Is It True that “Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God?”
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My husband often talks about when he was a little boy and went shopping with his mom, he would play a joke on her. He would leave her side and go to the customer service desk and say he was lost. Then he would request the associate page his mother to the front desk.
Now, my husband thought this was funny, but his mother did not. She was separated from her son, felt scared, and worried. This is what all Christians feel when we feel separate from our Lord. In Romans 8:39, Paul gives us an absolute confirmation that we could never be separated from our God.
“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul’s words are comforting, but packed with meaning we can only understand by probing deeper. In the following article, I want to share with you what this verse means by analyzing the context. Lastly, I want to discuss how we should live considering Paul’s declaration.
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What Does it Mean That Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God?
Understanding the meaning of Romans 8:39 brings us closer to understanding the amazing God we serve. Paul starts this verse with mentions of height and depth. The mention of height is important because Paul is referring to anything beyond the heavens. Christians usually believe there is nothing beyond heaven. We don’t actually know, but Paul is covering all the bases. He is saying that if there is anything beyond heaven or space, it will not cause us to be separated from God.
Paul also includes depth in his writing, which has been referred to as death by many theologians. Pastors and teachers understand Paul to be reminding believers that death is not the end. Death is the lowest point on Earth, but the highest point in the life of a Christian. Death has been conquered because Jesus died on the cross. The war is won.
Paul was not discussing a New Testament thought. King David also understood this truth in the Old Testament before Christ had come. David had experienced the provision, protection, and love God had for him. He knew there was nothing that would keep God from loving him. His word in Psalms proves that.
“If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:8).
After Paul addresses height and depth, he speaks of anything else in creation. “Nor anything else” speaks of anything created new or different in the world. If another or different world is created, we are still protected by God’s love.
The second half of the verse discusses being separated from God. Paul is driving home the point that there is nothing that can separate us from God. Because God loved us so much – enough to send his beloved Son to die for us – nothing can get in the way of that love. That love is unconditional. That love is always there to be taken hold of if we only have faith.
Romans 8:39 is the climatic finale to this chapter of Romans. Paul has used these words to describe the love of God to the people. He has chosen his words wisely to let the Romans know that once they receive Christ as their Savior, nothing in their world would have the power to separate them from God. This verse is still true for believers today.
With Paul’s encouragement, we can be sure that God is always with us. But what would it be like if we were separated from Him? To be separated from God would mean a life filled with hurt, pain, and fear. Christians experience those feelings from time to time, but we can cope and process them better. With Christ, we can continue moving forward because we have Christ to give these feelings too. When you are separated from God, your pain and hurt can drive you to unhealthy situations. Fear can change the decisions you make, and the hope of joy and happiness is diminished.
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What Is the Context of This Verse?
We now know the meaning of this verse, but let’s put it in context. When Paul wrote the book of Romans, he was recording his words to Christians in Rome. Paul had been in prison and beaten (2 Corinthians 11: 24-25). He had shown a stoic resolve in his faith in Jesus Christ. He had continued to proclaim Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He had also explained what he believed and why he was a Christian.
In Romans 8, if we begin at verse 28, Paul reveals an enduring promise. God works for the good of all who love him. Paul goes on to ask the question – if God is for us then who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? In Romans 8:35 he asks who will separate us from the love of God. He goes through a list of events that could potentially separate us from God in the verses leading up to verse 39.
During Paul’s time, Rome was a powerful empire. The Romans believed in many gods and had adopted many of the Greek traditions. Romans were a people who lived in fear of angering the gods and facing disastrous consequences. What Paul is teaching is completely opposite of that. He is saying, you can anger God, but he will still love you. You can disappoint God, but he will still love you. The trials and tribulations you will face are nothing compared to the good God can use them for. The Romans no longer needed to charge full speed ahead at their enemies. They just needed to fight with the power of Christ on their side.
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Why Can Nothing Separate Us from the Love of God?
In Paul’s writing to the Romans, he uses the word us. The “us” he is referring to our Christians. Christians cannot be separated from the love of God. Why?
Nothing can separate us from the love of God because God loved us enough to send his Son to die on a cross and take on our sin (John 3:16). On the day of Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit to all those who believed in Him (Acts 2:1-2). The Holy Spirit was God. He would now live inside each person who called out His name in repentance and accepted Him as their Lord.
Today, when a person becomes a Christian, they have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. They have a piece of God living inside them. Since the love of God is in the Holy Spirit and we cannot lose that love, nothing can take it away.
God did not send His son to condemn us (John 3:17). Neither does He use His love to rebuke us (Zephaniah 3:17). He sent His son to save us from death and the grave. His love is unwavering.
“Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10).
Paul writes in Romans 5:8 that God demonstrated his love for us while we were still sinners, by dying for us. In Romans 8:39, he reiterates this by telling us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. At the moment we believe, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. The unwavering love of God is inside us all. Since God’s love is secure, there is no way we could lose it.
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How Should We Live if This Is True?
Considering Paul’s words in Romans 8:39, Christians can and should live a life that stands out in a crowd. We should be the light of the world. Our lives should look very different than the lives of those who embrace the secular world and its beliefs.
Christians should strive to lead a life without fear (Isaiah 41:10). Our lives should be free from worry and filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). We can have surety of our salvation and confidence that no matter what comes our way, God has it all under control. Christians will have peace in our understanding that our destiny lies in the hands of God – the same God who sent His son to die for us.
William Barclay illustrates how we should live with these words. “In life we live with Christ, in death we die with Him; because we die with Him, we rise with Him.”
Paul’s words in Romans 8:39 are poetic yet profound. Christians can take a breath because we know nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul was confident in this truth. He saw Christians as more than conquerors. We are a people who live with the Spirit of an all-powerful God inside us and because of that, we will always have Him with us.
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