Romans chapter 8 verses 35 through 39. Our unconquerable love for Christ, verse 35," Who will separate us from love of Christ? Will tribulation, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, peril, or sword?" For the past 500 years, this verse has been used in popular Christianity to argue that no matter what sins we may commit, Christ will never reject us. Modern Christians teach that once someone has been saved, eternal life in heaven is assured for him.
However, absolutely nobody in the early Church understood this verse in this manner. None of them understood Paul to be saying that no matter what sins we commit, Christ will never reject us. The key to the correct understanding of this passage is to recognize that the expression" love of Christ" can refer to two different things. It can mean either Christ's love for us or our love for Christ. This ambiguity exists in both the Greek and in the English.
For example, a husband might say," What motivates me to go to work each day is the love of my wife." That statement could mean either the husband's love for his wife motivates him to go to work, or the wife's love for her husband motivates him to go to work. So, in this illustration, how can we know what the husband means by his statement? If the husband says nothing further, we cannot be certain of his meaning.
However, suppose he follows up his words with the statement," I love her so much, I would do anything for her." In that case, we would know that he is speaking about his love for his wife. On the other hand, he may add," She loves me so much. It inspires me to get up in the morning and go to work even when I don't feel like it." In that situation, we would know that the phrase" love of my wife" refers to her love for him.
It is the same with Paul's expression" love of Christ." To know whether he is talking about Christ's love for us or our love for Christ, we need to look at what Paul says next. If the modern explanation of this passage were correct, we would expect Paul to follow his words with the rhetorical question," Shall immorality, idolatry, dishonesty, covetousness, or drunkenness?" If Paul had followed his statement with that rhetorical question, then we would know that the modern explanation is correct.
We would know Paul is saying that regardless of what sins we commit after our initial salvation, it will not separate us from Christ's love for us. Christ will never reject us. However, that is not the rhetorical question Paul asks. Instead, he asks," Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, peril, or sword?" Paul does not talk about sins Christians might commit. Rather, he talks about trials Christians suffer on behalf of Christ. Suppose the modern explanation of this verse were correct.
Suppose that Paul is saying that regardless of what sins we commit, Christ will never stop loving us. Then we would have to admit that he is following his declaration with an incredibly weak argument. He is saying that if we suffer tribulation, persecution, hunger, and distress for the sake of Christ, He will still love us anyway. In fact, even if we die for Christ by the sword, He will not stop loving us. Now, what kind of argument is that?
What kind of Lord would Christ be if He ceased to love us because we suffered such things for Him? In short, Paul's explanatory words make it clear that he is talking about our love for Christ. That is why he enumerates the many things that faithful Christians were suffering because of their devotion to Christ. Throughout much of Romans, Paul has described all the things Christ has done for us. Now Paul makes a triumphant bold declaration on behalf of himself and similarly committed Christians.
He says that nothing is going to quench our love for Christ. Jesus has done so much for us. Nothing Satan brings against us will separate His people from their love for Him. Not even if Satan threatens us with death. Justin Martyr made a similar declaration about the Christians in his day. It is evident that no one can terrify or subdue those of us who have believed in Jesus all throughout the world.
Even though we are beheaded, crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, even though we endure chains, fire, and all other kinds of torture, we clearly do not give up our confession. In making this bold declaration, Justin Martyr was not saying that no Christians ever forsook Christ in His day. Rather, he is saying that Christians as a whole did not. In the subject passage, Paul is making a similar statement on behalf of the first-century Christians.
The predominant view of the early Christians was that Paul is talking about our love for Christ, as can be seen from the following quotations. Origen writes," If a soul ascends to such a state of perfection that it loves God with all its heart, and with all its mind, and with all its strength, and if it loves its neighbor as itself, how can there be any place for sin?" The Apostle Paul ascended to this degree of perfection.
However, standing in it, he confidently declared," For who will separate us from love for God which is in Christ Jesus?" It is evident that none of the things the apostle enumerates can separate us from love for God when any of us ascend to that level of perfection. Cyprian writes," Nothing is to be preferred over love for God in Christ.
In Deuteronomy, we read," You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Likewise, in the gospel, according to Matthew, Christ says," He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." Likewise, in the letter of Paul to the Romans, we read," Who shall separate us from love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Cyprian writes again," We must commit ourselves to walk in God's ways and to fear His commandments. The Father corrects and protects us if we still stand fast in faith during both afflictions and perplexities. Who will separate us from love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? None of these things can separate true believers.
Nothing can tear away those who are clinging to His body and blood. And Ambrosiaster writes," Who shall be able to turn us away from loving Christ who has bestowed on us such great and innumerable acts of kindness? Tribulation? It cannot because no torments overcome the love of a true Christian." Being forbidden to love the one whose generosity has been experienced would only stir up the love of the lover all the more.
For when a person thinks of throwing away these undeserved benefits, the blessings themselves rise up to restore the love. Chrysostom writes," Even if we are ungrateful, the same was not true of Paul. He was so alive in the Spirit and was so on fire with the love of God that he uttered those words worthy of His Spirit, crying aloud, who will separate us from love of Christ? See the point of His remark, see the passion of His overwhelming desire, see His burning love? Who will cut us off? He is asking.
What is there that has the power to deprive us of our love for God? Is there anything visible or invisible? Then in His wish to enumerate everything individually and to make clear to all of us the irrepressible love He had for the Lord, He added: Distress, hardship, hunger, persecution, nakedness, danger, the sword. What is there? He says, of all the problems besetting us that could separate us from love for God. Daily distress? Not at all. Hardships. These neither. Persecutions by no means. So what can hunger?
Not even that. Dangers? Why even mention hunger and nakedness and dangers? What about the sword? He says the onset of death itself could not succeed in achieving it. He was so on fire with the love of God that he was prepared to endure everything for the Christ he loved. Therefore, I exhort all of you to likewise be focused on such love of Christ.
Jerome writes," All the things I have set out in this letter will seem difficult to a Christian sister who does not love Christ, but not so for the one who regards all the glitter of this world as rubbish, nor for the one who views everything in this world as vain, if only she may win Christ. Likewise, it will not be difficult for someone who has died with her Lord and risen again and crucified the flesh with its weaknesses and desires. She will freely cry out who shall separate us from love of Christ.
Jerome goes on to quote the rest of the passage.
He concludes by saying," When we love him, every difficult thing will seem easy." Theodoret writes," The divine apostle is a witness to what I am saying, exclaiming as he does," Who shall separate us from love of Christ shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution?" However, then, to teach us that he looks for no reward, but only loves his Savior, he immediately adds," No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." However, he goes on further to exhibit his own love more clearly,
saying," For I am persuaded that neither death nor life will be able to separate us from love for God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Yet, these are only some of the early Christians who discussed this passage.
Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Caesarius of Arles, and even Augustine all understand this passage the same way. In explaining this passage, Augustine writes," Once freedom from anxiety has been perfected in the mind, what a joy we have either in this world or in the world to come. However, in this world, who will harm those of us who are filled with love?" See how the apostle exults over this very love?" Who," he says," will separate us from love of Christ?
Will tribulation or distress or persecution?" An alternate explanation. From personal experience, I find that modern Christians resist the early Christian understanding of this passage. This is even true of Christians who do not believe in unconditional eternal security. That is, once saved, always saved. No doubt this is because they have always heard this passage interpreted as though it were speaking about Christ's love for us.
So, an alternate way to understand this passage, while still being true to its context, is that Paul is saying that no third party or circumstance can come between us and Christ. In other words, Paul is saying that whatever tribulations Satan and the powers of evil bring against us, Christ will always be there with us. Nothing can come between us and Christ unless we ourselves walk away from Christ.
This interpretation honors the context of Paul's words:" For Paul never says that sin will not separate us from the love of Christ." Again, I have been unable to find any of the early Christians who clearly understood Paul in this manner. I only offer it as an alternate interpretation that is true to Paul's total declaration. What did Jesus say? What did Jesus say on this subject? Did He ever say that sin and disobedience cannot separate us from His love? No.
In fact, He said the opposite," Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. However, he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love Him and manifest myself to Him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words." Again, Jesus said," Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in His love." It is no wonder that Jude exhorts us," Keep yourselves in God's love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." Obviously, Jude would have had no need to exhort us to keep ourselves in God's love if it were impossible to fall out of His love. Romans 8:36," As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long.
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter." In describing how Christians were laying down their lives out of their love for Christ, Paul quotes the passage above from Psalm 44: 22, written by the sons of Korah. They described the affliction that God's people experienced in their day. Yet, they proclaimed," All this has come on us, yet we have not forgotten you. We have not been false to your covenant.
If God's faithful people were willing to die for Him under the Old Covenant, how much more should Christians living under the New Covenant be willing to lay down their lives for God?" This Psalm is an apt prophecy. Like sheep before their slaughterers, Christians do not fight back against their persecutors. Origen writes," If then the sword of this world comes upon my neck, it brings even greater love for God. I will say to him," It is written,' For your sake we are killed all day long.
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. For it is not enough for me to die for Christ for one hour, or to be tortured for one hour, but all day long, that is, for the entire length of my life." Origen was true to His Word. The day came when He was tortured for Christ, and the torturers were unable to separate him from His love of Christ. Romans chapter 8:37. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Jesus had said," Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, nothing will in any way hurt you." Therefore, the early Christians saw persecution as an opportunity to engage in direct battle with Satan and to conquer him. They knew that even if Satan's agents slaughtered them, they were the victors, not Satan. For Jesus had said," He who loves his life will lose it.
He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life." Christians did not use earthly weapons in this battle against Satan and his earthly agents. Instead, they fought with the spiritual armaments provided by God. By remaining faithful through suffering and even death, Christians conquered their persecutors. Yet they never imagined that they accomplished this through their own strength. They knew their power came from Christ, through Him who loved us.
Mark Felix writes," How beautiful is the spectacle to God when a Christian does battle with pain? When He is drawn up against threats, punishments, and tortures. When mocking the noise of death, he treads underfoot the terror of the executioner. When triumphant and victorious, he tramples upon the very man who has pronounced sentence against him. For the one who obtains the thing for which he has contended, he is the conqueror. Tertullian writes," If a Christian is mocked, he glories in it.
If he is dragged to trial, he does not resist. If accused, he makes no defense. When questioned, he confesses. When condemned, he rejoices. Romans chapter 8 verses 38-39," For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Paul continues his point, describing even greater trials and enemies.
Origen writes," Paul is no longer enumerating tests brought by humans, but ones that exceed the human dimension." Paul is referring to spiritual forces that no human can possibly withstand by himself. Yet, through God's power, Christians can prevail even over those forces. The angels Paul speaks of here are Satan's angels. The principalities and powers are those dark spiritual forces that Paul describes in Ephesians.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There is less certainty as to what Paul means by things present, height, depth, and the other items he lists. Origen gives these possible explanations. Things present mean the attractions of this world. Things future refer to upcoming trials yet unknown.
Height and depth indicate other wicked spiritual forces who fight us from on high, but who have been ultimately assigned to the depths of hell. Any other creature means any other wicked being, spiritual or physical, who tries to draw us away from God. Chrysostom writes," Because Paul loved Christ, he also loved all things belonging to Christ. He looked to him alone.
To retain that love for him was more desirable to Paul than even inheriting the kingdom." Origen sums up Paul's argument as follows: These powers fight to separate us from love for God. But Paul says they cannot prevail if our love for God is rooted and firmly grounded. Yet Paul did not place this confidence in his own abilities. Origen explains further, there is a certain limit to the power of human nature against these evil powers.
To be sure, there may be a Paul of whom it was said," He is a chosen vessel unto me." Yet even He could not endure the whole simultaneous assault of these opposing powers without being destroyed. That is, he could not do so without the might of Him alone who was at work in Him. For it is Jesus who said," Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33. Origen continues," Therefore, Paul declares with confidence," I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13.
However, again, I labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (1 Corinthians 15:10).
This power was certainly not of human origin, but it was because of this power operating and speaking in him that Paul could say," For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor power, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For human nature alone cannot endure a contest against angels or the powers of the height and of the abyss or with any other such creature. But when we feel the presence of the Lord dwelling within us, confidence in God's help will lead us to say," The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?