Romans 8:35-37 - More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:35-37 - 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Message: The Love of Christ sets us apart and we are more than conquerors in Christ

Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.

What the Lord is Saying:


In chapter 3, Paul started asking questions and this is continued throughout the book. The questions are meant to possibly come from an imaginary person or maybe an individual that could possibly raise a question as Paul is speaking.

Paul continues in these verses to offer encouragement to the Christian as a face trials in their life, once again while they are in Christ. The Christian is saved at the end of chapter 3, the imputation of righteousness is confirmed by our father Abraham in chapter 4, and the believers death to sin is declared in chapter 5. In 6, 7 and 8, the believers life of sanctification is described. And through this process of being made holy by the Spirit of God a Christian will undoubtedly have questions, and come under attack and have trials. Paul wants to assure the believer that nothing can come against them. Yesterday, we had the reminder that no charge can come against us. There is nothing that can condemn us.

The love of God
Now in verse 35, Paul shows us how the love of Christ will never cease. [I wonder why love is mentioned here and not earlier. Paul has talked about the Lord being with us in prayer, that no charge can come against us, that God is there for those He chooses, and now, he culminates this with talk of the Love of Christ. Just interesting. It could just be a shift from the legal relationship we have in Christ, versus now in these verses the relational aspect of that relationship in Christ.]

Nothing

It is interesting then the list that Paul gives us of struggles to face. He had mentioned tribulation in chapter 5 reminding us that we can exult in our tribulations for they produce hope. Yet in this verse tribulations is the beginning point of struggles in our lives. Tribulations are something that we experience every day in some form or another. They can be small and they can be large.

Distress can occur because of a loss, like a job or a close friend or family member dying to soon.

Famine is something I rarely experience. I don't even know if I can say I have ever experienced famine. Can I say that I've had to go without food for a long period of time? Maybe, but it was probably my own choice.

Nakedness is also something that I've only experienced in a dream. And even in that dream it was humiliating and stressful, but in real life I never have. I guess it could also mean to be exposed or to be humiliated.I have been embarrassed many times but I'm not sure if I've ever really been humiliated.

In peril, I think that would be if I was scared of my life. I think I have experienced this a couple of times, But it has only been momentary, driving in the car, narrow narrowly missing a crash, on my bike, but never anything that lasted longer than a few moments.

And finally death or a sword. Definitely not on that one.

I think what this all is trying to say is that no matter how difficult the situation, even if it might end up in death, the love of God is not absent and remains with us, with me.

In verse 36, Paul quotes from Psalm 44 where the psalmist cries out to God for the alleviation of the suffering he endures for the sake of his faithfulness to the Lord. It is a stark reminder that suffering is not something that will be avoided or not present in the life of the believer in Christ. It should not take us by surprise. It is real and it will occur. And it has the potential of occurring in many forms, but no matter how or when or why, we can rest assure that the love of Christ remains with us. 

Not simply withstanding, but conquering
Verse 37 expresses that we don't simply put up with these difficulties in life, but we overcome them and work through them and eventually conquered them. The strongest sentiment here is that we conquer death.

Promise:  From Tabletalk, July 3, 2014, "Let our enemies do their worst---they cannot overpower our living and loving God."