This Sweet Assurance

July 12, 2018

This Sweet Assurance

Romans 8:35–39

Christopher Hatley

Central Truth

If you are Christ's, then you are fully His, and you are always His. He has you tight and will never let you go. This should radically transform the way you think about trials and suffering.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.

“I will always love you” is a cliché in far too many cheesy movies. Yet, if I pause and think for a moment, there's something about that phrase that tugs at my heart. Always loved?! That sounds too good to be true! Always loved?! I want that! I crave a love with that kind of assurance. I believe that's because we are made to. Our hearts aren’t fashioned for fleeting, temporary love; our hearts are fashioned for forever. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “has put eternity into man’s heart.” We were made for love that, like Jeremiah 31:3 says, is “everlasting.”

In these final verses of Romans 8, Paul is shouting, “Jesus will always love you!” Always! Never ceasing! It’s love that cannot fail or stop. It's a love that transforms everything. Even our pains, sorrows, and trials. Look at that list in verse 35. Tribulation, persecution, and sword? These are no joke! Is it possible these things could separate us from Christ’s love for us? The assurance in verse 37 is a definitive “NO!”

However, life can still be frightening. In verse 36, Paul quotes Psalms 44:22. In context, the psalmist says even though they're following the Lord, they are still being killed! When we follow Christ, He doesn’t instantly rescue us from the brokenness of this world. We often remain in seasons of hurt and suffering. But the radical truth of the gospel is Jesus promising to never leave us. He's with us in the storm (Mark 4:35-41)! Through Jesus we become “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). This means everything that comes against us is not only defeated, but it is completely ruled over and worked for our good (Romans 8:28)!

The chapter ends with yet another assurance of God’s love. Verses 38-39 declare that nothing in all creation, not even death, can separate us from the eternal security Jesus won for us!

So today, do you know you are God’s? Do you know the love of Christ? Because if you are His, then you are fully His, and you are always His. He isn’t letting go. No matter what.

This is eternal security!

This month's memory verse

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

– Romans 7:24–25

1. What changes about your life when you know that Jesus will always love you?

2. How does this love affect the way you love others?

3. If truly nothing can separate us from Christ, then how should this affect the way we step out in faith, take risks, and share our faith?

4. Do you believe the words of Psalm 63:3? Is the love of God truly better than life itself? Does His love change the way we relate to death?

5. During what trials do you need to remind yourself of God’s love most often? How can you practically remind yourself of God’s love this week?

6. Who in your life needs to know that someone will love them always?

7. You cannot lose God’s love! You have an assurance that He isn’t letting you go! You are His! You are in His hands! Spend five minutes reflecting on this.