Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Two phrases stand out in this passage of scripture: "In all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us" and (nothing) "will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." One statement assures us of victory, the other that we will never be cut off from God. Obviously the Holy Spirit guided Paul to write this because the devil does everything he can to convince us of the opposite. He wants us to doubt our victory, and to be afraid that someone or something will separate us from God. So many situations are used by the devil to try and convince us that God will never forgive or that we are unworthy of His attention, or to convince us that our dreams and prayers will not be answered, or that we will be unable to be faithful to the very end.
When we’re living by faith, trusting in God and putting Him first, nothing can get between Him and us. Problems, persecution, hardship, and danger are all situations that we can not only handle, but be more than victorious in. That’s why we speak so much about boldness and audacity in the church; when we put this verse into practice we’re forced to be bold in every situation we are faced with, being certain that it will work out for our good and for God’s glory.
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