Paul’s Exhortation to Christians in Romans 8:38-39
Paul’s exhortation to Christians is based on their faith in Christ and their hope for glory with him at the end of the age. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of suffering for him, and thereby for the gospel.
When we are saved by God’s grace, we are given the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9) and a new self (Rom 8:11), and we become heirs of eternal life. This means that we are now free to live a life of holiness in the presence of God, as his children, and not by the corrupting impulses of our old selves.
Nevertheless, we are not immune to the effects of evil, for it is not only natural disasters and diseases that ravage our world. We have to face spiritual and human oppressors and even our enemies. However, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!
The Word of God is the only thing that can truly assure you of your eternal security. It is your only guide to the heavenly kingdom that you are going to one day inherit. The Bible’s message is a powerful and encouraging one.
There are many people who believe that they can lose their salvation. That’s a dangerous belief because it could be very deceptive to them and to you.
But Paul’s exhortation in Romans 8:38-39 is to help you know that it is impossible for you to lose your salvation, and to give you some comforting assurances to keep your eyes and heart focused on the truth. He gives you these assurances of hope to counter the naysayers and to convince you that you are in God’s hand.
You are in the hands of God, you are in the hands of a loving and merciful Father who will never forsake you. You have been redeemed by the blood of his Son, and that blood is poured out for you, to save you from the power of sin and to make you righteous and just before God.
That is not an easy thing to do, but that is what God does for you through his Son and the Spirit who indwells you. He keeps you from apostasy and from unbelief in the final days, and he keeps you from dying in your sins. He gives you this assurance so that you will not be tempted and be unable to stand against the evil that surrounds you.
These promises of inseparability are the radical security that God provides to his elect – not to everybody. That is why we have to hold on tight to the truth of our salvation and be very careful about what we say about it!
The fifth question in this chapter asks who will separate believers from the love of God. There are seven potential threats that might arise, either in the world, or even in the church: persecution, unclean spirits, lawlessness, false teaching, counterfeit miracles, evildoers, and blasphemy. These are all examples of things that might happen to believers in a fallen world, but none of them can separate them from the love of God.
