Nothing Can Separate Christians From God

December 20th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Apostles wrote Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17). So when an apostle like Paul says that he is “convinced” (Gr. peithō) of something, as in Romans 8:38, then Christians can be certain it is true. The term means “to be persuaded; certain.” So Paul was certain that nothing can separate believers from the love of God. From physical danger to the spiritual powers in the unseen realm, both human and spiritual, there is absolutely nothing that can divide God from His elect children once they are in Christ. Paul himself had been saved from a life of hatred. He had gone through some very difficult times physically and spiritually as an apostle, yet he had not been separated from Christ. God not only revealed this to him supernaturally but also through his own experiences. He told Timothy: “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12, italics mine).

Death (Gr. thanatos) cannot separate a believer from God’s love, and no true believer in Christ fears death (cf. Ps. 23:4). Christ defeated death and won the victory for believers. Paul actually welcomed death as he preferred it over life since being absent from the body means being home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Likewise, neither can “life” (Gr. zōē) separate believers from Christ even though it is where spiritual danger lurks. Life consists of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword (8:35), but these pose no threat to God’s love.

As to “principalities” (Gr. archē), or demons, neither can they separate God’s children from Christ’s love. Paul told the Galatian Christians to stand firm in their salvation in Christ and to reject any gospel contrary to the one he preached to them—even if preached by an angel from heaven (Gal. 1:8)! Of course this was purely hypothetical, for an angel from heaven would not contradict God’s message of salvation. But a demon certainly would (cf. Eph. 6:12; Col. 2:15; Jude 6), for they are able to appear as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15) in order to deceive and dispute the truth of Christ. But none of these can separate Christians from the love of Christ.

Humans experience various difficulties, yet neither “things present” nor “things to come” can endanger one’s salvation. The “powers” (Gr. dunamis) are not powerful enough. In its plural form, “powers” is figuratively used for people in positions of authority, yet not a single one of them poses a danger to one’s salvation. Further, neither “height” nor “depth” can pose a problem. These were used as astrological terms in the first century. “Height” referred to the high point of a star’s path and “depth” to its lowest point. On one hand, Paul might have been assuring believers that Christ would sustain them from beginning to end, but then again he might have used the terms to indicate the perpetuity of space, endless in all directions—just like God’s love.

Food for Thought

Clearly in the apostle’s mind there is absolutely nothing that can divide, divorce, or separate God from His elect children—not their sins, Satan, trials, or even God. Not even themselves! The writer of Hebrews said of Christ’s love: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” (Heb. 6:19)… “we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?’ ” (Heb. 13:6). Knowing that Christ defeated Satan at the cross, we know that Satan can do nothing to separate us from God’s love. It seems clear from all of this that the Bible vehemently opposes any talk of losing one’s salvation. How sad that so many oppose this truth so clearly written in Scripture.