In Romans 8:33-39, Paul asks three different questions. Who shall accuse us? Who shall condemn us? And who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Let us examine this last question. Paul affirms that nothing, not even trouble, difficulties, tribulations, anguish, calamity, misfortune, nor distress can separate us or part us from Christ. We can be assured in this truth that persecution, famine, nakedness, peril of our lives, nor the sword of our enemies can separate us from Christ. Paul continues by reassuring us: “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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) This means that neither a power from on high, nor a power from below, nor anything else in God’s whole world, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John’s gospel speaks of this truth as well when he speaks of believers’ eternal existence. In John 11:25-26, Jesus teaches, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” In John 10:28-29, Jesus speaks more in detail about this “eternal life,” saying, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” This means that we can be assured our eternal lives will be forever. It is given to us and promised by Christ to be timeless, perpetual, imperishable, indestructible, and immutable. When Jesus says we will “never perish,” this phrase is one of the strongest forms of speech in the original language, meaning that we are eternally safe and protected. Christ Himself gave this gift of eternal life to His sheep, so no power is stronger than that of Christ to keep His sheep under His eternal care. Then the Lord says, “no one is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” and “my Father is greater than all.” (John 10:29) This means that God the Father is unrivalled in majesty and unlimited in power. This same mighty God is our God, who cares so much for us and loves each one of us deeply. It is almost unthinkable, then, that any created being could snatch one sheep away from God’s protective custody. The conclusion of the matter is that no separation can be made between the Triune God and His sheep. Let us give praise and glory to God our Almighty Father!