MORE THAN CONQUERORS

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Verse 34, that precedes the lesson text, begins by asking this rhetorical question to the Christians at Rome: Who is he that condemneth (you)? As he began this chapter of his letter, Paul had already answered this question. In verse 1, he begins by saying, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There is no one that can condemn, or sentence to eternal death, those that have been baptized into the body of Christ. There is a condition, however. Protection from condemnation requires those in Christ to conduct themselves in a godly, righteous way, not giving in to, or allowing their conduct to be driven by, covetous desires of the world. They must conduct themselves in a spiritual manner, and avoid unrighteous, worldly pursuits.

The lesson text shows the limitless extent to which this biblical fact is forever true. How blessed is the Christian to be safe in the arms of Jesus - to have the ultimate confidence in God through His Son, Jesus Christ, that no person, no thing, or no external condition, has the ability to condemn them to eternal death. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? No one; nothing except our own erring will, can separate us from Christ's love. Neither can anything separate, and negate, our love for Christ! God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ loved us so much that He submitted to death on the cross of Calvary in order to wash away our sins in His own blood (Rev. 1:5b). The greatest love a person can ever hope to receive from anyone on earth, including our wonderful families, can never cleanse us from sin and give eternal life. We are given this assurance by the writing of Paul to the church at Thessalonica. He wrote, Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace (2 Thess. 2:16).

Jesus is our Good Shepherd. His followers are considered to be His sheep. To His Christian "flock," His sheep, He gives us this comforting promise, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them (to) Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand (John 10:27-29). Indeed, there is complete safety from all external forces as long as we are in, and remain in, the protective care of Jesus and our heavenly Father.

There are times, in every life on earth, when physical and mental suffering will take place. In some lives there is more suffering and in some less. In some eras of time, it has been more, and in some times less. It may have been due to tribulation brought about by many types of external causes that try the souls of mankind; it may have been due to distress caused by great anxiety or fear; it may have been due to persecution through cruel oppression, harassment or injury; it may have been due to famine that may result from food shortage caused by natural, or man-made disasters; it may have been due to nakedness, or the lack of sufficient clothing that can be caused by numerous types of disastrous circumstances; it may have been due to peril, a state of extreme, eminent danger; it may have been due to sword, when lives are threatened by wars or enemies of any kind.

Christians can overcome all of these situations of life. Whatever the condition a child of God must face while here on earth, let it be known that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Over all these, Christians are conquerors.

However, the only thing or person that is able to cause a Christian to be condemned to eternal death is himself or herself. You must conquer self. In doing so, Christians become more than conquerors.