Nor height, nor depth
Neither heaven, earth, nor hell, nor any of the inhabitants of
either, or anything in either; no high or low place, to be cast
down from the one, or into the other; nor the height of honour
and prosperity, or the depth of meanness and adversity; nor the
height of power, or depth of policy in men or devils;
nor any other creature.
This takes in the whole compass of created beings in heaven,
earth, and sea; and most strongly expresses the inseparableness
of the saints from the love of God, by anything or creature
whatever; nothing in the whole universe
shall be able to separate us the love of God, which is in
Christ
Jesus our Lord:
by "the love of God", is not meant the saints' love to God; for
though this is sometimes called the love of God, it is from him,
as the author of it, and to him, as the object of it, and may be
said to be in Christ, or by him, and can never be lost; yet the
apostle would not have expressed such a strong confidence and
full persuasion about this, and would rather have said, had this
been his meaning, that nothing shall be able to separate our love
from God, or God from our love, and not us from the love of God;
besides, he is speaking of that love by which we are more than
conquerors, and manifestly intends the love with which God loves
his people, particularly the love of God the Father: and this is
"in Christ Jesus our Lord"; he has expressed it in and through
Christ, in choosing and blessing them in him, and in sending him
to die for them; and it still continues in him, and is in him as
their Lord, head, husband, and Redeemer; and is a reason why
nothing can separate them from it: which is to be understood, not
of the effects of love, and the application of it, which may be
suspended for a time; nor of the manifestation and sense of it,
which believers may be without for a while; nor of any sort of
separation from God, for saints themselves may be separated from
him, with respect to intimate sensible communion and fellowship;
but the sense of this passage is, that they can never be
separated from the love of God, so as that that union which is
made by it between God and them can ever be dissolved, or they
cease to have any share or interest in his love. This the apostle
was persuaded could never be.