A Loving and Lasting Friendship

Romans 8:35-37 (NLT)
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

In these verses the apostle emphasizes the great love Christ has for us. Some think because they face troubles, persecution, hunger or other life issues that perhaps Christ does not love them or that God is punishing them – BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. For these problems are created out of the evil in the world and by the consequences of our own natural sinful desires.  Because Christ loved us He died on the cross for our sin and through His death overwhelming victory is ours. God gave His only son Jesus Christ so that we could be free from sin that is how much God loves us.

 

 

 

Picking, choosing, and deciding which sins are trivial and which are the biggies is a completely human tendency. A young man once told me, "It's like a heavenly bank account. As long as I make more deposits than withdrawals, I'm in good shape."

I shared the biblical reality with him: the very first time he made a withdrawal, the account was emptied and closed forever. He thought that was a bit harsh. But I explained that I didn't make the rules; God did. And I shared this truth with him not to depress him, but to make him aware and appreciative of God's mercy.

If you're a believer, your account has been closed, and a new one opened in Christ's name. You're wealthy, but you can't make another deposit or withdrawal. As Christians we just get the benefits of this new account, living off the interest—or, to put it another way, living off the blessing granted us by the blood of Jesus. [David Rich, 7 Biblical Truths You Won't Hear in Church (Harvest House Publishers, 2006), p. 37; as quoted in the April 8 entry of Men of Integrity (March/April 2009)]

 

In Romans 8:38-39 the apostle goes further to explain God’s great love for us. It says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Believe and know that Christ loves you whoever you are and that Christ desires to have a relationship with you that provides a loving and lasting friendship.