I am Convinced...

Are you convinced that nothing can separate you from God's love in Christ?

God's Love Through Covid

When the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, he was no stranger to suffering. He had experienced persecution, opposition and considerable hardship because of his commitment to Jesus Christ. Yet, despite everything he had encountered, Paul expressed an extraordinary confidence in the love of God.

He was convinced that nothing in all creation could separate him from God's love in Christ Jesus. Think about that for a moment.

Paul wasn't writing as someone who had enjoyed a trouble-free Christian life. He knew what it was to experience hardship, uncertainty and suffering. Yet none of those experiences had persuaded him that God had stopped loving him. I find that particularly encouraging.

Life can sometimes change dramatically. Relationships become strained, financial circumstances change, unexpected illness arrives and situations we thought were secure suddenly become uncertain. Even our own emotions and spiritual experiences can fluctuate.

But when everything around us seems uncertain, God's love remains unchanged.

In Romans 8:38–39, Paul declares that neither death nor life, the present nor the future, (nor covid-19), nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What an extraordinary promise!

It doesn't mean that we won't experience suffering, disappointment or seasons when we struggle to understand what God is doing. Neither does it mean that everything will necessarily work out according to our expectations. In fact, the wider context of Romans 8 acknowledges the suffering experienced by believers and the groaning of creation as we await the fullness of our redemption.

Nevertheless, Paul reminds us that God is at work, even in circumstances we wouldn't have chosen, accomplishing His purposes in those who love Him (Romans 8:28–29). Our confidence isn't that everything will happen as we hope, but that nothing we encounter has the power to separate us from God's love in Christ.

And this is something I want to experience, not simply understand intellectually.

I believe we have the wonderful privilege of enjoying God's presence and experiencing His peace, comfort and love through the Holy Spirit. These aren't merely theological concepts or promises reserved for the life to come. They are part of the relationship we have been invited to enjoy with our heavenly Father today.

Yet there have also been seasons when my circumstances and feelings haven't seemed to reflect those promises. Times when I've had to remind myself of what Scripture says and continue trusting God's character, even when my experience has been rather different.

But here's the wonderful thing. God's love doesn't become more secure when I feel it, nor does it become less secure when I struggle to recognise it.

His love rests upon something infinitely more reliable than my changing circumstances or emotions. His love is more secure than the news headlines, or the talks of lockdowns, or my feelings, or anything else. It is demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

Paul asks an important question earlier in Romans 8:31:

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (NIV)

He goes on to remind us that God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.

The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love and provides the foundation for our confidence in Him.

Of course, this doesn't mean we should resign ourselves to living without an awareness of His presence or experiencing His peace and joy. I believe we can continue to grow in these things as we walk with Him.

But we can pursue that relationship from a place of security rather than anxiety, knowing that we are already loved and welcomed in Christ. We don't need to persuade God to love us more. Instead, we can continue discovering just how extraordinary His love already is.

So, whatever circumstances you might be facing today, remember Paul's words. Not because you're required to manufacture a particular feeling or demonstrate sufficient faith, but because you have every reason to trust the One who has already demonstrated His love towards you.

When everything else is shaken, His love remains.

And that is something worth being convinced of.

© 2021 Darren Roy