Romans 8:37-39: No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul writes a very powerful truth that, as believers, we must all lay hold of in our personal walk with God: God’s love for us doesn’t change when we find ourselves faced with various trials in this world. In fact, the Bible declares to us in Malachi and in Hebrews that God doesn’t change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Since He doesn’t change, that means that His attributes don’t change either. He loved us before the foundation of the world. God loved us before sin entered the Garden of Eden or the heart of man. God loved us after sin defiled the heart of man. There’s something very interesting about God’s love for us, even while we were still sinners.
We only begin to see the depth, the length, and the height of God’s love in a much deeper way “after sin” than we ever could have seen it “before sin.” I’m sure you share my sentiment—I’d rather not have known His love from this perspective, but it sure is reassuring to know that His love for us didn’t change when we fell into sin. Now that we’re on this side of sin, or rather that we’ve been bought from sin as its slave, we must keep our focus on God’s love for us and not on the fallout that we face as a result of sin. Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sins, He also went to hell in our place and took back the keys (or authority) of death and hell—both given to him through Adam’s sin.
Paul teaches us (through the Scripture above) the principle of how God’s love doesn’t change because we fell in sin. So we can have bold confidence toward our heavenly Father when the enemy of our salvation attacks us or our family. It’s vitally important for us as believers and followers of Christ to not only know that God loves us, but that He chooses to love us—especially when we don’t feel as though we deserve it. People who don’t feel loved by others have little or no self-worth. It’s easy for them to give up on themselves when faced with continuous trials or setbacks.
As children of God, we also need to understand that no matter what we face in this life, it doesn’t negate, diminish or alter the love of God for us. If something should happen that causes you to doubt God’s love for you, just take a moment and read John 3:16. God didn’t send His Son to die for Christians—He was given for the redemption of sinners. If God loved us while we were still sinners, how much more is He going to save us from the wrath to come? Jesus died in order to reconcile us back to God first and secondly, to save us from His wrath against those who choose sin over His love. Therefore, we don’t have to fear when a crisis comes into our lives, because we know that it isn’t God’s wrath, but rather, it is Satan’s attack against our confidence in God’s love for us. Be bold today and know that God loves you so much. We’re special because of Christ and God’s love for us. —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US
