Romans 8:38-39 – No Separation

Romans 8:38-39

“[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What’s The Point?

Romans 8 is a magnificent reflection on the removal of our condemnation, the sufficiency of Christ, and the confidence we can have in the indwelling Spirit. It is a summary of the riches we have in Christ and the overwhelming victory he has accomplished for us. In this chapter we have looked at the hope we have in the life we live now and the hope we have in the life that is to come. And now to close out this amazing chapter we will look at the assurance we have in Christ.

In the previous section we looked at all the questions Paul asks at the end of the chapter. Here, in vv. 38-39, he is providing an even clearer answer to the question in v. 35—“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” So, just as we examined all the questions in the previous section, let’s take a look at all the details of Paul’s answer in these two verses.

Neither death nor life. Remember what we said earlier, our salvation is sure; we are guaranteed a place in heaven with God. Death, the very thing that should be our greatest enemy and fear, now is the event that brings us into glory. Also, we don’t have to wait until death to be with Christ, like it says, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:10).

Nor angels nor rulers. There is no being in the universe that can keep us from our relationship with God. Even rulers who could have us punished or put to death cannot separate us from God. We have seen this in the Bible with people like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. We also see it in the modern persecuted church where believers count their sufferings as blessings from God.

Nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers. This is so good! If you have been saved by Christ, then there is nothing you have done or will do that can undo that. There is nothing you could do to separate yourself from Christ if you truly belong to him. Likewise, no power, no belief, no lie can overcome the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done.

Nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation. At this point Paul is just reiterating that when he says nothing, he means nothing. The reason we are so secure is Christ really did live a perfect life, die a substitutionary death, rise victoriously from the grave, ascend into heaven, and sit down at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus is currently sitting in heaven, and when God the Father looks at us he sees the righteousness of his Son. And there is nothing in all creation that can come between Jesus the Son and God the Father. Nothing and no one can undo the salvation that they have accomplished.

The love that God the Father has for the Son, that perfect love is the love God has for us who are in Christ. Sometimes we just need to remember that we are loved by God and nothing we do could ever change that. Praise God that he is gracious and kind and merciful and loving towards us broken sinners.

Scripture Memorization

Romans 8:38–39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Prayer

Father God, I praise you for who you are. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good. Out of your perfection and holiness you saved me. You are so good that you chose me, you are so kind that you sacrificed your Son for me, and you are so wise that you planned it all from the beginning.

Jesus, thank you for your obedience to the Father. Thank you for coming to earth and going to the cross willingly. I praise you because you had the power to lay down your life and the power to take it back up. Thank you.

Holy Spirit, thank you for dwelling in me. I could and would not obey the Lord if you did not direct my steps. Help me hear your voice louder than my own. I trust in your promises and praise you for keeping me.

I know that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord.

Reflection

1. If you truly believe verses 38-39, how are you going to live out your faith differently?
2. Think about death, how it used to be the end, but now it ushers us into glory.
3. What verse or idea has impacted you the most from Romans 8?

Discussion Questions

1. What are some Bible stories where people were willing to face death because of their relationship with the Lord?
2. How can Christians endure hardship? How can we be more than conquerors? 
3. Talk about the two great realities at the beginning and end of Romans—no condemnation and no separation.