Week 9 - More than conquerors

Romans 8:37-39

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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 writes with such authority in this passage. In his epistle (or letter for those who are confused by that word) to the Romans, he was writing about the things that would not get in the way of God’s immense and vast love for us. 

The first time I read this was a few months ago doing my Bible in One Year which I started after FOCUS last year and it struck me deeply. It made me realise that no matter how much I mess up or how much I feel I’m not worthy of God’s love; he loves us all so deeply that literally nothing could get in the way of that. It is hard trying to get your head around that at first but as it sinks in and you read it over and over again, it gradually makes more and more sense.  I found myself engrossed in this passage and I couldn’t get it out of my head. It made me realise that there is nothing that can separate God from us. But you have to remember reading this passage and the words that I write that this is not just for select individuals but it is for everyone – nothing can get in between you and the love of God through Jesus Christ.  

Verse 37 focuses on how we are conquerors through Jesus who loved us before he ascended to our heavenly father. It doesn’t matter what we are facing in life because we are more than conquerors over those things that get in the way of our progress. It isn’t just in the things that get in the way, but it is in ALL things that we are able to be conquerors. Our life and the path that God has laid out for us is full of twists and turns however it is through our trust in him that we are able to be conquerors. 

Verse 38 and verse 39 then goes and lists all of the things that Paul believes will not get in the way of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. Death, life, angels, demons, present times, future times, the highest peak on earth, the lowest point on earth are some of the things that Paul lists but after these I believe he has a change of thought. I can imagine Paul sat by the candlelight in a room in a house thinking that the list he just wrote was good but that he should scrap that. I can imagine him exclaiming to others around at the time “Actually NOTHING else ever created can separate us!” Just take a second to think about everything in all the earth – every grain of sand, ever microbe and molecule and even that figure and number of things can separate us today from the love of God. 

The thought of nothing getting in the way of the love of God for us is so comforting in times of trouble. So take heart! Fear not for as Paul says, We are more than conquerors and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.