“Freed from Condemnation”

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

The question that Paul answers over and over in his writings, and especially in his letter to the Romans, is this: Just how great is God’s love for us, and how do we show him our love in return? We sometimes try to put it into words so that others can understand, but no matter how grand our terms, no matter how glorious our phrases, no matter how deep our passion for this issue, no matter how great our imagination may be, we can never even come close to putting the love of God into an understandable perspective.

The love of God, just as God Himself is, is indescribable. In Ephesians 3:17-19, Paul offers a prayer for the church in Ephesus, with these words: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
In essence, he is reminding the church that God’s love is so vast and so readily available to us, that not only can’t we describe it, but we can’t even imagine how great it truly is!

The nine verses of our text for today also make an attempt at putting this incredible love into perspective, and Paul still falls way short of how truly great it is. But how close does he come? Let’s see.

Read Romans 8:31-36

Paul frames his discussion as a number of questions, which he then answers.

Question #1 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The apostle quickly suggests that since Jesus has already been given up for our benefit, for our life, could there possibly be anything that the Lord wouldn’t do for us? Of course, we all know that there are many who oppose Christians, and anyone who would deny that hasn’t heard a single word of news during their entire lifetime! But Paul’s point of the question isn’t that we will never know conflict in our faith, but rather that no one will ever be able to overturn what God has already done. And further, that as much as has already been given, God will never hesitate to give us even more. No one else can even come close to this, and even better, no one can ever take the Lord’s gift of love away.

Question #2 – “Who will bring any charge against those who God has chosen?” In Zechariah 3, we read of the High Priest Joshua standing before the Throne of Judgment. Jesus is there and Satan is there – Jesus to judge, and Satan to accuse – but Satan is never allowed to speak a single word against the Priest. And the judgment that Jesus hands down is that the filth and insufficient clothing that covers Joshua is to be completely removed, and he is to be dressed in the finest royal garments.
No one – not human, and not satanic - can ever bring charges against those who confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God alone judges, and no one else has a single word to say about it.

Question #3 – “Who is he that condemns?” – The answer is that no one can condemn those who are in Christ Jesus, including Jesus himself! The Lord died that we might be saved; he rose again in life that we might also know his eternal life. And if that wasn’t enough, he is constantly intervening on our behalf with both Father God and the Holy Spirit. It isn’t that we deserve his goodness, it is just that he has created the way for us to live in eternity with him, and nothing can ever damage or demean that gift.

Question #4 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Paul even throws out a few possibilities of what might break our relationship with Christ – trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness (financial catastrophe), danger, or war. Could any of these cause God to stop loving us, or even to love us less? Is there anything that could interrupt the flow of Godly love into our lives? The answer is, obviously, that there is NOTHING that could do that! In Romans 5:5, Paul wrote that “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us.” His love wasn’t just given, it wasn’t a sample, it wasn’t some measured amount – it was poured into us! It is within us, and God will never take it back.

Do you see the Love of God at work now? What is it doing for you today?

Read Romans 8:37-39

By the love of God, we have gained a victory unlike anything that the world has ever known. Is there anything that can minimize that Love? Is there anything that can tarnish that victory? Is there anything that can destroy the relationship that Christ has created and granted to us when we claim faith in him?
NOTHING! There is nothing that can come between us and our Lord. In the hymn “Nothing Between” by Charles Albert Tinley, he offers another comparable list of possible threats to the love we feel in Christ. In the second verse, we read “Nothing between, like worldly pleasure, Habits of life though harmless they seem, Must not my heart from Him e’er sever, He is my all; there’s nothing between.” Nothing in all of creation, including heaven and hell, can come between us and our Lord, except our lack of faith. “Nothing between my soul and the Saviour, [this is the chorus] so that His blessed face may be seen; nothing preventing the least of His favor. Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.”

As we begin our time of prayer for healing, keep the message of this great old hymn foremost in your heart and mind – that nothing can keep the Lord from showing his incredible love to you.
(At this point in worship, we held a healing service, with prayers and anointing for all who came forward.)