The Power of Love

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
ROMANS 8:35-39

Who shall separate (like a divorce) us from the love (agape) of Christ?
(Who can remove us from the supernatural love of Christ? Who has the ability, power or authority to divide us, to rip us apart, to send us away from one another?)

shall tribulation, (intense pressure, oppression, anguish, trouble) [pressing down]
or distress, (extreme calamity, anguish) [squeezing on all sides]
or persecution, (suffering for Righteousness sake)
or famine, (intense hunger from prolonged lack of food) [pressing from within]
or nakedness, (lack of protective covering)
or peril, (danger- from all sources)
or sword? (specifically humanly applied danger, war)

As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors (to gain a surpassing victory) through him that loved us.
(Our victory is not merely nominal, it is complete and overwhelming- and it is a gift from the One who loved us enough to give Himself for us.)

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
(neither the life or death of the body or that of the soul and spirit- all death and all life is included in this)

nor angels,
(ALL angels, whether faithful servants of the Most High or whether disobedient fallen angels)

nor principalities,
(rulers of men, angels or demons, whether rulers or leaders of small groups or bands or
of large nations and armies.)

nor powers,
(power of individuals or nations, power of nature, power of self, power of wealth, power of armies, power of man-made inventions, super-natural power, group power)

nor things present, (things happening today, current events)
nor things to come, (future intentions or events, prophecies)

Nor height,
(whether natural, as a mountain, or man-made, as a tower or building, or beyond our reach, as the farthest area of outer space)

nor depth,
(as the depth of the sea, the deep thoughts of God or even the depth of poverty)

nor any other creature,
(ANYTHING that has been created by anyone, ever)

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
(is capable, has sufficient power or resources, or authority)


which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Our safety rests completely in Jesus and the finished work of the cross. He alone has the power, the resources- His blood- and the authority to keep us connected to the Father for all eternity. It is not even our ability to hang on to Him, it is His ability to hang on to us.)