INSEPARABLE

Childhood friends. Song and dance. Peanut butter and jelly. 

I don't know what imagery comes to mind when you hear the word "inseparable," but I suspect for the Apostle Paul, "God's love" and "believers" would have been pretty high on the list. At least that's the way it appears from his words that close out chapter eight of his letter to the church at Rome.

Even though Paul never used the word "inseparable" (or its Greek equivalent for you sticklers) in his writing, the concept is clearly present in the words that he penned in verses 38 and 39 of Romans 8.  In those two verses, Paul unequivocally, emphatically stated his belief that God's love and God's children were two things that were inseparable.

Incapable of being parted.

Unable to be disjoined.

Impossible to pull apart from one another.

In fact, verse 38 reads sort of like Paul was trying to counter any conceivable argument that could ever be made to the contrary. "What about death, Paul? Wouldn't death be able to separate believers from God's love?" Paul's reply - "No!" "What about angels?" "No!" "What about Satan or other spiritual powers? What about some unforseen future happenstance?" "No and No!" "Is there anything at all, then, Paul? Anything that might drive a wedge between God’s love and His children – those whom He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified?" "Absolutely nothing at all" was Paul's continued assertion. In fact, Paul felt so strongly about the issue that he ended his list of things incapable of separating God's children from God's love with this catch-all declaration – “nor any other created thing.” That statement is so all-inclusive that it covers everything except for God Himself. 

And so finally, Paul was finished. His point was hammered home until there was nothing left to hammer, and that point was nothing more and nothing less than this: There is nothing that can separate God’s children from His love for them – the love finally and fully demonstrated in the death of His sinless Son for the sins of all who would believe. Sin can’t separate us. Satan can’t separate us. We can’t even separate ourselves. 

Today we might add that the Coronavirus can’t separate us, either. Loss of jobs or investments can’t separate us. Cancelled plans, uncertain futures, changes to life as we know it – none of these things change what God has done for us through His Son, and they can never change the eternal future in God’s presence that awaits all who believe.

Fellow believers, nothing in all of creation can separate us from God’s love. Let’s rest in that truth during these uncertain times!