the
1930's, some place in
[This account is from William Newell's Romans verse by verse pg. 167]
A letter that lately came out of
It would be so easy to grow bitter if one lost the spiritual viewpoint
and began to look at circumstances. I am learning to thank God for literally
everything that comes. I experienced so many things that looked terrible, but
which finally brought me closer to Him. Each time circumstances became lighter,
I was tempted to break fellowship with the Lord. How can I do otherwise than
thank Him for additional hardships?
They only help me to what I always longed for, a continuous, unbroken abiding in Him.
Every so-called hard experience is just another step higher and closer to
Him."
Another recent letter from "Mary" reads, "I am still in
the same place of exile. There is a Godless Society here; one of the members
became especially attached to me. She said, 'I cannot understand what sort of a
person you are; so many here insult and abuse you, but you love them
all'....She caused me much suffering, but I prayed for her earnestly. Another
time she asked me whether I could love her. Somehow I stretched out my hands
toward her, we embraced each other, and began to cry.
Now we pray together. My dear friends, please pray for
her. Her name is Barbara"
In a letter a month later, "Mary" writes: "I wrote you
concerning my sister in Christ, Barbara. She accepted Christ as her personal
Savior, and testified before all about it.
We both, for the last time, went to the meeting of the Godless. I
tried to reason with her not to go there, but nothing could prevail. She went
to the front of the hall, and boldly testified before all concerning Christ.
When she finished she started to sing in her wonderful voice a well-known hymn, I
am not ashamed to testify of Christ, who died for me, His commandments to follow, and depend upon
His cross!'
The very air seemed charged!
She was taken hold of and led away."
Two months later, another letter came from 'Mary":
"Yesterday, for the first time, I saw our dear Barbara in prison. She
looked very thin, pale, and with marks of beatings. The only bright thing about her were her eyes, bright, and filled with
heavenly peace and even joy. How happy are those who have it! It comes through suffering. Hence we must not
be afraid of any sufferings or privations.
I asked her, through the bars, Barbara, are you not sorry for what you
have done?' 'No,' she firmly responded.' If they would free me, I would go
again and tell my comrades about the marvelous love of Christ. I am very glad
that the Lord loves me so much and counts me worthy to suffer for Him.'"
And what would you do?? How
strong is your Hope??
Some thoughts from verse 35.
1. Throughout the history of the C/A, in most generations, these types
of experiences have been quite common.
- especially true, if not the norm in the
first century during the formative years of the church.
- this list is unusual to say the least from
our perspective today in our country.
2. These things were often brought about by the worlds
hatred of truth, of what the believer stood for.
- "If the world hates
you know that it has hated Me before it hated you!" Jn 15:18
- because of our country being founded on
moral principles from the Bible; the external pressures of living out the Word,
walking worthy were for most of our history neutralized. But today increasingly that is not true!
3. Modern Christianity, today's Christianity, bears little resemblance
to the Christianity of the N.T.
4. These things listed here are included in the "all things"
of vs:28 and the "all things" of vs:32, the provision to deal with and fulfill God's
purpose for your life!
5. The emphasis of the N.T., especially of Paul in his epistles, is on
what we think not on what we feel. [emotion has a very
valid place as appreciation]
- What is being offered up today, sought after today is a touchy feely
psychologized Christianity.
- How do you come to the settled conclusions so necessary to realize
the great promises and provisions and therefore the assurance that is here
without thinking?
- Take the statement of vs:31 Since,
God is for us! Who is against us?
What
does that say to anyone or better yet, What does the
Word of God say to anyone who does not believe God's Word?
6. There is no security, no assurance to those who do not believe
God's Word! Not one of these things can
separate you from God's love for you and His grace provision!
7. Remember that one's understanding of and therefore their view of God and His character
has a tremendous impact on your life and how you live it.
Where or how does vs:36 fit here? It seems to be out of place. It’s
a Statement of Suffering! Followed in vs:37 with the Conquest
of Suffering!
This describes the age long lot of the believer. ("all day long") Paul is describing a condition that is
ongoing throughout the church age. The
"we are being put to death" is in the
present tense, its an ongoing condition.
This is clearly hard for us to identify with, that we're slaughter
sheep, because there is no resemblance today in this country with what this
verse says. This condition is clearly atypical in our day and yet Paul presents
it here as the norm for Christianity along with the 7 conditions of vs:35.
My view is that it will increasingly move back to this as the norm as
we approach the end of the age and it will be in full bloom during the
tribulation period.
Some try to take this as a statement of hyperbole, Paul is exaggerating to the extreme to make the point
that there is nothing, nothing not even being slaughter sheep, killed, will
separate us from the love of God. He's
already covered death with the use of sword in vs:35.
Just as
it is written, lit.
Just as it stands written,
(perfect tense) tells
us several things. That it is a quote from Scripture,
therefore it is a part of God's will and therefore should be part of our
expectation, our thinking. Peter sensed
that the believer's expectation would be off base when it comes to
suffering/testing, 1
Pet
This quote comes from Psalm 44:22 Psa. looks
at a time of great turmoil and disaster in the land, it looks to the time of the Tribulation. The
following context Psalms 45-47 look to the reign of YHWH as king during
Millennium.
PRINCIPLE: No matter how tough the situation is, even to
the point of martyrdom,
You are Christ's, you are in Him, and absolutely nothing can separate you from
Him, ever!!
Next week we'll conclude this section of Romans 8 with the great
promise related to our position in Christ found in vs:37-39.