What a grand climax to Paul’s greatest chapter! “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The chapter begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.” In order grasp verse 37, we have no notice again that this thought actually began in verse 31. The Apostle poses several unanswerable, and therefore, somewhat unnecessary questions: “If God be for us who can be against us?” “How shall the Father not give us all things?” “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?” “Who is he that condemneth?” And then – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” At this point Paul lists two bunches of pirates, who are out to steal away God’s love from the saint. Actually there isn’t a whole lot of rhyme and reason in this list that Paul gives us. These things aren’t alike in very much, except that they are troublesome. And Paul doesn’t try to be exhaustive or comprehensive either. It’s almost with contempt that he names these powerful enemies. It’s almost that he speaks with a dare, spitting in their collective faces. “Just you try to steal away Christ’s love for God’s elect.”
But instead of simply saying that these things CANNOT separate us from love of Christ . . . That was our subject last week and well worth our contemplation over and over again. But actually, what he says here is that, “we are more than conquerors against these pirates of love.” The English words “more than conquerors” is just one word in Greek – “hupernikao” (hoop-er-nik-ah’-o). In other words, we are hyper-conquerors.
I think that this verse hints at three things: Our Inadequate enemies, that we are somewhat indifferent participants and that there are some very interesting spoil to be given to these conquerors.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I remind you that we’re not talking here about our love for Christ, but His love for us. We are as back and forth in our affections as the branches on the maple tree in my front yard. And its not speaking about our sense of God’s love, but rather the fact of it. It’s quite possible that we feel that the love of Christ has somehow been stolen from us. It is not only possible, but probable that may we feel like that sometimes. But our feelings, like our hearts are very deceptive. Paul is talking about the real thing, not our perception of that thing.
Enemies and calamities can strip us to the very quick, just like they did Job or Joseph. But they cannot reach the quick – the core, the heart. Satan may touch everything that Job possesses – but not his body. Oh wait, Satan can get permission to touch Job’s body, but he cannot touch his soul. The frost may kill the leaves, and the flowers, and it may silence the noise of the bird and the stream. But not for a moment during the history of the world has life been sucked out of God’s creation. And the love of God cannot be quenched.
The Christian does not need to be afraid of losing the really important things – the spiritual things – so long as he has the Lord Jesus. No Christian is completely hopeless or friendless. That might be what we see, looking externally and without faith. But we need to “set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Set your affection on the Saviour above, whose love cannot be diverted. If stripped of wealth and health, use that opportunity to focus on the Lord Jesus.
Paul is not saying that these thieves have no power over us. They can certainly make our lives miserable, But they are impotent as far as touching the relationship that God has with us through the love of the Lord Jesus.
I have never been in battle with shells crashing around me and bullets flying around my ears. If I had been, I might be tempted to say that wherever battle it was, it was the most crucial fight in human history. As far as my personal history is concerned that might be true. But then again, there might be a battle or two in the lives of long-time soldiers which are most particularly sweet or important. There have been hundreds of “nikao” battles for every “hupernikao” (hoop-er-nik-ah’-o).
And how can a simple victory be turned into a super-victory? In one way, I suppose, if the battle is won without a single casualty. In another way, if the enemy actually becomes an ally and a blessing to us. Do you remember how some American Indians thought that the strength of his defeated foe entered his arm and prepared him for the next battle? We aren’t just conquerors over these love-destroying adversaries, we are more than conquerors. They can actually make us stronger Christians as they force us closer to our Saviour.
And please notice that we aren’t going to be victors at some future point in eternity. This isn’t talking about some ultimate victory in some far-off and blessed Heaven. Moment by moment, here today, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
But come on here, how can these things be; how can we do that? We can’t do anything. We are more than conquerors only “through Him that loved us.”
We are more than conquers over our afflictions when we recognize that in all our afflictions the Saviour was afflicted. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with our grief. And we can fellowship with Him – if our attitude is right when our day of sorrow comes.
But, is our victory, really our victory? Not really. “In this thou shalt conquer:” “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of His testimony.” “We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us,” but we are nothing in ourselves.
In this over-busy world, we need to stop………….and meditate on the love which bought us. And considering the great price already paid, we need to know the answer to the question: “Who shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?” And the answer is: Absolutely no one.