“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Do you ever wake up with a song playing on repeat in your head and you wonder where on earth did that come from? Not too long ago, I had a similar experience except that it was not a song playing on repeat in my mind. It was the verses from Romans 8:38-39, as though the Spirit within me was bringing to my mind and heart something only He could know I needed to hear, to understand, and to grasp. As my senses slowly wakened that morning, I became keenly aware of the message found therein. These verses remained with me throughout the following days. Everywhere I turned, my attention was drawn to Romans chapter eight. In my morning quiet times, the Scriptures I was penning for day were found in Romans 8. Mind you, I was working through a write the word plan so it wasn’t that I chose to begin writing Scriptures from Romans 8 based upon where my thoughts were drawn. The Holy Spirit continued to draw me back to the eighth chapter of Romans and settle me there. I needed (and still do) to be saturated with the truths that are found in Romans 8.

I don’t know how familiar you are with Romans 8, but it is a chapter of Scripture that is loaded with truth, theology, conviction, expectation, anticipation, and promise. Paul (writer of this epistle) packed a LOT into this chapter, and it is so full and rich that it is hard to process and fully wrap our spiritual minds around all that it says. I have read and studied this chapter of Scripture countless times during my journey with Jesus, but only recently have I connected the first verse with the last two verses of the chapter. (Yes, call me slow, but, as they say, better late than never.) Romans 8:1 begins with this soul salve: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8 ends with this promise: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let’s begin with verse one. How often do we as believers allow ourselves to feel condemned? The enemy’s number one goal is to deceive the children of God, in attempts to deter us from believing God and fulfilling His purposes for our lives. And what is the easiest way to derail us? To try to make us feel condemned, not worthy of God’s love and grace, dirty, unacceptable, or anything else remotely similar. The enemy of our souls will try to remind us of all that we have done that could make us feel far from the love and grace of God. Satan’s tactic is to hurl at us our past sins and remind us all the reasons why God shouldn’t forgive us. He tries to shift our focus from our justification (what Jesus did for us on the cross through His death and resurrection) to what we actually deserve as a result of our sins–death. When we are walking in feelings of condemnation, we are not experiencing the life, light, and grace that Jesus has bestowed on us through His sacrificial love. Our feelings can condemn us. Our thoughts can condemn us. Our track record can condemn us. If we view our lives through any lens apart from the grace of Jesus Christ, we will feel condemned. But God is rich in mercy and love. Through Jesus Christ we are NOT condemned. Jesus carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we could stand free and forgiven before the Father. The Father sees His children through the blood of Jesus, pure and holy to Him.

Even once we accept this truth that we are not condemned, we will continue to wrestle with our flesh. Until we are glorified with Christ in heaven, our bodies here on earth will fight the struggle between the old man and the new creation we are in Christ. When we slip and fall, we are tempted to again allow ourselves to exist in the place of condemnation, but for those who are in Christ Jesus, we experience forgiveness when we confess and repent. Our salvation happens the instant we call on the name of Jesus for salvation. Our sanctification–the process of becoming more and more like Jesus–is the process of our entire lifetimes. Which is why Paul needed to remind those in Christ Jesus that they are not condemned and that NOTHING can separate them from God’s love.

How frequently do we allow our feelings of unworthiness and condemnation prevent us from accepting and walking in the truth of God’s love? As chapter 8 of Romans draws to a close, Paul emphasizes all the things that are incapable of separating us from God’s love. He covers all possible bases–as though anticipating an argument. It’s as though Paul goes ahead and answers the question of the believer before we get the chance to ask, “But what about this? Does this separate me from God’s love?” Paul leaves zero space for doubts about the extent of the love of God. God’s love is far-reaching. God’s love extends beyond death and life. The past does not, cannot, separate us from the love of God. The future, what is to come, cannot, will not separate us from the love of God. Angels, rulers, powers–these cannot separate us from the love of God. No height, no distance, no depth can separate us from the love of God. I am reminded of the psalmist’s words in Psalm 139, as he outlines that everywhere we go, God is there. We cannot go anywhere beyond the sight and scope of God’s view. Wherever we are, wherever we go, God’s love for us is there and is greater and more powerful than we can comprehend. Paul concludes with the phrase, “nor any other created thing,” can separate from the love of God. Any other created thing, in essence, covers every other possible thing we can think of. We simply cannot be separated from God’s love for us found in Christ Jesus.

As I have contemplated the words of these verses over the last several days, I have found myself asking the Lord why these verses now. On some subconscious level, my spirit must have been experiencing doubts about God’s love for me. It is easy for me to believe God’s unending, unconditional, steadfast love–Hesed (Hebrew word for it)–for others but I know me and all the reasons why I do not deserve His love. God was tenderly and gently reminding me that I did nothing to earn His love, and, therefore, there is nothing that can separate me from His love. I am in a shifting life season right now (more on that another day!), and God knew how desperately I needed to hear and to see that, in this season of change, in this season of life that has drawn to a close, that I am still very much loved by Him and He has not and will not abandon me. His love extends beyond my life circumstances and seasons. Though God is calling me out of one season of life and into another, He loves me unconditionally. Though I could recount to Him all the reasons He should NOT love me, He loves me still. Nothing I do or experience can separate me from His love. What has been cannot, and what will be will not, separate me from His love. Death to relationships and seasons of life won’t separate me from His love. I simply am loved by Him. Period. End of story, no matter what chapter of life I am in.

What about you? Where do you find yourself questioning God’s love for you today? Are you going through something that makes you wonder how God can still love you if He is allowing you to experience what you are going through? Are your thoughts or past sins making you feel condemned and unloved by God? Wherever you are today, wherever I am today, it is a matter of faith and believing God’s love for us. His love is there. It is unending and unconditional. It is unfailing, flawless, and perfect. We are incapable of losing His love for us. It is not dependent on us. We must believe and receive that we are deeply loved by God. And absolutely nothing in this realm nor the spiritual realm can separate us from His love. Will you trust Him today?